The Australian Federation of Social Dancers (AFSD) was born out of a meeting at the National Folk Festival in Canberra in 2010, to address the cancellation of the Colonial Ball and the loss of the main dance venue, the Coorong. The establishment of our on-line discussion group, together with the appointment of an invited Steering Committee, quickly followed.

Since then, the AFSD has expanded to embrace the greater dance community, including dance musicians, and the focus extended to the support of all forms of Social Dance in Australia.

There are many definitions of “social dance”, but most involve the interaction of dancers with other dancers, often within a group or set. All involve participation and fun within a social setting, and exclude dance competitions and professional dance events or performances.

Our Objectives are as follows:

· To support and encourage social dancers of all traditions in Australia, by providing a national, web-based forum.
· To raise the profile of social dance at the National Folk Festival and in the wider community.
· To provide a national resource for communication, discussion and sharing of information between dancers and dance groups.
· To represent the members of our dancing family with integrity and total transparency, while respecting different viewpoints.

So, if you are a social dancer, or dance musician, anywhere in Australia, who enjoys attending Dances and Balls of any kind - traditional or ethnic - in different social settings, city or country, all over Australia - and you want them to continue - you are welcome to join our Group of similarly minded people. Membership is free.

For further information, or to join the Federation, please visit our website. The link is shown below.