Joan Walton, the acclaimed dance teacher and choreographer

About the 2023 Joan Walton Dance Weekend

This weekend will be a mix of vintage and modern social dance. The weekend will be held at the Russel Acton Folk Center in Berea, KY (about 40 miles south of Lexington).

The weekend will start with a class at 7:30 pm Friday and conclude on Sunday at 1:00 pm. Attendance is by preregistration only and will be role-balanced. The prerequisite for attendance is knowing any form of social dance. You will be able to choose between the traditional roles of "lead" and "follow" as well as the role of “either” exclusively for those comfortable dancing both roles and who can easily switch roles in order to help role-balance the room. Note that we will rotate partners regularly (unless you and your partner choose not to rotate), so role-balancing and signing up with a registration partner dancing the opposite role is intended to keep everyone dancing.

Tuition will be $95. A limited number of full-time students will be accepted at $45, and a limited number of entrances will offered as "work exchange fellowships"--if interested in being considered for a work exchange fellowship, please contact us by email to lexingtonvintagedance@gmail.com to apply. Space is limited by design!

We are still working with Joan on the topics for the classes, so we still have a lot of TBAs for dance class topics. Because of this, we have included the 2020 schedule for reference below.

2023 Weekend Schedule

Ample refreshments will be available at all events.

COVID-19 Policy: LVD's current COVID-19 policy is that masking is optional. The Folk Center has high ceilings with ceiling fans for air-movement, so we anticipate that this will be the policy in place in February. However, COVID-19 is an emerging health crisis which we will continue to monitor closely. We plan to follow all CDC, Commonwealth of Kentucky, and City of Berea mandates as well as the recommendations of local medical experts. In the event that our COVID-19 policy must change, we will offer full reimbursements to anyone who requests one due to the change in COVID-19 policy. The next paragraph is the text of our required liability waiver.

Liability Waiver: I understand and agree that there are risks of illness and injury associated with, arising out of, and inherent to the activity of dance. Possible health risks include, but are not limited to exposure to respiratory illnesses such as COVID-19 and influenza. Possible sources of physical injuries include, but are not limited to, missteps, dizziness, loss of balance, slipping, falling, and colliding with other dancers or objects. In recognition of this, I agree to assume all risks and responsibility for any such illnesses or injury, which which may accrue to me during the dance weekend sponsored by Lexington Vintage Dance (LVD) February 10-12, 2023. Furthermore, I do hereby fully exempt, release and indemnify LVD, its officers, volunteers, and/or instructors and the City of Berea from any and all claims from illnesses, injuries, damage or loss which I may have or which may accrue to me as a result of my participation in the dance weekend. I also give LVD permission to use any picture of me at the weekend in or on any form of publicity for LVD or an LVD-sponsored event.

Saturday, February 11 Evening Dance

Deejayed by Joan Walton

The Saturday night dance is included with your weekend registration. The 2023 Saturday night ball will be proctored by Joan Walton using her selection of recorded music. We will enjoy dances from several vintage eras, from the 1800s to the early 1900s, as well as contemporary music.

February 11 is both Thomas Edison’s birthday and National Inventions Day, so we are pleased to announce the Saturday night ball theme will be “Be electric and celebrate National Inventions Day!” We hope that sparks some ideas for your attire! Although people do tend to dress up a bit for the Saturday evening dance, your outfit need not be complicated.

If you are not registered for the entire weekend, you may still attend the Saturday evening dance at a cost of $10.

To be confirmed, all applicants must pay for the weekend within 7 days of registering.

Also, since we match all leads with follows, we encourage all dancers who are not comfortable switching roles to specify a registration partner on the registration form. Those leads and follows who do not specify a partner, will be put on a waiting list and matched with a person of the complimentary role in order of registration. We will notify you when we confirm your acceptance.

If you cancel before January 10, we will refund your fee minus $10. Cancellations on or after Janurary 10 are not guaranteed to be refunded.