ABSTRACT
For participants, folk dances may also represent an opportunity to find release and to share in the experience of alternative cultural expressions. One example is the spread of belly dancing from Middle Eastern and West African traditions in health club classes. Another recent trend is the formation of clubs and organizations devoted to preserving peasant dances from Balkan and Baltic countries. Since most dance museums and centers are devoted to the promotion of classical and modern dance, conservation of folk dance has been left primarily to local communities and grassroots organizations.
