Folk it Up! 💃 (current project)

🎻International Folk Dances for All 🎻

Folk it Up! is a series of fun and welcoming Balfolk-inspired events where both dance enthusiasts and complete beginners can move, play, and express themselves freely. There’s no pressure to get it “right” — in fact, we believe the magic and fun happen when you’re willing to mess it up a little! Come with curiosity and leave your self-doubt at the door.
 

What’s Balfolk, Anyway?

 If you’ve heard of Balfolk before, you probably already have the dancing bug — and we can’t wait to see you at our events!
If you haven’t, this is your perfect chance to catch it. Even if you’ve never danced before, don’t worry — we firmly believe that if you dance alone in your room, you’re a dancer. If you dance at a club, you’re a dancer. If you ever move your body to music — you are, indeed, a dancer. And this project has been created for you! 🫵

Balfolk is a style of social folk dancing rooted in various European traditions. These dances are inclusive, community-driven, and often organized by passionate amateurs rather than professionals. They emphasize connection, celebration, and togetherness.

At Folk it Up!, we’ll learn simple group dances and partner dances inspired by these traditions. You don’t need any experience — and if you come solo, we’ll make sure everyone who wants to can dance with a partner.

We may also explore dance traditions from beyond Europe by inviting special guests to share dances from different cultural heritages.

All events will be held in English.

Welcome to the Party!

 This is a party — but it’s more than just a party.We dance with intention. We move to connect, to express, and to feel alive, counsciously exploring our embodied way of being ourselves, and of being with others,  — without relying on alcohol or other intoxicating substances.

We celebrate our cultural backgrounds, keep traditions alive, and honor the diversity of our international community.
But we also don’t take ourselves too seriously — we’re here to have fun!

 What Happens at Each Event?

 Every session includes:

• Friendly introductions and ice-breaker activities

• A short explanation of our Safer Space Principles — to ensure a welcoming environment free from discrimination based on gender, age, race, (dis)ability, sexuality, class, ethnicity, education, or religion.

• Easy-to-follow folk dance workshops (including low-impact and accessible options).

• A feedback circle to share your thoughts and ideas.

• Time to relax, chat, and enjoy free vegan snacks and refreshments.

 How Can You Contribute?

• Just be yourself! Your presence will make every event unique.

• Share your ideas and wishes!
  Would you like to see a specific dance style? Do you know a traditional dance from your region (in or outside Finland) and want to teach it?

• Do you play music or sing and would love others to dance to your rhythm?

• Have a guest you'd love to invite?

Your input helps shape future sessions — this is a community-led project, and we welcome everybody contributions 🫶

 We’ll have a team of volunteers and facilitators who are familiar with folk dances to various extents — but this is a bottom-up, collaborative project written and run by volunteers. There’s always space for you to join the crew.

 Interested in helping behind the scenes, too?

If you’d like to become a long-term volunteer, email us at:📧 volunteer@alli.fi

🎉 First Event: Tuesday, September 9th

📍 Location: Annantalo A-Lava, Annankatu 30, 00100 Helsinki

Outdoor wooden stage - it is covered so we will be protected in case of rain!  

🎭 Venue information:

Annantalo is located in the centre of Helsinki, next to the Kamppi shopping centre, where you can also find free toilets. Metro, trams and several bus lines take you right next to Annantalo or very close to it.

A-lava is an outdoor covered event venue and performance stage, which is located in the yard of Annantalo Arts Centre. The size of the stage is approximately 81 m2 (9 m x 9 m). The stage has benches on the sides and movable seats.

A-lava is wheelchair-accessible.

🕖 Time: 18:00-20:30

For questions or more information, contact us at: volunteer@alli.fi 💌

To register, just fill in the form below!
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