They are first and foremost social dances. It's not just you and your partner, there's a roomful of people you'll be meeting during a dance.
A barn dance is any kind of dance involving traditional or folk music (Old-time music) with traditional dancing, which is usually associated with family-oriented or community-oriented events.
Barn Dance are good dances for people who do not normally dance - if you ask, "Is it difficult?", the answer is generally no... The dances can be done without having to learn particular steps or without having to remember complex sequences of instructions. There is a large range of dances done but it is normal that instructions (or reminders) are called out as part of the dance. The caller will, therefore, generally use easy dances so that everyone can join in.
The artists and their Barn Dance performances and workshop series have been featured by:
english.people.cn: FEATURE: Square dancers cut a rug in Beijing
Global Times: Square Roots
The World of Chinese: Hip to be Square - Spreading American square dancing throughout China
The Beijinger: Square Dancing Lessons
“CityWeekend”“Old-time music is all about building community, so we wanted to get people taking part by dancing, singing or playing an instrument,” said Weasels fiddler Kirk Kenney, 28. “Some of the magic of this music is that the parts are very simple, but sound magical when combined. It’s just like friends and family playing on the front porch.”
–Global Times
“The manic pulsing and thumping of these beats can cut through even the balmiest air like a knife through butter, and one could be forgiven for assuming that the people dancing to it might be hard-partying young people, raging hard into the night”.
–Xinhua
The artists of Barn Dance performances and workshops have been on tour since 2013. The first few events are aimed at children and families, with a square dance, a singalong, and a chance to hear and try out instruments like the banjo, violin, guitar and ukulele. Since then they keep bringing this brand of old-time fiddle-playing and square-dance calling to various venues and audiences in 20+ cities across China, such as UCCA, Shanghai Disneyland Park, Beijing American Center, Shanghai American Center, Taihu Music Festival in Wuxi.
The following are press and notable events:
Social Benefit Activities:
April 2019, Yufang Primary School, Xushui Dist., Baoding City, Hebei Province (Supported by Sun Future Foundation)