Historical Perspective on the Friendly FolkDancers

March 26, 2005

 

Noting that the Friendly FolkDancers have now been in existence almost 20 years, it is appropriate to review the remarkable and unique achievements of the group. The group came into existence in 1986 when Quaker folk dancers in Northern Yearly Meeting were inspired to organize a group to travel into the eastern part of the U.S to help inspire Quakers there to come to Friends General Conference which was being held for the first time west of the Mississippi in Northfield, Minnesota. The experience of sharing dancing and fellowship with the eastern meetings was such a fulfilling experience in itself that the idea of sharing community with meetings through dancing continued.  

 

Ten-day long tours, as well as shorter inter-visitation programs (mini-tours and programs), were then organized in each succeeding year. The tours involved visiting meetings in an area, one each day for a week or more. In this period there have been 28 full tours, 11 mini-tours, and numerous programs at Northern Yearly Meeting and Friends General Conference.  The tours have taken the message of international folk dancing to hundreds of Friends meetings (and some non-Friends venues) in most sectors of the U.S. and to 11 foreign countries (Belgium, Canada, England, France, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Kenya, New Zealand, Scotland and Wales).  In this way we have had contact with most major branches of Friends in the U.S.: Unaffiliated, Conservative, Friends United Meetings, Friends General Conference (but not the Evangelical Friends International) and with 28 yearly meetings in the world: Baltimore, Britain, Canadian, East African-North, France, Germany, Illinois, Intermountain, Iowa Conservative, Ireland, Kaimosa, Lake Erie, Malava, Nairobi, Nandi, New England, New York, New Zealand, Northern, North Carolina Conservative, North Carolina FUM, North Pacific, Ohio Conservative, Ohio FUM, Ohio Valley, Pacific, Philadelphia, South Central, and the Southern Appalachian Yearly Meeting Association. About 75 persons have been involved and thirteen of these persons have served as coordinators.

 

Below is a brief chronological summary of the tour and mini-tour activity accomplishments of the group.

 

 

 

Total of 36 major tours and 12 mini-tours from 1986-2014

 

Notes:

 

1. Names: Ann Friend and Ann Fisher are the same person, Mark Friend, Mark Judkins, and Mark Helpsmeet are the same person, Sandra Hansen and Sandra Helpsmeet are the same person
2. Locations: those in italics are mini-tours, bold are outside the USA