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The Dance Flurry Festival -- connecting/inspiring through traditional music & dance
from Our Directors
Welcome to the 22nd annual Dance Flurry Festival!
 As we return to historic Saratoga Springs, NY, for another magical weekend of music and dance, we are so pleased to be joined by our great performers, volunteers, staff, and most of all, YOU! We believe that what makes this festival special is the sense of friendship and community celebrated by everyone attending. Thank you for the support and excitement you add each year.
So, what is the Flurry all about anyway? Why do people devote hundreds of hours of time and hundreds of miles behind the wheel, to be here every President’s Day Weekend? For some, it is the love of the music and tradition, or the romance of meeting, dancing, playing and singing with new people. For others, it is the love of local musicians and the experience of music and dance from around the world. For many, it is for the health benefits of dancing and playing music, both physically and mentally. For us, it is the joy of working with so many great people on this one weekend a year. The joy and warmth that we share lasts through the winter and beyond.
This year we are excited to announce two new venues to the Flurry Festival; historic Caffè Lena, and Universal Preservation Hall.
Opened in 1960, Caffè Lena is widely recognized as the oldest continuously operating coffeehouse in the United States, and a folk staple for Saratoga and the greater Capital Region. Special Flurry concerts will be held in Caffè Lena from noon till 10pm on Saturday. The Caffè will be our “Folk Oasis” -- serving a special menu designed specifically with Flurry folks in mind, so please stop in to rest your feet and support this historic venue.
Just a few years ago, Universal Preservation Hall, a historic Baptist church, was slated to be turned into a parking lot. But thanks to the efforts of a group of dedicated and visionary Saratogians, the church is now being remodeled into a 600+ seat performance hall and will be a centerpiece of art and culture in downtown Saratoga Springs. Although UPH is still being renovated, we are very excited to have it join the ranks as one of Flurry’s great dance halls. Please stop in for a dance and show your support for the effort that is going into restoring this beautiful venue.
For those of you who are new to this year’s Flurry, we hope you have the time of your life and welcome you to our family. For those of you who are returning Flurry folks, thank you for your continued support. We look forward to dancing, jamming and singing with you this year, and for many years to come!
Peter Davis, Ian Hamelin, Chrissie Van Wormer — Festival Directors
…and Bill Matthiesen, president of the DanceFlurry Organization
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