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Who we are

The Scandinavian Dancers of Vancouver, BC, Canada, is a group of energetic dancers and musicians, going strong since 1971. Though many of us are not Scandinavian, we're dedicated to the preservation, enjoyment and performance of ethnic dances and music of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. 

You may join our Weekly Dancing

We offer • Beginner lessons (incl. waltz, hambo, schottis) • Intermediate lessons followed by request dancing • Workshops, social and special events • Some evenings with live music

Dance with us each Wednesday evening, September thru April, at the Scandinavian Community Centre in Burnaby. From 7:30 until 8:45, we run a beginner class (when we have beginners) and an intermediate class. After a short coffee/tea break, the classes come together for request dancing for another hour.

On the 2nd Wednesday of the month we occasionally lose our venue; we have been moving the dance on those weeks to the preceding Tuesday (check the Upcoming Events page for the actual dates). 

Couples and singles are welcome - no experience necessary! Scandinavian background not necessary. Visitors and musicians are welcome too! Members dance for free at these weekly sessions, for a yearly membership fee of $100. Drop-in fee for non-members is $10.00/$15 with a friend. Dress is casual; shoes are non-street shoes with non-rubber soles and low heels, and we ask that you not use perfume.

You can check out what this dancing is like - a few years ago we made a list of dances taught in our Intermediate class that year, with links to videos (not of us) on YouTube: Dance repertory links.

Beginners classes

Each term, when we enough beginners to form a class, we run an 8-session course on basic Scandinavian couple dance steps including schottis, waltz, hambo, polka, etc.  Teaching runs Wednesdays from 7:30 to 8:30 at the Scandinavian Community Centre.  Cost is $60 per person and includes club membership for the term, or if you want, you can pay $100 for the full year's membership and get the class for free. Also included is our video of basic dances. Couples and singles are welcome. Classes begin mid-September and mid-January.

This document on Scandinavian Couple Dance Basics tells a bit more about the dancing and the teaching. 

For registration, contact by email: Judith Anderson or by phone: (604) 526-4722.

Videos

Beginners Teaching Video

A beginner video is available showing the dances featured in the basics dance class demonstrated by members of the club. Each tune begins with voice over cues for the man and for the woman, followed by the tunes played  three times through - plenty of music to practice to. Tracks 14 and 15 are additional music but not dance demonstration. Have a look at the jacket to see what dances are included.

The price is $25 CAD plus shipping (generally $10-$15). Contact by email: Raul Segas or by phone: 604 327-2187 to discuss purchasing a copy of this video.  

Mixer Dance Video

Mixer dances are great icebreakers that get everyone up on the floor and help novices and newcomers to feel part of the group. We have made a DVD featuring 32 mixers from all the Nordic countries, demonstrated by members of the club. Have a look at the jacket to see what dances are included. The package now includes two audio CDs with the tunes played long enough for dancing.

The price is $40 CAD plus shipping (generally $10-$15). Contact by email: Raul Segas or by phone: 604 327-2187 to discuss purchasing a copy of this video.

Tips for Teachers

Tips for Teachers notes from the workshop given by Deborah Jones are available as a pdf document.

Performance group

Our performance group is not currently accepting performance requests. The objective of the group was to demonstrate the kind of dancing we do weekly, rather than to put on flashy performances. Our Performances page has a few photos and links to video performances.

For more information, contact:

By email: Judith Anderson or by phone: (604) 526-4722
By email: Ib Nielsen or by phone: (604) 596-3967
By email: Wendy Cutler

Directors of the club are:

Ron Stubbings, President
Riitta Huttunen, Treasurer
Wendy Cutler, Secretary
Janet Gabites, director at large
Sigrid Felland, director at large
Paul Broste, director at large
Joe Condie, director at large 

A bit of history

You can read a short document about our history from 1970-1990, written by Ib Nielsen, one of the founding members. Here are some historical notes, from Ib Nielsen, which was compiled for some anniversary.

Instructors

1971 to 1972 - Leif Svensson
1972 to ? - Tage Pedersen
1973 to 1988 - Laine Ruus, who moved to Toronto in 1988
In 1988, the group decided to have various instructors from the group on Wednesday nights. The Wednesday evening organization and teaching co-ordination has been done by:
1988 to 1995 - Bob Redlich
1995 to 2005 - Deborah Jones
2005 to 2018 - Pia Christensen
2018 to 2021 - Janet Gabites, Soren Huber and Ross Schipper
2022 to present - monthly volunteer leaders

Performance group leaders

1988 to 1999?- Rikke Rytter
1999? to 2013 - Janet Gabites
2013 to 2021 - Pia Christensen

Past presidents

1972 to ? - Anna Eriksson Segas
1982? to 1985 - David Mallek
1985 to 1986 - Linda Burrough
1986 to 1987 - Prunella Barlow
1987 to 1991 - Bob Redlich
1991 to 1993 - Lise Shearer
1993 to 1995 - Colin Young
1995 to 2000 - Bob Redlich
2001 to 2006 - Judith Anderson
2007 to 2016 - Ron Stubbings
2017 to 2020 - Paul Broste
2020 to 2022 - Judith Anderson

Young people's group

Bob and Lauretta Redlich and Linda Burrough started a young people's group in September, 1988. The group had up to 25 members at the high point in 1991. After that, three couples married within the group, some moved to Prince George, Calgary and Toronto. By 1994, the remaining people joined the main group.

 

This page was last modified on November 23, 2023.

Copyright (c) Scandinavian Dancers of Vancouver, BC Society.

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