Flurry Festival

Flurry Festival
Contra dancers at the 2019 Flurry Festival
GenreFolk dance, folk music
DatesFriday–Sunday the third weekend of February
Location(s)Saratoga Springs, New York, United States of America
Years active1988–present
Websitewww.flurryfestival.org

The Flurry Festival (previously the Dance Flurry Festival and often abbreviated to just the Flurry or Flurry) is an annual weekend festival held in February in Saratoga Springs, New York.[1][2][3] The festival includes one of the largest contra dances in the U.S., as well as other types of traditional folk dance and music, and draws over 5000 attendees and 400 performers every year.[4] It was first held in 1988 and is run by the nonprofit DanceFlurry Organization.[4]

History

The Saratoga Springs City Center, the current venue for the festival

The festival was first held in 1988.[4]

Programming

Contra dancers at the 2019 festival

The festival includes a wide variety of traditional folk dance and music, as well as impromptu musical jam sessions, discussions, and craft sales. In recent years, it has featured more than 250 different sessions per year from Friday through Sunday of Presidents' Day weekend.[5] The festival is best known for its large contra dances, which can feature up to approximately 500 dancers dancing simultaneously on a custom-built dance floor in a hotel ballroom. Other dance offerings include swing, Latin, English country, square, clogging, hip-hop, cajun, zydeco, Irish, Scandinavian, Middle Eastern, Asian, and yoga.[4] The festival caters to all skill levels.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ Nash, Indiana (February 14, 2019). "Flurry Festival swings, taps into Saratoga Springs". The Daily Gazette. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  2. ^ "Flurry Festival connects, inspires through traditional music and dance". The Saratogian. February 11, 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  3. ^ Gwizdala, Michael (February 16, 2019). "Dancers enjoy 32nd annual Flurry Festival in Saratoga Springs". The Troy Record. Archived from the original on 27 February 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Flurry History". Flurry Festival. DanceFlurry Organization. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  5. ^ Halligan, Lauren (February 16, 2020). "Thousands attend 33rd annual Flurry Festival in Saratoga Springs". The Saratogian. Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
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