Illowa Community Folk Dance

Illowa Community Folk Dance Contra dances in the Quad Cities, Illinois and Iowa. Missing the enjoyment of the dances in Michigan and New Jersey, where they had been active participants.

Monthly Dance:
- 4th Friday of Month, 7-9:30 pm, Bettendorf, IA Presbyterian Church
- Old country social dancing with live old-time music!
- Beginners welcome
- All dances taught
- No partner needed For 20+ years, Illowa Community Folk Dance has brought the experience of an old time barn dance to the greater Quad Cities (Illinois and Iowa). For the past 15 years the dances have taken place at Sing

ing Bird Center in Black Hawk State Historic Site, Rock Island, IL. We do American Social Folk dancing mixed thoroughly with its Celtic-British roots - contras and squares and circle dances in the tradition of a community dance in a barn, grange hall, social hall or someone’s home where all gathered for good music, to dance and to enjoy each other’s company. All who come to any dance are part of the group. There is no formal organization. Some participate in every dance over many years, some come once, most come back. We maintain a mailing list and e-mail list to share the information. Various people pitch in to help by inviting others to come, by welcoming new dancers, by bringing refreshments, Though Drew Nagle calls mosts of the dances, others are welcome to call when they choose. No partners necessary (the dances are usually danced in couples, but we change partners frequently); children welcome with adult participation; come once, come often. Live music is provided by various local musicians and bands performing on a variety of instruments including but not limited to; fiddle, mandolin, guitar, bass, pennywhistle, bodhran, and banjo. Free will donations are accepted to cover costs for musicians/bands, hall and publicity.

Photos and a short video from our March 2026 dance in Bettendorf.  Don't miss our next dance on April 24th!
04/03/2026

Photos and a short video from our March 2026 dance in Bettendorf. Don't miss our next dance on April 24th!

01/29/2026

Oops! When we cancelled the January 2026 dance due to weather - I accidentally marked all of the 2026 Facebook calendar events as cancelled. I've added back the calendar for the rest of the year.

Hope to see you all on Feb 27!

01/23/2026

CANCELLED!

We are cancelling the Jan 23, 2026 Bettendorf Contra Dance due to the forecasted winter weather. Stay warm everybody! Hope to see you all next month.

Happy New Year!  - Here's the 2025 dance flyer with this year's schedule.
01/03/2025

Happy New Year! - Here's the 2025 dance flyer with this year's schedule.

Address

Quad Cities
Rock Island, IL
61201

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