About us
Free-style dances for people who love to dance--
Dance Friday/Freedom will hold
In–person Dances 8pm-10pm
Dances at St John's 74 Pleasant St., Arlington, MA
March 27th and 28th Dance Weekend , 4/10/26,
Dance friday will return to 8 Inman St. Cambridge, MA
Fridays: 4/24/26, 5/8/26, 6/12/26
Online, zoom dances are held online every Wednesday and Friday night at 8:30-9:30pm all Eastern Standard time. Email info@dancefreedom.com for zoom link.
For dancers, this feels like what musical jams are for musicians. If your previous experience dancing has been mainly in night clubs, our dances are like swimming in the ocean after having swum only in swimming pools--finally you have space, support, inspiration for creativity, natural movement, freedom! Welcoming, accepting atmosphere, with all levels of dancers moving together or separately, lifted by our DJs' creative mixes of dance styles and varied beats, from many continents and eras.
Both dances are a 501(c)(3) nonprofits dedicated to promoting dance in the community. These dances are safe places to move freely and make new friends. Respect for others is essential. Alcohol and smoking are prohibited.
Upcoming events
16
Dance Friday/Freedom Stan Strickland and Helena Froehlich
St. John's Church, 74 Pleasant Street, Arlington, MA, USDANCE FRIDAY/FREEDOM WEEKEND March 27 and 28th 2026
74 Pleasant St, Arlington 02476 •
Come for the whole event or single dance or class.Tuning Moving Meditation with Helena Froehlich - Dance, tuning into your movements from within. We will warm up, and practice the 8 pieces of Brocade: an ancient Qigong series of flowing movement balancing the energy (Qi) and supporting health, vitality and mental clarity. Then in tune with Stan’s music, we will do some guided improvisation, connecting to the music, the space and people around you. Breathing in, breathing out, dance and expand the limits of your perceptions. Class is short so show up early for orientation and warm up.
Singer, saxophonist, flutist, actor Stan Strickland has performed throughout the United States, Europe, Scandinavia, the Caribbean, New Zealand and the former Soviet Union. In addition to numerous radio and television appearances, Stan has performed in many clubs and concert halls, including Jordan and Symphony Halls in Boston, Carnegie Recital Hall and Town Hall in New York, and at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Stan has performed with jazz greats Yusef Lateef, Pharoah Sanders, Herbie Mann, Danilo Perez, Shirley Scott and Marlena Shaw.
Helena Froehlich bio: Boston Ballet Faculty. Dancer, Teacher, choreographer, Helena has worked with several companies including, Centre National de Danse Contemporaine in France, Staatstheater Biberach in Germany, American Repertory & Princeton Ballet School in the USA. She performs with her company CreationDance in Europe and the United States. Along with ballet, modern, and other forms of dance, she studied Tai Chi, Acupressure, Pilates, and Yoga.***
## To register click here … or for a printable registration form click here
The full weekend is only $100.00 by March 15th!
$110 walk-ins / day-of. See other attendance options in the chart below schedule## Friday March 27th and Saturday March 28th, 2026
Tentative 2026 Weekend Schedule
### FRIDAY, March 27th
St. John’s Episcopal Church, 74 Pleasant St, Arlington, MA (Lombard St entrance at back of building)
OPENING DANCE
7:20pm – 7:40pm Check in, Welcome, Opening Circle (Foyer)
7:30pm – 8:30 — Tuning Moving Meditations — Helena Froehlich
8:30pm – 10:30 — Live Music for Dancing with Stan Strickland with DJ’d interlude(s) by DJ das Mojo (Dave Sheppard)### SATURDAY, March 28th
Full Day of Classes, Dinner & Performances, Evening Dance
St. John’s Episcopal Church, 74 Pleasant St. • Arlington, MA (Lombard St entrance at back of building)
1:30 Registration and Opening Circle
Class Period 1 — 2-2:50pm
Contact Improv Partnering — Olivier Besson (Parish Hall)
Class Period 2 — 3-3:50
Movement, Rhythm & Voice in Community: A Transformative and Holistic ExperienceTime to Release & Connect **** with Live drumming **** — Sophie Leurent (Parish Hall)
Embodying Stories From Our Lives — Christopher Ellinger (Parlor Room)
Class Period 3 — 4 – 4:50pm
The 5Rhythms®: The Shamanic Journey — Margaux Skalecki (Parish Hall)
Class Period 4 — 5pm – 5:50pm
Belly Dance to Bliss — Johara (Parish Hall)
Foot Reflexology — Bill Kennedy (Parlor Room)
SATURDAY Dinner & Evening Dance, March 28th:
6:pm – 8:30: Dinner and Bardic Circle (Time includes Set up)
8:30pm – 10:30: DANCE — DJ das Mojo (Dave Sheppard)
Then, closing circle4 attendees
Dance Freedom/Friday Weekend
St. John's Church, 74 Pleasant Street, Arlington, MA, USDANCE FRIDAY/FREEDOM WEEKEND
March 27th and 28th, 2025
74 Pleasant St, Arlington
Come for the whole event or single dance or class.
Full weekend early bird pricing…
$100 in advance (until March 15th)*,
$110 day of event.
See www.dancefriday.org for discounts and full list of optionsDANCE FRIDAY/FREEDOM WEEKEND
March 27th and 28th, 2025
74 Pleasant St, Arlington
Come for the whole event or single dance or class.
Full weekend early bird pricing…
$100 in advance (until Sunday March 15th*),
$110 day of event.
See www.dancefriday.org for discounts and full list of options
*Register in person at March 13th Dance in Arlington, pay with cash or check and get the whole weekend for only $85.00!
In a time when prices for everything are going up, we are holding last year’s price for the full weekend, if you register with a check at our 3/13/26 dance. We, the organizers, value what the weekend offers for so many — a time of community, learning, music, fun, and, of course, dancing. This is why we decided to hold the early registration pricing for our dancers who attend this Friday’s dance and register in person with cash or check. All this at a time when our expenses to put on the weekend have increased.FRIDAY, March 27th
St. John's Episcopal Church, 74 Pleasant St, Arlington, MA
OPENING DANCE
7:30pm - 8:30 — Tuning Moving Meditations — Helena Froehlich
8:30pm - 10:30 — Live Music for Dancing with Stan Strickland with DJ'd interlude(s) by DJ das Mojo (Dave Sheppard)
SATURDAY, March 28th
Full Day of Classes, Dinner & Performances, Evening Dance
St. John's Episcopal Church, 74 Pleasant St. • Arlington, MA
1:30 Registration and Opening Circle.
Class Period 1 — 2-2:50pm
Contact Improv Partnering — Olivier Besson (Parish Hall)
Class Period 2 — 3-3:50
Movement, Rhythm & Voice in Community: A Transformative and Holistic Experience Time to Release & Connect
**** with Live drumming **** — Sophie Leurent (Parish Hall)
Embodying Stories From Our Lives — Christopher Ellinger (Parlor Room)
Class Period 3 — 4 - 4:50pm
The 5Rhythms®: The Shamanic Journey — Margaux Skalecki (Parish Hall)
Class Period 4 — 5pm - 5:50pm
Belly Dance to Bliss — Johara (Parish Hall)
Foot Reflexology — Bill Kennedy (Parlor Room)
SATURDAY Dinner & Evening Dance, March 28th:
6:pm - 8:30: Dinner and Bardic Circle (Time includes Set up)
performances by Carrie, Ellie and Paul Harrington, Patti Gurekian, Jessica Lupien, and the Witches’ Dance
8:30pm - 10:30: DANCE — DJ das Mojo (Dave Sheppard)
Then, closing circleDance Friday/Freedom will hold
In–person Dances 8pm-10pm
St John's 74 Pleasant St., Arlington, MA
, 4/10/26 and
Dance Weekend 3/27/26 and 3/28/26
Dance Friday returns to St Mary’s after Orthodox Easter
8 Inman St. Cambridge, MA
Fridays: 4/24/26, 5/8/26, 6/12/264 attendees
Spring Dance Weekend In Arlington MA. Class: Oliver Besson Contact Improv
St. John's Church, 74 Pleasant Street, Arlington, MA, USDANCE FRIDAY/DNE WEEKEND March 27 and 28th 2026
74 Pleasant St. • Arlington 02476 www.dancefriday.org
come for the whole event or single dance or class.# Olivier Besson
Improv Partnering.
This class aims to provide a container where mutual flow and deep play manifests the emergence of a consensual dance. How do we create a dance with space, allowing it to flower in our presence? We tune our senses to one another while exploring the many layers of mindful touch and enter newly charted territory where the known and the unknown merge. We show up, more fully present, and experience freedom within form.(Bio)
Olivier Besson is a movement artist of Japanese and French heritage who’s been involved with the study and inquiry of improvisation since 1980. His performances have been presented in France, Taiwan, Russia, Japan, India and the US. He ran the Improv jam with live music at the Dance Complex for 30 years. He is currently on faculty at The Boston Conservatory At Berklee where he curates Moment's Notice, an interdisciplinary improv performance series.
To register click here … or for a printable registration form click here
The full weekend is only $100.00 by March 15th!
$110 walk-ins / day-of. See other attendance options in the chart below schedule## Friday March 27th and Saturday March 28th, 2026
Tentative 2026 Weekend Schedule
### FRIDAY, March 27th
St. John’s Episcopal Church, 74 Pleasant St, Arlington, MA (Lombard St entrance at back of building)
OPENING DANCE
7:20pm – 7:40pm Check in, Welcome, Opening Circle (Foyer)
7:30pm – 8:30 — Tuning Moving Meditations — Helena Froehlich
8:30pm – 10:30 — Live Music for Dancing with Stan Strickland with DJ’d interlude(s) by DJ das Mojo (Dave Sheppard)### SATURDAY, March 28th
Full Day of Classes, Dinner & Performances, Evening Dance
St. John’s Episcopal Church, 74 Pleasant St. • Arlington, MA (Lombard St entrance at back of building)
1:30 Registration and Opening Circle
Class Period 1 — 2-2:50pm
Contact Improv Partnering — Olivier Besson (Parish Hall)
Class Period 2 — 3-3:50
Movement, Rhythm & Voice in Community: A Transformative and Holistic ExperienceTime to Release & Connect **** with Live drumming **** — Sophie Leurent (Parish Hall)
Embodying Stories From Our Lives — Christopher Ellinger (Parlor Room)
Class Period 3 — 4 – 4:50pm
The 5Rhythms®: The Shamanic Journey — Margaux Skalecki (Parish Hall)
Class Period 4 — 5pm – 5:50pm
Belly Dance to Bliss — Johara (Parish Hall)
Foot Reflexology — Bill Kennedy (Parlor Room)
SATURDAY Dinner & Evening Dance, March 28th:
6:pm – 8:30: Dinner and Bardic Circle (Time includes Set up)
8:30pm – 10:30: DANCE — DJ das Mojo (Dave Sheppard)
Then, closing circle4 attendees
Past events
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