Folklore Society
c/o University of Chicago
5706 S University Ave
Chicago, IL 60637
Phone:  312-725-2848

Workshops

Saturday Workshops

Workshops will be held Saturday in Ida Noyes Hall.
Click here for a map to Ida Noyes.

These are free workshops, open to the public.  No tickets required.
Click on the name of a workshop to jump to the description.

Knitting and Crochet with Fiber Friends Studios
10:00–Noon, Library  (1st floor)
Join us for a delightful workshop where you'll learn the art of crocheting a classic granny square or receive basic knitting lessons suitable for all ages!  All necessary supplies will be provided, so just bring your enthusiasm.  Additionally, crafters of all levels are encouraged to hang out with us to knit, crochet, and create together in a welcoming and creative environment.  Bring your project and connect with fellow craft lovers.
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Scandinavian Dance Workshop with Mary Allsopp & Friends
10:00–11:30, Cloister Club  (1st Floor)
Get your day started moving to the lively tunes of Scandinavia.  We have playful party dances, gentle waltzes and lively set dances.  Partners optional, all ages welcome.  Walk-through instruction by Roo Lester, and live music throughout.
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Traditional Brother-Style and Bluegrass Duet Singing with High Fidelity
10:00–11:30, West Lounge  (2nd Floor)
The way artists approach harmony singing has changed over time.  In this workshop, we will explore the foundations of duet harmony singing in old time and early bluegrass music.  We will discuss where the styles came from, how they evolved, and how they function today.  The styles and harmony structure of artists such as the Delmore Brothers, the Blue Sky Boys, the Louvin Brothers, Don Reno & Red Smiley, Jim & Jesse, and others will be discussed and demonstrated.  Tips on how to hear and execute harmony will also be included in the workshop.
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Morris Dance with Mortarbordis and Pullman Morris & Sword
10:00–11:30, Third Floor Theater  (3rd floor)
Join your two local Morris teams for a workshop featuring dance performances, live music and the opportunity to try Morris dancing yourself. Wave hankies, clash sticks and try something fun.  Representing a cross-section of English ritual dance, Mortarbordis is a University of Chicago Border Morris team and Pullman Morris and Sword is based in the far South Side Pullman neighborhood.
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Little Voices, Big Sounds: A Family Music Experience
11:30–1:00, Cloister Club  (1st floor)
Join Chicago's favorite children's entertainer, Mary Macaroni in a family music extravaganza!  Clap, sing, shake, and move together in this lively, hands-on music workshop for families with young children.  Through echo songs, rhythm instruments, movement scarves, and simple folk tunes, we'll explore how music builds confidence, connection, and creativity.  You may even see a magic trick or two!
      Leave with songs you can use at home, in the car, or around the kitchen table – and a few new musical memories to take with you!
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Hurdy Gurdy with Dennis Sherman
11:30–1:00, West Lounge  (2nd floor)
The hurdy-gurdy is an instrument with a unique combination of melody, drones, and percussion included.  This session will introduce the instrument and some of the traditional repertoire it has been used for, including French folk dance, medieval and renaissance dances, and English country dance.  A collective of Chicago area hurdy-gurdy players will present the session, each with their own experience and perspective to share.
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Fiddle Styles Discussion
11:30–1:00, Third Floor Theater
Fiddlers from the bands performing this year at the Folk Fest will present and discuss their various styles of music and playing.
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Quilting with the Lakeside Quilting Guild
Noon–3:30, Library  (1st floor)
Today's workshop will be about designing, putting together and sewing a Log Cabin Block that can be used in a quilt or individually as a mug rug or wall hanging.  There are 2 sizes we'll cover: a 9" finished or 12" finished block.  In this Workshop you'll design a block with a center focus fabric surrounded by strips in increasing size using your choice of colors.  (Fabric will be provided.)
      The origin of the block is thought to be from ancient Egypt.  Log cabin quilts became popular in the U.S. in the 1860's, used to raise money for the Union Army.  For the history and more info on log cabin blocks please click here. 
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Barn Dance with Gap Civil and calling by Meg Dedolph
1:00–2:30, Cloister Club  (1st floor)
The Gap Civil stringband will play for an old-time Barn Dance in the Cloister Club, with Meg Dedolph teaching and calling the dances.  No experience necessary.
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Traditional Tunes & Ballands with Lissa Schneckenburger and Garrett Cameron
1:00–2:00, West Lounge  (2nd floor)
A general overview, exploration and discussion of tune types and styles within Scottish, Irish, Cape Breton, and New England music.  Enjoy the blended sounds of the fiddle, mandolin, and voice, and bring all your burning traditional music questions!
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Mariachi with Mariachi Flor de Primavera
1:00–2:00, Third Floor Theater  (3rd floor)
Members of Mariachi Flor de Primavera will discuss and demonstrate Mariachi music.
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Shanty Singing with Kathy Whisler, Dean Nolan, David Well and Ellen Rockett
2:00–3:30, West Lounge  (2nd floor)
Kathy and friends have been organizing and participating in shanty sings in the Chicago area for over a decade.  They will offer a brief introduction into the world of maritime songs, the old tradition of work songs, and the modern tradition of shanty sings.  Join them as they present some of their favorite shanties, sea songs, and drinking songs in a participatory setting.
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Balkan Dance with Galia Kuo
2:00–3:30, Third Floor Theater  (3rd floor)
Balkan dances include a variety of traditional dances done with people holding each other's hands or shoulders.  Some are wedding dances; some are danced Sunday after church.  Some are flashy, others more demure.  Galia Miloucheva Kuo will present and lead Balkan and Bulgarian dances, drawing on her years with Ensemble Balkanske Igre and her life-long involvement with Balkan dance and music.  In addition to this workshop, she is also the co-director of the UChicago Spring Festival, which in March 2025 will celebrate of the 60th anniversary of Ensemble Balkanske Igre.
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Cajun Dance with the Luke Huval Band
2:30–4:00, Cloister Club  (1st floor)
The Luke Huval Band will play for a Cajun dance.
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History of Chicago Blues with Michael Dietler
3:30–4:30, Library  (1st floor)
Michael Dietler will present an illustrated lecture on the history of the Chicago Blues that discusses the birth of the Delta Blues in the late 19th century, the transposition of the music to Chicago with the Great Migration of African Americans leaving the Jim Crow South, its transformation in the new urban context into the gritty electrified music that became known as Chicago Blues, and its expansion beyond the African American community from the 1960s on.
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Shapenote Singing
3:30–6:00, West Lounge  (2nd floor)
Please join us for some robust four-part harmony singing from the Sacred Harp.  First composed by itinerant New England singing masters in the 18th century, then nurtured and developed in the South in the 19th and 20th centuries and rediscovered mid–20th century, these hymns have been a part of American traditional culture since before the Revolutionary War and are now part of a living tradition and sung around the world.  The UChicago Folk Festival was a very early player in the renaissance of this music.
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Lost Traditions in Barrelhouse Blues Piano with Ethan Leinwand
3:30–4:30, Third Floor Theater  (3rd floor)
Ethan Leinwand takes you through the history of barrelhouse blues, tracing the development from its ragtime roots to the boogie-woogie explosion and other later blues piano styles.  Along the way he'll demonstrate and break down distinct regional differences, highlight important pianists, and discuss why this rich and vital artform has drifted into the depths of obscurity.
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British Isles Dances with Mady Newfield, Jonathan Whitall and Meg Dedolph
4:00–5:00, Cloister Club  (1st floor)
Dances of the British Isles with live music by the Cosmic Otters.  Enjoy dances from all over the British Isles taught by Mady Newfield with lively music by Jonathan Whitall and Meg Dedolph.  Mady has been teaching traditional dance of various sorts (international folk dance as well as country and ceilidh dances of the British Isles) for many years in the Chicago area.  The live music will drive your feet in these fun and accessible ceilidh and party dances from England Wales, Scotland, and maybe more.
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Blues with Jontavious Willis
4:30–5:30, Library  (1st floor)
Jontavious Willis will offer his personal take on blues music, discussing the different periods and important figures in the genre's development. 
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