Calendar of Events

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Our programs are supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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Dances

We welcome all ages and experience levels to our Barn Dances and Saturday Night Socials in a friendly, encouraging atmosphere where you can learn the steps, dance to your hearts content or simply sit and enjoy the music and camaraderie! 

We ask that you only wear shoes with non-marking soles on our beautiful wooden dance floor. Thank you!

Old Time Barn Dances

6:30 pm potluck. Dancing follows.

Folklore Village Barn Dances are fun-filled evenings of traditional American dances, including old-time squares, New England contras and Appalachian, Southern, and Midwestern big circles. No experience or special costume required. Families and beginners are always welcome!

Saturday Night Socials

6:30 pm potluck

Take part in a 40 year tradition of Saturday Night Socials. A blend of the traditional rural Wisconsin “house party”  and the small town community gatherings of churches and other social groups, these special evenings include dancing and games.  All dances are taught and no partners are necessary. Bring the family and your favorite potluck dish.

Saturday, August 17th

6:30 potluck

Hand-cranked Ice-Cream Social

Crank it! You can't beat homemade ice-cream with every single topping you can imagine under the summer moon! Enjoy family social dances and games at this enchanting and yummy evening.

First Tuesday Open Mics:

June 4th, July 2nd, August 6th. 

7 pm, donations appreciated

We invite all, from aspiring and accomplished musicians and poets to appreciative audience members, to join in this supportive, cooperative effort to celebrate our local talent. The night features a traditional open mic format in our main hall. Piano available. Donations greatly appreciated. Coffee and tea provided. Feel free to bring a treat to share!

Kids and Families

Dragon Boat Festival Day with UW Platteville Confucius Institute & The

Blue Willow Dance Company

June 1st 1:00-2:30

Adults:$7.00, Members: $6.00 

 Seniors 65+/Youth 17 and under: $5, Children under 5 free.

The Blue Willow Dancers will perform traditional Chinese dances and then teach a particaptory/all ages Harvest Ribbon Dance! Joy Chen presents an educational, lively, and artistic program of Chinese dance and history, using traditional dress, music and images from her travels in China. Her dance repertoire includes traditional Chinese court dances, including striking fan and rainbow ribbon dances, and sword and staff warrior dances. She has adapted a Uighur (Mongolian) courtship dance and the "Harvest Dance.”

Dragon Boat Festival Day June 1st 

Zongzi Chinese Cooking Class with Shujin Judy Yeh 10:00 AM-1:00

Class will be full at 20 participants, best for ages 10-adult.

Adults: $10.00, Members, $9.00, Seniors 65+/Youth 17 and under: $7.00

Join chef Shujin Judy Yeh as she leads Zongzi making, a traditional Dragon Boat Festival dish made of funnel shaped bamboo leaves full of rice and dates. A unique and difficult dish to master, Judy will lead you through it step by step as well as teach other side dishes. Make your reservations now! Class is limited to 20 people.

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Concerts

Folklore Village's Farwell Hall is a great space for intimate concerts. Seating is limited. We recommend reserving seats by purchasing tickets in advance. Call 608.924.4000.  Note: A $0.50 credit card processing fee will be added to all tickets purchased with a credit card.

Our concerts are supported by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts. 

  

Liz Carroll & Dáithí Sproule: June 29th, 2013

Intermediate/Advanced Irish Fiddle and Guitar Workshops (afternoon) & Evening Concert  

Concert: 7:30 Doors 7:00 Reserve your concert tickets! Call 608-924-4000 

General Admission: $15.00 Members: $13.00

Join two luminaries of Irish traditional music for a special evening concert together of fiery fiddle tunes, Irish ballads and beautiful arrangements of traditional songs. 

Liz Carroll was born in Chicago of Irish parents. She's a junior and senior All-Ireland Fiddle Champion, and has toured as a solo artist and with the Greenfields of America, Trian, String Sisters, and as part of the duo Liz Carroll & John Doyle. She's featured on nine albums and has appeared on many more. Liz is a recipient of the National Heritage Fellowship Award (1994). In 2009 she became the first Irish-American musician nominated for a Grammy. In 2011, she became the first American born composer honored with the Cumadóir TG4, Ireland's most significant traditional music prize.

Dáithí Sproule of Derry, Ireland is one of Irish music’s most respected guitar accompanists, and one of the first guitarists to develop DADGAD tuning for Irish music. He is also a fine singer in English and Irish. Dáithí has performed and recorded with two highly influential traditional music trios: Bowhand (with James Kelly and Paddy O’Brien) and Trian (with Liz Carroll and Billy McComiskey), as well as providing accompaniment for recordings by Tommy Peoples, Seamus and Manus McGuire, Liz Carroll, Paddy O’Brien, the Kane Sisters, and others. He has performed around the world with the Irish supergroup Altan, and continues to tour and record with Altan, Randal Bays and James Keane (under the name Fingal), Dermy and Tara Diamond, the Kane Sisters, Liz Carroll, and several Minnesota-based musicians including Laura MacKenzie, Peter Ostroushko, Jode and Kate Dowling and Dean Magraw. He is known for his innovative arrangements of traditional songs, and in 2008, released an instrumental guitar album, The Crow In the Sun, featuring thirteen original compositions. Lost River, Vol. 1. followed in 2011, featuring songs in English and Irish, exquisitely arranged and accompanied on guitar, with a stellar line-up of guests.

Afternoon Workshops on Fiddle and Guitar $35.00  Attending both workshop and concert? $45.00

Please call and reserve your spot now with a credit card or check, they are going fast! 608-924-4000

There will be two workshops the afternoon of Saturday, June 29th from 2:00-4:00, limited to 12 students each. These workshops are geared towards upper intermediate/advanced students who are familiar with their instrument and are looking to advance their skills in either Irish fiddle or Irish guitar styles. We hope the small class size enhances your learning from Liz and Dáithí!

Guitar Workshop with Dáithí Sproule

Fiddle Workshop with Liz Carroll

Our intermediate/advanced class will work on good bowing, ornamentation, and variations.  We'll learn a couple of new tunes and possibly revisit an old one.  Do bring a recording device so you'll be able to listen back to our workshop.  And between now and the workshop, do play and listen to Irish music!

 Festivals & Retreats

Midsummer Festival details coming soon!

 

Exhibits: Connecting Through Tradition 

 

 

This unique exhibit created by Folklore Village and written by Doug Miller, Anne Pryor of the WI Arts Board and Melissa Leef, is an introduction to the wealth of traditions and cultures in Wisconsin. Through photographs and panels, it covers exactly what a tradition is, how traditions connect us, how we learn and celebrate traditions and how we need to take care of them. The panels take you through foodways, children's folk traditions, heritage fellowship awards, and what choices you can make to keep the traditions you care about alive. Our hope is that you take time on your visit to Folklore Village to head downstairs to the Gallery and enjoy the exhibit!

If you have an exhibit that fits our mission and would like to inquire about showing it here, please contact Meghan at 608-924-4000 for an overview of the guidelines that accompany our space!