About

It all started when folk dancer/choreographer and instructor May Ip offered to run some fund-raising dance gatherings for Owen Sound and North Grey Union Library in 2011. The events have brought together a small group of folk dance enthusiasts who were interested in meeting on a regular basis to learn dances from various countries. In January 2012, Grey Bruce International Folk Dancers was founded.

Every year from September to June, Grey Bruce International Folk Dancers offers weekly drop-in sessions; currently we are meeting at the Parish Hall of St. George's Anglican Church on Mondays from 10:45am to 12:30pm. In these sessions, we learn new dances and review old ones. In July and August, we host weekly public outdoor sessions at Harrison Park on Thursdays from 6:30pm to sunset. Our ever expanding repertoire presently includes dances from Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Czech, China, Croatia, England, Greece, Hawaii, Hungary, Israel, Macedonia, Mexico, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine.

Folk Dancing facilitates personal and social development in a fun and engaging way, helps build self-confidence, improve co-ordination, balance, sense of rhythm etc.; it promotes leadership skills and teamwork; it opens our eyes to different cultures in the world. Grey Bruce International Folk Dancers regularly participate in community events such as Grey Bruce One World Festival and Canada Day Celebration demonstrating and preforming and has been visiting nursing homes bringing residents from diverse cultural background down memory lane. Founder May Ip has been offering in-class dance workshops, after school classes and other special programs in elementary schools throughout Grey and Bruce Counties, Ontario.

"Dance is music made visible"(George Balanchine); and those who play music together stay together. Our goal is to help build a healthy community through engaging people of all ages in folk dancing.