We meet each Wednesday afternoon from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

When and Where Do You Meet?
We meet Wednesday afternoons from 1 to 3 at the Claxton Community Center at 1071 Edgemoor Road (Highway 170), Clinton TN. This location is a half mile east of the Bull Run Steam Plant. It is across the street from a Marathon Gas Station. There is a large marquee next to Edgemoor Road that advertises Square Dancing and Folk Dancing at the Community Center.

Where Do I Access Edgemoor Road (Highway 170?
You can access Edgemoor Road (Highway 170) from Pellissippi Parkway in the Solway area near the Clinch River Bridge or from Clinton Highway in the Claxton area.

What Does the Claxton Community Center Look Like?
The Community Center is an older red brick building and has four white pillars in front; it looks like a church but was never used as a church. It sits back off Edgemoor Road and there is a long driveway that goes from Edgemoor Road around the back of the property to the Community Center parking lot. You will turn onto the long driveway where you see baseball fields and a children's playground. There is plenty of parking available.

What Are Folk Dances Like?
Most of the folk dances are easy; they are the type of dance people would do in a village during a wedding celebration. For most dances, we hold hands in a circle or line and step to the left or right or back or front to the rhythm of the music; we usually review the steps before each dance.

When Does Dancing Start and End and Is There a Fee?
Dancing starts at 1:00 and continues to 3:00 but a dancer can leave whenever it is convenient for him or her. We are recreational dancers so are not trying to get every step perfect; we rarely perform for an audience. The first visit is free. After that, we ask dancers to pay $4. If a person can't pay, that's okay.

What Do Dancers Wear for Folk Dance Practice?
Our dancers wear comfortable clothes and shoes. We have good heating and air conditioning at the Claxton Community Center so can keep our dancers comfortable. Women wear slacks, jeans, skirts or shorts; no one dresses-up. Guys can wear slacks, jeans or shorts.

Do I Need a Partner?
You do not need a partner. Most of our dances are done in circles or lines but we occasionally do a partner dance. If a partner is needed, we just ask one of the dancers there to dance with us.

Is the Oak Ridge Folk Dancers a Large Group?
We are a small group. At a weekly session there may be six, eight or ten of us. Our dancers come from Knoxville, Oak Ridge and Clinton plus other areas in the region.

Do You Take Any Breaks on Wednesday Afternoons?
We take a short break at 2:00 p.m. for announcements. A few times a year we have a potluck lunch at Claxton; we also like to get together at other times to canoe or hike.

Here Are Examples of Folk Dances We Do
If you would like to see some of the dances we do, go to http://www.utube.com and type Trgnala Rumyana which is a Bulgarian dance. Or type Makedonsko Devojce which is Macedonian. Or type Hanter Dro (French), Moj Maro (Albanian), or Kortanc (Hungarian). You won’t see our group but you’ll see folk dancers in motion.

What Is the History of the Oak Ridge Folk Dancers
Our group started in 1944 when Oak Ridge TN was getting settled. Someone had a phonograph and records and could teach the steps to folk dances. Now we dance to music on our laptop. Until recently we danced in Oak Ridge at the Woodland School or at the Library. Now we meet at Claxton Community Center which is a central location between Oak Ridge, Clinton and Knoxville.

Where Do Folk Dances Come From?
The folk dances come from two sources: some are old dances done in villages from many countries for the past hundred years. Other dances have been created recently by choreographers in the states and around the world for recreational folk dance groups like ours or for performing groups.

How Do You Learn the Folk Dances the Group Practices?
We've learned our folk dances by attending workshops where an invited teacher demonstrates dances from a particular country or region. The challenge is to keep practicing the beautiful older dances in addition to picking up interesting new ones. Some members of our group go to weekend workshops in Nashville or Asheville although workshops are offered in each state throughout the year.

Can I Learn Folk Dances On-Line?
Yes. There is an active online folk dance culture since the development of zoom; in fact, our group has a Monday evening zoom folk dance session where Paul Taylor and other local dancers lead and teach dances. Let us know if you are interested and we'll send you the link.

Do the Oak Ridge Folk Dancers Sponsor An Annual Workshop?
Yes. Our Oak Ridge Folk Dancers group holds a spring weekend workshop called 'REDBUD ROMP' in March or April where 40-50 dancers from around the southeast attend. We have request dancing on Friday night followed by a teaching session with our invited instructor. On Saturday, we have a teaching session in the morning and afternoon with a catered ethnic lunch in between. We have a dance party in the evening where we do request dancing and also review dances the teacher has taught that weekend.

What Kind of People Are Folk Dancers?
Folk Dancers are usually down to earth men and women who folk dance to enjoy the beautiful ethnic music and steps and the friendship that comes from sharing an enjoyable activity with friends.

How Can I Get More Information on the Oak Ridge Folk Dancers?
For information, call Paul Taylor at 865 898 5724 or visit our group at Oak Ridge Folk Dancers (http://www.oakridgefolkdancers.org) or see us on Facebook under Oak Ridge Folk Dancers.