Ashkenaz Music & Dance Community Center Youth & Family Programs

Ashkenaz Music & Dance Community Center Youth & Family Programs take place in a historic music and dance hall that presents nightly live music, dance and movement classes, workshops, programs for children, and benefit shows. The programs are part of a venue that specializes in live world and roots music and offers music and dance programs including African, Balkan, Brazilian, Cajun/Zydeco, Caribbean, Middle Eastern, Reggae, and American roots from Bluegrass to Swing. The environment for dance is described by a performer and dance instructor as non-competitive and positive.

• Schedule: Presents nightly live music, dance and movement classes, workshops, programs for children, and benefit shows

Ashkenaz Music & Dance Community Center has been Berkeley’s home for international music and dance since 1973 and is a 50-year-old music venue and dance hall. The mission of Ashkenaz Music & Dance Community Center is to build community and understanding of the world’s cultures by presenting concerts and classes in participatory dance and music rooted in traditional cultures from around the world, and it is committed to supporting both established and emerging artists in a family-friendly atmosphere. Ashkenaz is an internationally recognized 501(c)3 nonprofit music and culture venue and a historic nonprofit music venue that presents a diverse range of international and Americana dance music and classes, including benefit shows supported by volunteers who help with building projects, marketing, greeting people at the door, and fundraising. One community member describes Ashkenaz as a place where people aged 16 to 60 can be together without trouble, and other community members and artists describe it as fun, a cultural anchor, and a unique space where people come together to dance and express themselves.

Last updated August 10, 2026.