International folk dance

Clubs featuring these ethnic dance genres are enjoyed by non-professional dancers for entertainment.

International folk dance developed in the immigrant communities of the United States of America during the first half of the 20th century.

A pioneer of this era was the ethnic Chinese illustrator Song Chang, who, struck by the lack of bigotry among the Scandinavian dancers, encouraged others to join, advised clubs, and had a club named in his honor, the Chang's International Folk Dancers, still located in San Francisco.

At the inaugural Statewide Festival held in Ojai, California, occurring on May 11, 1946, there were over 500 dancers and 3000 spectators.

Rudy Dannes and Athan Karras opened a coffeehouse that also functioned as a place for international folk dancers to dance at night without having to worry about renting a space, called The Intersection.

Many events such as camps or festivals had to be put on hold until the organizers could gather the money and the people.

[9] However, on the East Coast, the NFO, or the National Folk Organization, was founded in Chicago in 1986 by Vytautas Beliajus, Mary Bee Jensen, George Frandsen, and L. DeWayne Young, an organization dedicated to the preservation of folk arts.

These can range in style of organization from a small gathering to highly structured and regulated meetings, depending on the preferences of the dancers.

Classes usually have a master teacher, either creating their own event or using time at a club, teaching new dances to add to the repertoire.