Friday Night Waltz

Friday Night Waltz has mostly waltzes in the dances and classes, along with polka, tango, swing, and salsa. People come from all over the Bay Area. People are friendly, The atmosphere is warm and welcoming. Partners are not needed. We rotate rapidly in classes. Casual comfortable attire. All ages. To get on our email list, send request to email list: info@FridayNightWaltz.com Facebook page: or scott phone number

Masks are optional. Free water bottles.

Richard Powers teaches Bohemian National Polka at Friday Night Waltz, January 31

Yay! It's BNP Night!

Yes, the Bohemian National Polka is being taught at FNW, for the first time since Fall 2023! BNP is on the bucket list for all serious FNW dancers. It's a historical polka sequence, based on the very earliest polka steps, from Bohemia, choreographed by Richard Powers. It's also the most widely known polka choreography in the world, danced by over a million dancers in dozens of countries. Here is a good video of it being danced around the world. And here are 530 videos of BNP being danced in the U.S., France, Italy, China, Japan, the Philippines, Korea, Russia, Belgium, Brazil, Uruguay, Portugal, Corsica and Liechtenstein.

7:15-9:15 pm - Richard Powers and Rocky Aikens teach a special intermediate/advanced class in the Bohemian National Polka, with enough time for all of the details, including pivots. Whether learning it for the first time or catching reminders of the many details, here is a rare chance to have a full class in the BNP, taught by the choreographer himself.

Pre-requirement: Intermediate level means that all participants must already know how to do a rotary waltz, Viennese waltz, or polka. If you already waltz but are a newer waltzer, be sure to arrive for the start of the class at 7:15 pm. This class is definitely not for beginners, but there will be a beginners dance class at the same time, in a nearby room.

As you can see from the video, BNP is a five-part choreography, where each part builds upon the previous steps. Students in the class hate it when they have to dance with someone who came to the class late, and doesn't know the first parts of the choreography, so no one will be allowed to join the class after 8pm, unless they already know BNP, and wish to assist those learning it for the first time. But arriving late after missing 30 minutes will still be too difficult for most people, so the first advice is best: be there at the beginning of the class, at 7:15 pm, ready for a fun challenge!

7:15-8:10 pm - Beginner's Cross-Step Waltz class by Jordan and Sharon.

8:15-9:15 pm - Continuing with easy intermediate cross step waltz steps; inside underarm turn; flip flop, he goes, she goes.

9:15 pm - Dance Party (note the new start time) will feature Richard's favorite dance music plus some premieres. Waltz, swing, tango, cross-step waltz, bachata, West Coast Swing, cha cha, BNP, salsa, Tokyo Polka, Lindy, NC2S, Romany Polka, hustle, Shim Sham, and more!

For those who don't know about Richard Powers, he is one of the world's foremost experts in social dance. He has taught dance in Paris, London, Rome, Venice, Prague, Vienna, Geneva, Seville, Edinburgh, Krakow, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Tokyo and Kyoto, including 29 workshops in France (teaching in French), 28 in Japan (teaching in Japanese), and 22 in Russia (not teaching in Russian). Richard is currently the full-time social dance instructor at Stanford University.

This Friday, January 31

Doors open at 6:45.

Classes start at 7:15. Please arrive 15 minutes early to avoid the rush.

$15 general. $10 for students with ID.

Cash, Check, Credit Card, Apple Pay. We do not accept Venmo. Tickets at the door.

No partner necessary. We rotate rapidly in class.

All Ages. Casual comfortable attire.

Masks are optional. Free Masks. Free bottles of water.

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First United Methodist Church, 625 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto CA, upstairs Fellowship Hall.

Parking in rear parking lot. Many on-street parking spaces available.

Large Webster/Cowper parking garage one block away.

http://www.fridaynightwaltz.com

02.07.2025

Friday Night - Batacha night! John Bauer is our dj tonight. classes start at 7:15 until 9:00

Agastya Kalra (Gus)

Agastya has been dancing since childhood and social dancing for 9 years, with a passion for Latin social dances. He began teaching in 2017 and joined the Friday Night Waltz community in 2019. With extensive travel for work, Agastya has attended social dance events worldwide, including in Switzerland, Uzbekistan, India, and Brazil, gaining diverse perspectives. He's excited to share his love of dance, his focus on fundamentals, and creating a humorous and welcoming environment for students of all levels.
agastya