Hey friends- it’s been too long! Join us for our next World Dance Party on Friday, Dec 29 at the Filipino Community of Seattle (5740 Martin Luther King Junior Way, Seattle, WA 98118 or here’s a MAP).

Hurry up…RSVP and share the event with others on our WDP facebook event page!

Like all of our events, we’ll have dance instructors teaching a variety of styles from around the world. We’ve got some new groups and some classic crowd favorites lined up. AND DON’T FORGET- it’s a potluck, so try out a new recipe and bring it down to share with your fellow WDP compadres.

Unlike our other events, WDP is teaming up with some kind Seattleites that are organizing a citywide warm clothes and survival gear collection drive to get much needed supplies into the hands of people living unsheltered in our city during this wet, cold winter season.  Click here for details and drop off locations.

WE ARE ASKING YOU to bring any of the supplies listed below to the Jan 29 WDP.

• Warm clothes: coats, gloves, hats, scarves.
• Survival: tents, tarps, flashlights, batteries.
• Hygiene: deodorant, toothpaste, feminine hygiene products, diapers.

Thanks a bunch and we look forward to seeing you next Friday!

The World Dance Party has a place in the community for YOU! Whether it’s through volunteering, attending an event, or hosting a WDP in your own community, there’s something for everyone.

VOLUNTEER: There are so many options to share your talents with the World Dance Party community. If you’re interested in learning more about these opportunities, please contact us on the World Dance Party Facebook page or email worlddanceparty@gmail.com.

• Join the planning committee – “WDP is community-driven,” says Dori. “The Planning Committee is a continually rotating group of folks from SE Seattle [or other communities] who love to connect with their neighbors.” You’ll be directly involved in planning and the logistics of future WDP events, meeting new people, contacting potential dance instructors, and helping set up the space so everyone has the best time possible.
• Be a social media manager – We have a Facebook page and this WordPress blog where we share updates and upcoming events, as well as offer a space for community members to share pictures, videos, and their experiences of past WDP events. If you’re social media savvy, love writing/blogging, and want more people to know about the WDP events, you’d be great in this role. You can also do one and not the other, if you have a platform preference.
• Teach a mini dance lesson at one of the events – You don’t have to be a professional to teach a dance that you know (but professional teachers are welcome also!). Keep the party moving with step-by-step instructions on how to do whatever form of movement you choose to share.
• Help us design a new logo – There’s only a few more days to submit your logo ideas (deadline is Sept 30, 2015)! If you’re interested, click here to read the post about what to include and how to submit designs. The WDP community will be able to vote on their favorite designs after all submissions are collected.

ATTEND: Of course, one of the major ways to be involved is to attend the events! You can stay updated on future events by liking us on Facebook and signing up to follow this blog by email.

PLAN YOUR OWN: Not in the Seattle area? We’d love for the World Dance Party to spread to the whole world! Use the complete toolkit to plan a party in your own city. Not ready for the tooklit? Read the 6 Steps for Organizing a World Dance Party in your Community for an overview.

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This is a guest post by Shelly Najjar. When not volunteering as an AmeriCorps VISTA at Senior Services, she blogs about wellness and bucket lists.

Get ready to dance, Redmond! The World Dance Party is coming to the Eastside this Saturday, September 19, 6:30-9:00pm.

The planned schedule includes five mini-lessons:

7:00-7:20: SALSA with LaVida Dance Studio

7:25-7:45: BOLLYWOOD with BollyWorks

7:50-8:10: ZUMBA with Bonnie Wang

8:15-8:35: FLAMENCO with Jacquelina’s Dances of Spain

8:40-9:00: HULA with Hokulani’s Hula

(Music: ft. DJ Ian Dapiaoen)

This WDP includes the regular potluck, so bring a dish to share and come ready to get your groove on! And don’t worry if you can’t dance, it’s what you’re there to learn. Dori says, “You don’t have to know how to dance or even like to dance!  People of all ages love WDP and we all learn dances from each others’ countries together.  No experience necessary!  Laughter and smiles are the guaranteed result.”

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This is a guest post by Shelly Najjar. When not volunteering as an AmeriCorps VISTA at Senior Services, she blogs about wellness and bucket lists.

Can’t wait for the next World Dance Party? 

The next WDP will be from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm on September 12th during the Beacon Art WalkAbout. Here’s a preview to get a feel for the event to help you wait until you can party in person (exact line up subject to change).

We also have plans for mini-lessons in Bollywood, Bhangra, and Rajasthani styles, bellydance, samba, Christensen Folk Dance, Japanese Obon Dancing, and square dancing (exact line up subject to change, come with a flexible attitude).

Please note: This is part of a larger event, so there will be differences from the usual WDP — the location is outdoors in Stevens Place Park (a block away from the Beacon Hill Library), without the typical potluck buffet (but there will be a food truck there – Yum!). You may see some new people exploring what WDP is all about – please come and help us welcome them!

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This is a guest post by Shelly Najjar. When not volunteering as an AmeriCorps VISTA at Senior Services, she blogs about wellness and bucket lists.

A few weeks ago, the World Dance Party was held as a part of the Rainier Valley Heritage Parade and Festival. Were you there?

Star says, “My favorite part of the WDP was seeing how the audience slowly warms up to the idea of the WDP. At first everyone is watching and unsure, then they start bobbing their head along with the music, and then next thing you know they’re dancing along with the group. I think that it shows that sometimes we all need an extra push to do something out of our comfort zone and that’s okay!”

The party included four mini-lessons – thank you to all the volunteer instructors! We learned line dancing, Vietnamese dancing, Ethiopian dancing, and merengue.

“My favorite part of this particular event was the Ethiopian dance–they were fantastic!” Tara says. “And, I would like to thank the amazing volunteers who jump in to make WDP possible, we couldn’t have done it without them and their energy.”

We want to give a special thank you to Susan Davis, Beau Hebert, and David McGraw, all of our volunteer dance instructors, as well as our fantastic volunteers for jumping in and helping us out in all areas: Nikki, Dori, Ann, Star, Jake, Joe, and Shelly.

Missed out? Come to the next event!

Couldn’t make it to the last event? The next World Dance Party will be from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm on September 12th during the Beacon Art WalkAbout.

As part of a larger event, once again, there will be differences from the usual WDP — the location is outdoors in Stevens Place Park (a block away from the Beacon Hill Library), and doesn’t have the typical potluck buffet (but there will be a food truck there!). If you’ve never tried a World Dance Party before, now’s the chance! You’ll probably see other new people exploring what WDP is all about. If you’ve come before, please join us to give the newcomers a big welcome and make them feel included!

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This is a guest post by Shelly Najjar. When not volunteering as an AmeriCorps VISTA at Senior Services, she blogs about wellness and bucket lists.

Do you have design skills? Are there doodles in the margins of every paper you’re given? Do you love visually translating ideas into an artful logo?

The World Dance Party needs you to volunteer to design a new logo.

Everyone is welcome to submit designs. Designs should communicate the vision and principles of WDP, as well as the following elements:

• culture
• dance
• globe
• colorful
• something that stands out
• all-ages
• contains both WDP acronym and full name: World Dance Party

The deadline to submit your designs is September 30th. Please email submissions to worlddanceparty@gmail.com. The WDP community will be able to vote on their favorite designs after all submissions are collected.

For reference, the current logo can be found here.

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This is a guest post by Shelly Najjar. When not volunteering as an AmeriCorps VISTA at Senior Services, she blogs about wellness and bucket lists.

Let’s be honest, the World Dance Party is already a different kind of event, with its community-driven spirit and inclusive celebration of cultural diversity. So if we say there will be a few differences from the usual in this next Party, you can trust that they’ll be good and you’ll still have plenty of fun.

Here’s your guide to navigating the differences:

Location:

Instead of indoors, the next World Dance Party will be outdoors at the Rainier Valley Heritage Parade and Festival, at the Ferdinand Street Stage, so we can enjoy the Seattle summer. Being located within another event also means you can enjoy the festival environment and the festival-goers that have never gone to (or maybe never even heard of) a World Dance Party will be able to try it for the first time.

Participants:

This is still an all-ages event open to anyone who wants to participate, and as mentioned above, there may be new people who have never tried a World Dance Party before. We’d love for you to come and welcome them with us!

Timing:

The World Dance Party takes the stage at 2:30 pm (Please note time change!) and goes for an hour, until 3:30 pm. There will be about four mini-lessons with music. It’s shorter than usual, and because of this, the schedule may feel a little more structured, but this allows new people to sample the Party and come back for more at a future event. It’s also a great way to show everyone that no matter how long you have, there’s always time to learn about and experience new cultures.

Food:

There will not be any potluck at this event, because there will already be so many delicious food and drinks at the festival. There will even be a Pepsi location right by the stage in case we get thirsty while dancing.

What’s staying the same:

The World Dance Party is still a free, community-driven, all-ages event with no agenda that gets people to interact and celebrate culture and diversity. We hope to see you on August 15, at 2:30 pm at the Ferdinand Street Stage during the Rainier Valley Heritage Parade and Festival. (Please note time change)

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This is a guest post by Shelly Najjar. When not volunteering as an AmeriCorps VISTA at Senior Services, she blogs about wellness and bucket lists.

On August 15 at the Rainier Valley Heritage Parade and Festival in Columbia City, the World Dance Party will take over the Stage located on Ferdinand Street from 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm! (please note time change)

Are you planning on coming? The exact dances/styles are still to be announced, but you can expect four different dance lessons and lots of fun. People who’ve attended before have loved the experience.

Tara says, “For me, being involved with the World Dance Party has allowed me to embrace dance and delicious food from all over the world, connect with the amazing Rainier Valley community, and have fun.”

(Please note that during this particular event, there won’t be the typical potluck that the World Dance Party usually has, because there will already be so many food and drinks at the festival. Plus, there will be a Pepsi location right by the stage in case we get thirsty while dancing.)

We hope to see you on August 15, at 2:30 pm at the Ferdinand Street Stage during the Rainier Valley Heritage Parade and Festival. (please note time change)

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This is a guest post by Shelly Najjar. When not volunteering as an AmeriCorps VISTA at Senior Services, she blogs about wellness and bucket lists.

The World Dance Party is a fun party that welcomes all people to enjoy a potluck meal and free dance mini-lessons. There’s no secret agenda, just a desire to get people to interact and celebrate culture and diversity.

If you haven’t come to a World Dance Party event before, here are 12 reasons why you should clear your calendar for the next one.

1. meet your neighbors
2. make new friends
3. have fun
4. taste foods from around the world
5. listen to music
6. learn new dances
7. get some exercise
8. learn about cultures and groups other than your own
9. connect with your own culture and heritage
10. contribute to a community event (everyone gets involved)
11. enjoy the relaxed feel of this inclusive community
12. see what everyone is talking about

Don’t miss out! The next World Dance Party is on August 15 at the Rainier Valley Heritage Parade and Festival in Columbia City.

If you can’t make it to this one, be sure to join the World Dance Party community on Facebook to be notified of upcoming events.

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This is a guest post by Shelly Najjar. When not volunteering as an AmeriCorps VISTA at Senior Services, she blogs about wellness and bucket lists.

World Dance Party (WDP) has been bringing folks together to share food, dance, music, and culture around Seattle since 2010. At many of our events, we hear people say that WDP’s are the most fun you can have for free. Well thanks, that’s sweet of you to say!

We are able to keep our dance parties free and open to anyone because we have an incredible community of supporters that loves these events as much as we do. Our Planning Committee keeps costs low by partnering with organizations that host us at discounted rates, recruiting volunteers to teach dances, and asking everyone in attendance to bring food for the potluck or help out in some way. We cannot create these fun, lively, and inclusive gatherings without you all!

Not only do we throw sweet dance parties, but we also provide assistance to others who want to create their own events where they live. We believe that each community can and should be celebrating like us. Check out our WDP Toolkit on this site.

Chances are you’ve never given a donation to WDP to help us continue spreading the love around the Seattle area- we’ve never asked. This year, we decided to participate in The Seattle Foundation’s GiveBig event and reach out to our supporters to raise at least $2500- approximately the amount of money we’ll need to pull off the next 3 WDP’s!

Please send us a few bucks to show your appreciation and invest in a more connected community! Visit our profile on The Seattle Foundation website to donate: http://www.seattlefoundation.org/npos/Pages/WorldDanceParty.aspx

*You can donate to our organization at any time through our profile on The Seattle Foundation website, but your money will be stretched ONLY on May 5 for GiveBig.

Here’s what your money will buy:

• $25 Level- A bunch of supplies for the potluck
• $50 Level- A wireless headset microphone for dance instructors
• $100 Level- A good portion of our rental cost
• $1000 Level- We’ll throw a WDP in your honor

Thank you so, so much for your continued support of WDP. Please ask friends, family, or neighbors to match your donation and help us continue to organize these events for another year!

• Like us on facebook for news and updates: facebook.com/worlddanceparty
• Contact us if you have questions or comments:worlddanceparty@gmail.com

PEACE!