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]
| Flurry Festival | |
|---|---|
 Contra dancers at the 2019 Flurry Festival | |
| Genre | Folk dance, folk music |
| Dates | Friday–Sunday the third weekend of February |
| Location(s) | Saratoga Springs, New York, United States of America |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Website | www |
History edit
The festival was first held in 1988.[4]
Programming edit
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 edit
- The New England Folk Festival (NEFFA), a similar festival in Massachusetts
References edit
- ^ Nash, Indiana (February 14, 2019). "Flurry Festival swings, taps into Saratoga Springs". The Daily Gazette. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
- ^ "Flurry Festival connects, inspires through traditional music and dance". The Saratogian. February 11, 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c d e "Flurry History". Flurry Festival. DanceFlurry Organization. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
- ^ 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.
External links edit
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