Discover the Bliss of Asheville's Dance Events and Venues!

See also
Contra Dance
Latin Dance
Swing Dance

Asheville Summer Soiree
Annual event held at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa.

Asheville Swing Society

John C. Campbell

Lake Eden Arts Festival
"... DANCE til you drop! To Contra, Cajun, Swing, Celtic, African, Latin, Clogging, Zydeco, Waltz and more or just get out and boogie to your own groove. Dedicated to the pursuit of a good time dancing, we lay a wooden floor in Brookside Pavilion to create one of the south's largest dance floors. And it‚s not just the whirling contra dancers who love it --if you can move we can teach you the groove in one of our many dance workshops or mini dance demos that cover everything from belly dance to Irish step dancing. And don‚t be intimidated, we love beginners too."

From Rolf Potts' Vagabonding blog:

I've never been one of those uptight literary types who thinks that you have to have actually read a book in order to recommend it to others. So I feel no trepidation in suggesting Eric Weiner's new travelogue-slash-memoir The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World The premise of the book is simple but intriguing-- here is Amazon's description:

Part foreign affairs discourse, part humor, and part twisted self-help guide, The Geography of Bliss takes the reader from America to Iceland to India in search of happiness, or, in the crabby author's case, moments of "un-unhappiness." The book uses a beguiling mixture of travel, psychology, science and humor to investigate not what happiness is, but where it is. Are people in Switzerland happier because it is the most democratic country in the world? Do citizens of Singapore benefit psychologically by having their options limited by the government? Is the King of Bhutan a visionary for his initiative to calculate Gross National Happiness? Why is Asheville, North Carolina so damn happy? With engaging wit and surprising insights, Eric Weiner answers those questions and many others, offering travelers of all moods some interesting new ideas for sunnier destinations and dispositions.

In the imaginary Netflix queue of books-that-I'm-planning-to-read, this one has just jumped to the top. By the way, why has no one started a Netflix for books? This question, and many more, I'll leave for another day.

Asheville Performing Dance Companies

Asheville Contemporary Dance Company
".... Western North Carolina's first modern dance company. A diverse repertory reflects both traditional and experimental forms of modern dance. Emphasis on theatricality, humor and pathos make our work accessible to a challenging variety of audiences. Reaching out into other generations. Creating a healing community to become more whole...."

Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance
".... Asheville’s own professional contemporary ballet company.   Terpsicorps is currently a summer organization, hiring in critically acclaimed dancers from such well respected dance companies as Pittsburgh Ballet, Balletmet, American Repertory Ballet, and the Nashville Ballet.   Most dance companies lay off their dancers in the summertime when theater going tends to taper off.   This has given the company the opportunity to hire first rate principal dancers for a short period of time during Asheville’s most vibrant season...."

BELOW: An excerpt from the Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance production of "C-H-I-C-K-E-N." Choreography by Heather Maloy, music by Ian Moore and The Rib Tips.

BELOW: "....This is the 3rd of a 4 movement work entitled "The Many Deaths of Edward Gorey." The original music for the piece was created by three people, Evan Bivins, Bill Carson and Nathan Koci. The choreography is by Heather Maloy and is being danced by the Asheville, NC based comapany, Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance. The piece is inspired by the life and art of Edward Gorey. Each character represents not just a sample of his work, but something about him as a person, whether it be a facet of his personality or an obsession that he had...."

Dance Companies and Theatres within a Couple of Hours of Asheville

North Carolina Dance Theatre
Located in Charlotte, about a 2 hours drive from Asheville, NCDT tours extensively throughout the US. "...Founded in 1970, North Carolina Dance Theatre is the oldest professional ballet company in North Carolina. Today, North Carolina Dance Theatre has an established national reputation for artistic excellence and is widely regarded as one of Charlotte’s premiere arts organizations. Under the artistic direction of Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux and Patricia McBride, the company has attracted superb dancers and built a versatile and diverse repertoire ranging from full-length classical ballets to innovative contemporary works...." When in town, their performance venue is the Booth Playhouse on Tryon Street in Charlotte..