3 reasons you should support social dance in St. Louis
Oratorio is spearheading an annual fund to help local dance enthusiasts provide family-friendly, live-music dance events. Take 2 minutes to read our case for support.
1. It is fun.
"As a dance instructor and caller who teaches English country dance and old-style ballroom dance to students of all ages and walks of life, I witness again and again the incredulous delight that flashes out in their smiles and laughter as they learn to chassé and rigadoon; to set and to turn; and to fly down a corridor of their smiling, clapping, sometimes singing friends. They can hardly believe such fun is possible."
- Anna K., dance instructor
2. It is enlivening.
Experience classical music genres through the dances that inspired them: the march, mazurka, and jig (or as Bach would call it, the"gigue,") play in tandem with the waltz, minuet, and gavotte. While recorded music captures the essence, nothing compares to the vibrant energy of a live ensemble that truly brings the dancers to life.
Musicians provide the "reel" for dancers at Mudd's Grove Mansion in Kirkwood, Missouri.
Photo courtesy of Enzo de Oliveira
3. It is good for you.
"My students often comment that they have only seen these dances in movies; they never thought people could still dance this way. They discover quickly that these old dance styles are not anachronistic museum pieces, good only as a respectful nod to history, but highly enjoyable recreation that seems to fill in a missing piece of social life today."
-Anna K., dance instructor
NEXT DANCE
MONDAY AUGUST 25, 2025
7:30 P.M.
1 Fine Arts Drive, St. Louis, MO 63110
Go to the statue of St. Louis in front of the Art Museum.
Join the conclusion of the Festival of St. Louis, the namesake of the city. Don't be shy!
FREE ADMISSION
SATURDAY OCTOBER 25, 2025
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