Welcome to the Footwork & Frolick Society: we are a non-profit organization focused on 18th and 19th century dancing and amusements of all kinds. Our mission is to foster historical education through the research, recreation, performance, and instruction of 18th and 19th century dance and other active pursuits rooted in the social traditions of the American Northeast.
KEY TENETS OF FOOTWORK & FROLICK
Everyone is welcome
New England has had diverse inhabitants for centuries, and learning about our local past should be inclusive. Everyone is welcome in F&F modern historical spaces regardless of race, religion, gender identity or presentation. Our work is intended to make learning about dancing and movement in the past engaging and fun - not to mythologize the “old days”. We do not tolerate bigotry in our spaces.
History in Context
With over 30 years of collective experience, our executive team researches and reconstructs our activities from period sources. Part of a deep study of history is looking at the surrounding context of individual elements of the past. In our classes, we strive to contextualize the material we teach so that attendees walk away with an expanded understanding of the period - and have a lot of fun!
Sense of Place
F&F Society is a non-profit organization based in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and we focus on pastimes popular in the American Northeast. We strive to recreate these activities in their natural environment: buildings and other locations created during the time period when these pastimes were common. We believe this connection to place connects us more deeply to the past.
