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The Living Tradition Home Page
What is The Living Tradition?
The Living Tradition is a non-profit organization working to support and preserve traditional music and dance in Southern California. We host contra dances and contemporary and traditional folk music concerts at the beautiful Anaheim Downtown Community Center at 250 E. Center St., in Anaheim, California. We also host traditional music jams. Jams are now held as SPECIAL EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. The location will be specified for each jam.
All of our events are
family-friendly and are open to the public. Admission
prices for dances and concerts are modest, and children
under 18 years are free with a paid adult. We ask for
a
contribution of $3 to
$5 per person at our music jams to defray rental
costs. Bring your friends, make new
friends, get some exercise (dancing), or just relax and
enjoy traditional American music.
Our Concerts
The Living Tradition
concert series presents international and local artisans of
contemporary and traditional folk music for a modest cost in
an intimate setting. Our Covid policies are listed
below. Usually the recommended donation is
$20
per person ($15 with the Living Tradition
membership). Here are some of our scheduled concerts, which start at 7:30 PM in Anaheim:
Concert r
Click here
to see additional
concert information.
Our contra dances allow
folks of all ages to dance to live music and enjoy easy-to-learn
traditional dance - without a partner. Usually the recommended
donation is
$15 per person; $12 for Anaheim
residents, Living Tradition members, seniors, and full-time
students. Our upcoming dances have a new schedule and now include
a potluck:
Potluck
starts at 5:30 PM.
Dance
lesson starts at 6:10 PM.
Dancing now starts at 6:30 PM.
Click here
to see additional information about our dances.
Our traditional music jams
bring musicians (and singers) together in a relaxed
atmosphere where all levels and talents are welcome,
including those who simply want to hear traditional
music or song.
Important Change: Jams are now held as SPECIAL EVENTS THROUGHOUT
THE YEAR, and the location and time will be specified for each jam.
Nov. 18, 2023
The amazing Men of Worth.
Click
here to see flyer.
Our Dances
Covid Policy Update:
Masks optional at all our events.
Nov. 25, 2023
Caller: Frannie
Marr.
Band: Stepwise,
with Liam Lewis (mandolin, guitar), Olivia
Breidenthal (fiddle), and Jeff Spero (keyboard).
Our Jams
Our Covid policies are listed below.
Our
schedules are subject to change.
Our Covid-19 Policy has been
UpdatedOur Covid protocols are intended to promote the health and safety of our community. As of July 1, 2023, masking has become optional but is encouraged at all our events. In addition, a Covid vaccination and booster are not required, although they are recommended. Attendees of our events must:
- Be free of key Covid-19 symptoms. Click here to view the CDC list of these symptoms.
- Abide by our contact tracing policy. Click here for additional information about contact tracing (PDF).
- Agree to general and Covid-19 waivers. Click here to view the waivers (PDF).
Click here to view our Covid Policy webpage.
Special Events
The Living Tradition also supports a variety of special events, which now includes our jams. See Special Events for more information.
General Questions
for The Living Tradition
If you have questions about The Living Tradition, contact the Presi
dent, Michael Frey at mfrey4mando@gmail.com. To view additional contact links for the The Living Tradition, click Contact Us.
Membership: Why
Join The Living Tradition?
Members of The Living Tradition enjoy and preserve traditional music and dance in Southern California. Benefits of membership also include discounts for most of our concerts and dances. To become a member, simply print and complete the membership form (PDF), then mail the completed form and a check for membership dues to the address listed on the form.
Thank you for your support.
More About The Living Tradition
Founded in 1982 by Carolyn Russell, The Living Tradition is a group of people bound together by the desire to share traditional music and dance. The Living Tradition brings us a sampling of today’s brightest traditional music entertainers, provides family-friendly, community-oriented contra dances, and hosts popular monthly jams.
Go to Our History page to read A Brief History of The Living Tradition written by Patty McCollom, and to view a transcription (PDF file) of James Hutson's 1995 interview with Carolyn Russell.
Our contra dances provide an evening of fun – without a partner or formal instruction. These dances are fun, good exercise, and build a sense of community with other contra dancers. Many fine bands have graced our dances, and well-known dance “callers” provide lively prompting. Bring your friends, make new friends, get some exercise, or just enjoy the lively sounds of traditional music. Our dances are beginner-friendly because each evening begins with a group lesson, and the actual dances are explained and prompted by the “caller”.
The Living Tradition concert series presents international and local artisans of contemporary and traditional folk music nearly every month in the beautiful Anaheim Downtown Community Center. These intimate concerts are reasonably priced and a great way to get together with friends or meet new friends.
We also sponsor regularly scheduled music jams to provide a forum for those who play an acoustical instrument, sing, or simply enjoy listening to traditional music and song. Our jams are open to all levels and talents, and offer an opportunity for anyone who loves traditional music to participate in a relaxed atmosphere.
The Living Tradition is all of this and more. We serve as a catalyst for the preservation and promotion of traditional music and dance and ensure that traditional music, dance, and song will thrive for years to come.
To see this article about The Living Tradition, with more details
about our history and concert series, go to the
January
/ February 2001 issue of the FolkWorks
newspaper and scroll down to page 13.
Special Thanks Go To . . .
The Living Tradition extends sincere thanks to John Davidheiser for designing and implementing the original format of The Living Tradition Web site.
Thanks also go to Tim Steinmeier, who designed The Living Tradition logo.
“A Bit More About Us” was written by Ellen Swope (and updated by Mindy Belli).
Visit
The Living Tradition on Facebook.