The Museum international folk dance cafe - Folk Dance Federation of California, South, Inc.

The Museum
international folk dance cafe

By Dick Oakes

THIS IS HISTORICAL INFORMATION ONLY

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The Museum Folk Dance Cafe was originally located at 19 W. Dayton St. (February, 1966) through the patio, but later moved to the 103 S. Fairoaks Ave. side in Pasadena, California. It was owned by Professor Paul Gale (who also opened The Open Circle in 1977) and Bob Coorpender. It was open six days a week (Never on Sunday) and at first charged only 75¢ on weekdays and $3.00 on Fridays and Saturdays for an hour and a half, with a 50¢ charge for instruction. In addition to evening classes, The Museum held a 2:00 p.m. class on Saturdays for 75¢.

Paul said, "The great appeal of the music is its rarity. You won't hear it on radio or anywhere else, except perhaps on occasion on the Ed Sullivan show." He also, "... knows of no regular catalogue of the number of folk dances there are. I've tried for an estimate, in the thousands I'd say, at least 5,000 but it could be 25,000." As to replacing the frog, Watusi, jerk, and the similar craze dances, he said, "These dances have lasted thousands of years already."

The Museum encouraged the pleasures of ethnic dance and music. The most esoteric requests could be fulfilled, while the more common joys were sensitively provided for: meeting friends, playing chess or backgammon in the patio, or simply mending frayed nerve ends over a cup of coffee. The mood was casual, the people were warm and enthusiastic.

Two of the groups that performed at The Museum were Sobranie and Sredec.