Who We Are

The Sundance Association for Country-Western Dancing is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation dedicated to the promotion of country-western dancing through instruction, performance and the presentation of public dance events, without discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation. The Sundance Association is an all-volunteer, community-supported organization, created in 1999 by a corps of volunteers who shared a special interest in preserving country-western dancing in the Bay Area.

Mission Statement: The Sundance Association for Country-Western Dancing provides education in and programs for country-western dancing for the LGBT+ community. As an all-volunteer and community-supported nonprofit organization, the Sundance Association fosters individual growth and passion, encourages volunteerism and philanthropic giving, and strives to create an inclusive and welcoming community.

What We Do

The Sundance Association is best known for its major project, Sundance Saloon, providing country-western dance instruction and open dancing twice a week in San Francisco. But the Sundance Association is much more than this:

We help to bring country-western dancing to community events such as street fairs and festivals, including the Castro Street Fair and the San Francisco Pride Festival. You'll also often find us on RSVP gay cruises, bringing the joys of country-western dancing to unsuspecting passengers.

The annual Sundance Stompede draws hundreds of people from all over the world to participate in a full weekend of country-western dance related activities, with three days of dance workshops and four nights of dancing, including Hoedown San Francisco, our annual gala charity benefit.

In addition to our dance instruction program at Sundance Saloon, we promote education in country-western dancing through written materials and on our website. We also publicize other opportunities for country-western dance and other types of dance instruction in the Bay Area.

The Sundance Association is a member of the International Association of Gay and Lesbian Country-Western Dance Clubs.

We are dedicated to contributing to the greater gay/lesbian community by raising funds for other worthy charities. To date we have helped raise over $520,000 for other nonprofit organizations, including but not limited to the AIDS Emergency Fund and Positive Resource Center (now merged as PRC), Bay Area Breast Cancer Network, Bay Area Chapter of the Golden State Gay Rodeo Association, Breast Cancer Emergency Fund, International Association of Gay/Lesbian Country-Western Dance Clubs, Larkin Street Youth Services, Magnet (San Francisco AIDS Foundation), LGBT Asylum Project/Center for Immigrant Protection, Lyon-Martin Health Services, LYRIC Center for LGBTQQ+ Youth, National Center for Lesbian Rights, New Leaf: Services For Our Community, Openhouse, Q Foundation, Rainbow World Fund, Shanti Project, Stop AIDS Project, Trans Lifeline, and Transgender Law Center.

The Sundance Association increases the sense of fellowship within the current country-western community, and promotes a greater awareness of country-western dancing in the general community.

Why a Nonprofit Organization?

A non-profit corporation, especially one which solicits the help of the community in order to benefit the community, is the best way to achieve our goals. The directors and officers of The Sundance Association are all volunteers who have no desire for any personal financial gain. A non-profit designation assures the community that all proceeds are channeled back into the various projects of the organization: by law, the directors and officers of The Sundance Association are prohibited from profiting from the activities of the corporation.

There are other distinct advantages to a nonprofit designation. We are exempt from federal and state taxes. In addition, donations made to The Sundance Association are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. (Note that fees paid to The Sundance Association in exchange for goods or services, including admission to Sundance Saloon, do not classify as tax-deductible contributions.)

As a nonprofit corporation, The Sundance Association becomes as strong as the community that supports it. Sundance Saloon, or any of our projects, would not be possible without this support.