Emerald City Contra Dancewith the Seattle Folklore Society presentContra dancing every Friday at the Phinney Neighborhood Center 6532 Phinney N, Seattle, in the "Community Hall" (brick building off lower parking lot)Dance from 7:30pm to 10:00pm, beginner's workshop at 7:00 $8 admission, $7 for SFS and PNA members and seniors, $5 for students, under 16 free. First time contra dancers get a coupon for free admission to their next dance. Coupon redemption limited to first five coupons on any single night.Please help the PNA achieve their sustainability goals. Consider carpooling, walking, biking, or riding the bus to the dance. If you drive, please park in the PNA parking lots.Bands and Callers, you can request a gig online. Information for bands and callers. Information for dancers. For information not already posted here: 206-440-9839 or emeraldcitycontra@pobox.com |
All dances taught. No partner necessary.
Light, comfortable clothing recommended.
Please do not wear cologne, perfume or other strongly scented products. Thanks!Our hall has strict capacity limits. We occasionally need to limit entry due to high attendance.
Enough of the suggestions and disclaimers. Here is what you really want to know...
Schedule of bands and callers:
- February 28 - Ryan McCasson - fiddle, viola, Claude Ginsburg – fiddle, concertina, Dave Bartley – guitar, mandolin, bouzouki, percussion. This talented trio always delivers the goods. Bring a basket. You'll need it. Woody Lane calls.
- March 7 - Creekside - Sono Hashisaki - fiddle, Frank Blade - mandolin, banjo, and Marcy Kubbs - piano. Matti Mero calls.
Take note! Another event at Phinney also occurs on the 7th. Parking may be limited, so organize a carpool, walk to the dance, or plan on parking on the street.
- March 14 - Hot Cider – Elise Snoey and Evan Snoey on fiddles, mandolin, guitar & piano, and Kelly Morgan on guitar. Joe Micheals calls.
- March 21 - Contra Sutra - Marni Rachmiel - flute, saxophone, Brandon Vance - fiddle, Dave Bartley - guitar and other stringed instruments. Contra Sutra specializes in selecting awesome tunes (many by our own Dave Bartley), matching them exquisitely to dances for a transcendent experience on the floor, and playing the living heck out of them. Rhythmic and harmonic drive combine with melodic beauty and jazzy groove to fill you with the bliss that is really good contra. Amy Wimmer calls.
- March 28 - Lee Anne Welch - fiddle, Karina Wilson - fiddle and Eric Anderson - piano. It's the start of the annual "Eric's Birthday Weekend Party." Adam Carlson calls.
- April 4 - Brad and Steve Fortified Band – Brad Reynolds (piano and accordian), Steve Blum-Anderson (fiddle), and Clyde Curley (guitar). Straight-forward, hard-driving contra dance music. What could be simpler, yet so much fun? Eric Anderson calls.
- April 11 - Group du Jour: David Cahn, accordion; Clyde Curley, fiddle; Bill Meyer, piano; Jerry Gallaher, banjo. Lindsey Dono calls.
- April 18 - The Hat Band - Syd Newell fiddle; Sue Gray fiddle; Jon Neff guitar. The Hat Band is a three-piece all-purpose string band. All three members own hats.
- April 25 - Another Great Band and caller.
- May 2 - The Quarks - Betsy Branch - fiddle, Terry Wergeland - piano, Bill Tomczak - clarinet and saxophone, with caller Cindy Holmes.
- May 9 - BAG o' Tricks – Betsy Cooper – flute, Sande Gillette – fiddle, Dave Bartley – guitar, etc., Anita Anderson - piano. Andrea Nettleton calls.
- May 16 - Hands4 – Fran Tewksbury – whistles, Keith Moe – fiddle, Rich Goss – percussion, Carl Thor – piano.They'll play some seldom-heard traditional tunes with some newer music, and you won't get bored with the same-old, same-old contra tunes. If that isn't enough, how about some diverse instrumentation, well-crafted harmonies, and arrangements? Noah Grunsweig calls.
- May 23 - NORTHWEST FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL!!! No dance at ECCD.
- May 30 - BLT Sandwich - Betsy Alexander - fiddle, Laurie Andres - accordion, Terry Wergeland - piano, and a great caller.
- June 6 - The Crabapples - Marta Lynch - fiddle Bob Silberstein - mandolin, dumbek, piano Norm Cotton - piano, fiddle Teresa Fife - bass. Jean Gorrindo calls.
- June 13 - Ratnip - Caroline McCaskey – fiddle, Howard Booster - fiddle, Alan Snyder - keyboards, Kristen Falk – percussion. Expect a repertoire of Scottish, Québécois and old-time tunes spiced up by a wee bit of Cape Breton. Susan Petrick calls.
- June 20 - Steam – Allice Boyle – fiddle, Dave Firestine - mandolin, banjo, bouzouki, Claire Jamieson Zucker – bodhran, feet percussion, Robert Rosenberg – guitar. Steam features flying fiddle & mandolin harmonies with solid foot-happy drive. They offer a diverse repertoire with slink jigs, driving reels, a knack for pouncing on the balances and flowing on the heys. Happy playing Irish, old-time, French Canadian, New England, and modern tunes, each evening is filled with variety and spice. For one of many samples of their music, check this page. Deb Comly calls.
- June 27 - The Carr Family Band – Kevin Carr – fiddle, Josie Mendelsohn – keyboards, percussion, fiddle, banjo, Molly Carr – mandolin, percussion, fiddle, Daniel Carr – guitar.
It's crowded!
Well, yes, it is. The City of Seattle limits the occupancy of the room, and we need to comply with that limit.- We can have 150 people in the room, period. That number includes the musicians, callers, guests of the performers, dancers, volunteers, children, observers, babies, and other categories of people not yet identified. In other words, we can have 150 people in the room, period.
- If we reach capacity, people who have already entered the dance may leave temporarily and re-enter.
- People waiting to enter the dance may wait on the stairs, not in the entry of the hall.
- When someone leaves for the evening, we will admit additional people. Please form a line to make this part easier.
- If you are leaving for the evening, please let us know so that we can let the next person in (see item above).
- In 2011, we sold out 18 times. In 2012, we sold out 3 times. In 2013, we sold out 8 times. If we reach capacity, it typically occurs from 8:00 pm to 9:00 pm, but we have sold out as early as 7:40 pm and have remained sold out until as late as 9:45 pm. As you might conclude, we have difficulty predicting attendance with any accuracy.
- If you really want to dance on a specific night, then show up early. If you can't arrive early, then have a plan B.
- Sorry, we do not sell tickets in advance.
- Sorry, we do not allow "ticket sharing."And on a completely unrelated topic: if you leave belongings behind, we will hang on to them for a short time. We will then offer them to other dancers, and if no one wants them we will donate them to Goodwill. Fair warning.For even more information about the dance, click here.