A Colonial Dance: Family-Friendly Interactive Experience

Name: A Colonial Dance: Family-Friendly Interactive Experience
Start: 2026-04-11T14:00:00-04:00
End: 2026-04-11T15:00:00-04:00
Location: 38 Felton St, Peabody, MA 01960-1446, United States

Schedule

Sat Apr 11 2026 at 02:00 pm to 03:00 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

38 Felton St, Peabody, MA 01960-1446, United States | Peabody, MA

The Peabody Historical Society is hosting a colonial dance:
Join the Wayside Inn Steppers and the Colonial Minstrels for a live performance of New England colonial music during the Revolution. At this event, all will be encouraged to learn about how music captured the politics of the times, while enjoying live music and the chance to learn some of the dances. Refreshments will be offered, seating will be available, and children’s’ games and crafts will be offered. Dress up and participate in their dance workshop! Families encouraged!
Schedule
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. | Wayside Steppers and Colonial Minstrels will perform live music and dance, giving out instructions to guests to participate and sharing information about the history behind the music!
Refreshments and crafts will be available until 3:30pm. $5 donations are suggested!
About:
The Wayside Steppers
The Wayside Inn Steppers are based in Sudbury, Massachusetts. Leading the dance group are Jacob and Nancy Bloom. Jacob Bloom went to his first traditional New England country dance in 1974, and has been dancing ever since. He has been teaching dancing for people of all ages for 50 years, and teaching Colonial dance for over 25 years. He currently leads a Colonial dance group, and has been called “The best caller for beginners in the Boston area.”
Colonial Minstrels
Deirdre Sweeny, Al Petty, and Matt Brench of the Colonial Minstrels, will facilitate a community dance with the Wayside Inn Steppers, based on 18th century New England dance and music traditions. Their instruments include the mandolin, flute, penny whistle, recorder, and fife. The music that will be performed was gathered from manuscripts printed between the 17th and 19th centuries and arranged in counterpoint.
Youth craft station:
Take a break from dancing to make a colonial game! The “game of graces” was a game of ring-toss. Come find us in the Carriage Room at the Smith Barn! All materials will be provided. Suggested donation of $5.
This program is supported in part by a grant from the Peabody Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
For more info: https://peabodyhistorical.org/2026/03/saturday-april-11-2026/