Travelers to the Bluegrass State interested in dancing the night away or attending a dance performance will find a number of entertaining options. Kentucky's dance groups, professional companies, performing arts venues, and more all offer you a moving experience.
Dancing the Night Away
While folk dancing is an integral part of classic Kentucky culture, there are a variety of other styles available for the causal dance fan to partake in. Festivals, dance groups, dance camps, dance nightclubs, and dance instructors all offer opportunities to kick up your heels and have fun.
Folk Dancing
Founded in 1991, the Kentucky Dance Foundation was designed to help preserve the heritage of folk dancing. Based in Brandenburg, it also claims a branch campus in Elizabethtown. It regularly holds a variety of events open for registration.
Don't forget the Cumberland Dance Camp, a week-long event for young and old alike. With both adult and youth camps, participants of all ages can involve themselves in classes as varied as swing dance, contra style, and Irish couples and waltzes.
The Lexington Traditional Dance Association was founded to foster and further contra dancing in Lexington. They also promote various dance festivals throughout the year, including Dance Trance and Contradance Kentucky Dance Weekend. The LTDA dances at ArtsPlace on Fridays and Saturdays, with a small fee for first time dancers. The LTDA is supported by the Lexington Arts Council and LexArts.
In Berea, you can find the Contraire Dance Association, which promotes and advances American contra and quadrille in the Berea area. On the fourth Saturday of every month, they hold a contra dance at the Russell Acton Folk Recreation Center. The dances are open to the public.
Frankfort is home to the Thorn Hill Dancers. Dances are held on the first and third Fridays, from September through May, and feature a mix of contra, traditional square dance, English, and Appalachian big sets. Their dances are open to the public as well.
Other Dance Styles
The Kentucky Dance Institute holds a week-long dance camp each year in Murray. In addition to folk styles like square dance, the KDI embraces dances of all varieties and ethnicities, teaching styles as diverse as Turkish, Israeli, and Mediterranean.
For something a little more swingin', Louisville's Derby City Bop Association may be just the ticket. Founded in 1990, the DCBA gathers every Tuesday evening at Jim Porter's Good Time Emporium to dance in various jitterbug styles. They also offer dance lessons each Tuesday for half an hour to members. Weekly dances are free for members but cost two dollars for non-members.
If something a bit more modern is your idea of fun, then Louisville's Fourth Street Live simply cannot be missed. Featuring a number of bars and nightclubs, each of which have dance floors to wile the night away and DJs that keep your feet moving, Fourth Street Live is Louisville's hot spot.
Dance Instructors
Kentucky also boasts a bevy of well-respected dancers and educators, individuals who regularly instruct students and adults alike in traditional and folk dances, as well as dances of other cultures.
Angela Bartley is formally trained in Latin and social dance. Based out of Louisville, she specializes in dances of the Caribbean and Latin America.
Antoinette Crawford-Willis is a Registered Dance Educator who has presented workshops in the Louisville area since 2000. She is the Executive Director of Dance! Kentucky, which is affiliated with the National Dance Education Organization.
Suzanne Davis, from Lexington, specializes in instructing the waltz, merengue, foxtrot, and cha-cha. She was selected as "A Teacher Who Made A Difference" by the University of Kentucky's College of Education.
Deborah Denenfeld has been involved with integrating historic and multi-cultural dance into Midwestern schools since 1993. She is on the Kentucky Arts Council Roster of artists of the highest caliber, and regularly conducts dance workshops for educators and students.
Yolantha Harrison-Pace brings her African American and Native American heritage to the table with a focus on African Dance and culture. Based in Danville, she has worked with at-risk children and in places of learning throughout the country.
Cheryl Pan specializes in teaching Chinese classic and folk dances, and has been well-regarded in her field for quite some time. Her students include children and adults alike.
Jennifer Rose is based out of Berea, and has published a number of Appalachian music recordings, as well as two teaching manuals on music instruction. She is a faculty member for the Kentucky Arts & Humanities Academies.
Performances
If you'd rather sit in the audience and just enjoy a good show, you can do that in Kentucky, too. Although many dance performances in the Bluegrass State focus on ballet, other genres appear from time to time.
Ballet
For the traditional at heart, there's the Louisville Ballet. One of the country's leading regional ballet companies, it's distinguished as the only regional company to have had Mikhail Baryshnikov perform with it. The Louisville Ballet School is also run in conjunction with the Ballet itself, with two separate campuses. The Ballet regularly gives performances both in the studio and in the classroom, a tradition begun in 1973.
In Lexington, Kentucky Ballet Theatre prides itself on being the only professional ballet company in the central part of the commonwealth. Performing in the majestic Lexington Opera House, the company's season consists of four productions, ranging from classics like The Nutcracker to the company's interpretations of Dracula and the Bizet opera Carmen. KBT also tours across the commonwealth, having performed in such cities as Owensboro, Louisville, Burkesville, and Hazard.
Though primarily a dance school, the Lexington Ballet produces some shows including professional dancers. Its more advanced students also perform in its productions.
True ballet fans won't want to miss the annual Ballet Under the Stars festival, held at Woodland Park in Lexington. Each year, this four-day event presents a plethora of dancers to delight audiences. Young local and regional dancers perform in the event's pre-show, while the main show features dancers from all across the globe.
Other Dance Companies
Travelers who are enchanted with the romance of the past should check local listings for performances by the Lexington Vintage Dance Society. Dressed in full historical costumes, the group performs ballroom and social dances of the 19th and early-20th centuries. Although they perform most often in the Lexington area, they've also appeared in other parts of Kentucky. LVDS has also teamed up in shows with other organizations, such as Kentucky Ballet Theatre, the Owensboro Symphony, and the Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra.
The best chance for modern dance fans is to find performances sponsored by Moving Collective, a group based in Louisville which strives to keep modern dance alive in the Ohio Valley. Most of their productions feature local and regional talent, but they've also invited choreographers from states outside the region to collaborate with them.
Venues
To see performances by major touring dance companies, head to one of the Bluegrass State's large performing arts centers. A few that you'll find around the commonwealth include RiverPark Center in Owensboro, Carson Center in Paducah, and the Singletary Center for the Arts in Lexington. These venues present a wide range of notable dance troupes and shows, like the Moscow Ballet, Forever Tango, Ballet Flamenco, and the Song and Dance Ensemble of West Africa.
Another option to attend dance performances is at local colleges and universities, many of which have dance programs and/or groups. For instance, Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights presents dance shows both by professional companies and by its own dance students. Berea College has a thriving dance program, with many different student dance groups. These dance groups specialize in everything from traditional folk dances to hip-hop, and they both perform and host public dances. Of course, many other colleges and universities across the commonwealth have similar offerings.
Though Kentucky's dance heritage situates itself firmly in the camp of traditional folk dancing, there are still numerous styles to be found and explored. No matter what style of dance best suits your mood, Kentucky is the place to be to satiate your desire.
