Always on Sunday meets every Sunday, year round, from 7:00 to 10:00 PM at Temple Beth Torah, 130 Main Street, Wethersfield, CT, 06109. Click for directions.
Most evenings we dance to recorded music. From 7:00 to 8:00, we walk through the dances. Several times a year we schedule a 6-week series of formal teaching sessions, held during this first hour, at no additional cost. After 8:00, we present a good mix of dances: easy and difficult, fast and slow, circle and couple, Balkan and non-Balkan, talked-through and not talked-through.
Several times a year we dance to live music. These evenings attract a big crowd. People bring refreshments to share and we have a fine party. Our parties are alcohol-free, and attract families with children, as well as singles. Bands that have played for us include the Vlado Mahovlich Orkestar, 9 Olives, Kumpania Aksak, XOPO, Flying Tomatoes, Rakiya, Shining Moon, and Panharmonium, as well as local bands, Hijaz, Dunya/Druzina, and A Different Village. See this season's events calendar.
Among the guest teachers who have appeared at Always on Sunday in recent years are: Yves Moreau (Bulgarian), Paul Mulders (Macedonian), Cristian Florescu (Romanian), Daniela Ivanova (Bulgarian), Lee Otterholt (Balkan), Steve Kotansky (Balkan), Tineke van Geel (Armenian, Balkan, Dutch), David Millstone (English), Michael Ginsburg (Balkan), Bianca de Jong (Bulgarian, Dutch), Marianne Taylor (International), David Skidmore (Balkan), Marie Wendt (French), Willa Horowitz (Klezmer and Israeli), Jennifer Brosius and Laine Harris (Scandinavian).
Always on Sunday welcomes new and experienced dancers alike. Partners are not required. On regular dance evenings, we request a donation of $8 per person (no charge for children under 16). For special events with guest teachers or live music, we request a $12 donation.
Always on Sunday has been in operation since the 1970s. It was founded by Bert Dobkin and the late Lynn Levine. Since 1994, the group has functioned as a non-profit cooperative managed by a steering committee. In 2005, Always on Sunday was accepted by CDSS as an affiliated group. As of 2009, Always on Sunday is also sponsored by the National Folk Organization. Always on Sunday was based in West Hartford, CT until its move to Wethersfield, in September 2010.