Brighton Beach, Brooklyn · Since 2016
Folk dance. Shared traditions. A place to belong.
Find your people at Kaleidoscope.
This is Kaleidoscope.See us in motion ↗
Two paths. One shared home.
Dance school · Est. 2016
Learn, rehearse and perform dances from around the world. A Brooklyn home for young dancers, curious minds and a love of movement.
The Folk Dance Club is a business and the flagship project of Multicultural Center Kaleidoscope, a nonprofit. The two share a team and an address.
Nonprofit · Culture & community
Multicultural Center Kaleidoscope brings people together through cultural, educational and community projects. People of every background are welcome.
Our flagship project is the Folk Dance Club, a separately registered business. The center and club are run by the same people and share 217 Brighton Beach Ave, Brooklyn.
Choose a project window to learn more.
Folk Dance Club Kaleidoscope uses folk dance from around the world to educate and empower the children and youth of Brooklyn — helping them grow into confident, compassionate, capable leaders.
Beyond the steps, our dancers gain:
Founded in 2016 by a family who moved to Brooklyn from Ukraine, Kaleidoscope brings together people of different backgrounds, ages and cultures to practice and perform.
We teach and perform dances from Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, China, Spain, Romani traditions, Israel and beyond — as the flagship project of Multicultural Center Kaleidoscope.
On average we perform every weekend: parks, libraries, museums, Times Square, One World Trade Center, the Brighton Beach Boardwalk — plus tours to New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Miami, Nashville and Washington, D.C.
We teach kids how to think before we teach them how to dance.
Folk dance has no strict rules — that freedom lifts the fear of mistakes and invites creativity. Improvisation is central: in every practice students invent dances on the spot, without knowing the music, or even the genre, that is coming.
Experienced dancers direct their own teams, practising real leadership. And woven through the workouts are questions of math, history, literature and geography — sometimes naming a song's nationality by ear alone.
Most classes meet at the studio, 217 Brighton Beach Ave, Brooklyn.
Our annual street festival brings 20+ dance groups to South Brooklyn to celebrate folk tradition and difference.
Families, schools and whole neighbourhoods gather for folk dance and live music from around the world — many cultures sharing one open-air stage.
Each summer we take children out of New York City to learn folk dances, pick up new skills and play in the open air.
Camp blends structured learning with adventure. Campers come home more independent, more connected, and surer of what they are good at.
Kaleidoscope is a DOE vendor, bringing folk dance and cultural programs into New York City public schools.
Students learn traditional dances from around the world while building confidence, teamwork and cultural awareness — and every program ends with a public showcase and a place in the NYC Dance Parade.
Through the Kaleidoscope of History project, students study the Second World War and perform war dances in honour of Victory Day.
We dance for elders in nursing homes, stage free New Year's performances across the city, and — with parents' agreement — direct ticket proceeds and donations to charitable help for sick children and their families.
We do almost no advertising. Our dancers and their families are the way people find us.
The Multicultural Center and Folk Dance Club share this address.
Children and youth of every background and level are welcome — no experience required.
Register now →Dance never stands still. On the street, on stage, and among friends—this is Kaleidoscope. Open an album, then select a photo to see it in full.
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