Members of the Folk Dancing for Fun group journey around the world from the comfort of a church hall in Dunedin.
The group incorporates folk dances from England to Greece and anywhere else their flight of fancy takes them, group leader Yvonne Reid says.
The beauty of folk dance its variety and freedom.
"We do the folk dances from all sorts of countries from all over the world and we get a bit of everything," she said.
"They have the similar basic steps in them but all done to different sorts of rhythms.
"And it's fun. They are gentle movements."
Folk dance is difficult to define and controversy has followed any attempt to fit it into a box.
Some feel folk dance is that which is performed socially by untrained dancers, others say it is dance not intended for public performance, and again others say it is dance which has strong cultural tradition.
And, most controversially, some say it is a dance form which lacks a governing body.
However, the history of folk dance is as disparate as the areas it is performed in.
"It's a dance of the people, really," Mrs Reid said. "Often, they are done for celebrations. Well, they were in the past, to celebrate spring, summer and the solstice."
It meant the dance moves were often joyous and celebratory in nature. However, "there are some which are quite sombre".
Dancers required "average fitness", but almost anyone could give it a go, she said.
"It's not too hard to pick up and it's not something you have to do every week to know the moves."
There was only one way to find out how much people might enjoy it and that was to give it a go, Mrs Reid said.
The group had members aged from 50-86, all giving it a go and still enjoying it, she said.
"But you have got to want to do it."
Does folk dance make a good wedding dance and how quickly could a couple master a routine?
Yes, it wouldn’t be any problem at all to learn. It could be done in about five minutes. You learn the dances and then away you go.
Describe folk dance in three words?
Fun, friendly, interesting.
Why folk dance?
Because you don’t need any special abilities to do it. You can just walk in and do it.
What is the perfect song for folk dance?
Ma Navu, an Israeli folk song.
How many people are required for a performance of folk dance and what is the maximum number that can be involved?
You can have an endless number of people involved and the minimum number is one or two. You can still do dances on your own.
