Emerald city

(Last update: May 18, 2025)

Take note!
Friday May 23
No Emerald City Contra Dance

Dance at Northwest Folklife instead.  Enjoy 19 hours of contra dancing, as well as English country dance, swing, waltz, Scottish country dance, and so much more.

 

Emerald City Contra Dance

with the Seattle Folklore Society present

Contra dancing nearly every Friday at the

Phinney Neighborhood Center

6532 Phinney Avenue North, Seattle (98103)

 

in the Community Hall of the brick building, near the lower parking lot

 

For all of the other dances, we have a beginner’s workshop at 7:00 pm (or thereabouts). Dance from 7:30 pm to 10:00 pm.

We no longer require masks while dancing – however, we still encourage you to wear them if you can.   We still require you to sign a registration form (for contact tracing) and waiver upon entry.   If you have attended a dance elsewhere, you’ll still need register at this dance as well.

We also recommend that you keep up-to-date with vaccinations.  We may reinstate mask and vaccination requirements at a later date, if  COVID conditions change or we receive more reports of illness within the community.
– As always, we suggest you check Public Health – Seattle & King County for more information about COVID.
– For information about COVID practices and cases from earlier dances, check here.

Admission prices (cash, check or Venmo only):
– Sliding scale $10-$20.
– Students $5 with a school ID.
– Free for people under the age of 16.

Admission limited to 125 people. This total includes paying & non-paying dancers, musicians, callers, children, and adults acting like children. (In short, everyone.)

If this is your first contra dance ever you’ll get a coupon for free admission to your next dance.
Coupon redemption limited to first five coupons on any single night.

Follow us on Facebook. There’s a Lost and Found “Featured” file on that page where you can find items that you left behind at the dance.

 

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.

All dances taught. No partner necessary.
Light, comfortable clothing recommended.
Please join us without perfumes, colognes, aftershave, scented lotions, etc.

 

More information for dancers.
Information for bands and callers.
Past caller set lists.
Bands and callers: please contact us at EmeraldCityContra@pobox.com

For information not already posted here: 206-440-9839 or EmeraldCityContra@pobox.com

Enough of the suggestions, disclaimers, and notifications. Here is what you really want to know…

When we return to our usual schedule, here are the bands and callers:

Callers will use the terms “larks” and “robins” for dance roles.

  • May 30  Raven and Goose: Corwin Zekley (fiddle & feet) and Grace Fellows (piano) bring classic musicianship, dramatic arrangements of traditional tunes, and original music for contra dancing. They blew dancers away at Folklife.  Angela DeCarlis calls.
  • June 6 George Wilson on fiddle, Laurie Andres on accordion & piano, and WB Reid on banjo-guitar & guitar.  Kelsey Hartman calls.
  • June 13 Bandwidth brings together three of Portland’s contra dance music veterans: Gordy Euler (fiddle, whistle, piano), Keith Moe (fiddle), and Carl Thor (piano, mandolin).  Get ready for an exciting and full spectrum of contra dance music.
  • June 20 Dave Bartley (various fretted instruments), Claude Ginsburg (fiddle), Marni Rachmiel (flute & Aerophone).
  • June 27 Hayden Stern (fiddle), Ryan McKasson (fiddle), and Ezra Jane Landsman (guitar and similar instruments).
  • July 4 No dance.  Enjoy some summertime fun.
  • July 11 Natterjack is Hayden Stern on fiddle, Ezra Jane Landsman on guitar, and Alex Sturbaum on accordion.
  • July 18 Hayden Stern (fiddle),  Vienna Scheyer (fiddle),  and Sam Vogt (guitar).
  • July 25 The Luddite Ramblers: Craig Shaw (flute, whistles), Laurel Stone (fiddle), Olga Hauptman (fiddle), Jay Finkelstein (guitar).
  • August 1 The Sage Thrashers:  Hayden Stern on fiddle, Jesse Partridge on fiddle, and Patrick Gunning on guitar.
  • August 8 To be determined.
  • August 15 Anglerfish consists of Alex Sturbaum on guitar (and maybe accordion), Rae Eaton on upright bass, and Hayden Stern on fiddle.
  • August 22 Countercurrent is Brian Lindsay (fiddle & feet) and Alex Sturbaum (guitar & accordion).
  • August 29 The SonoOnos: Sono Hashisaki and Olga Hauptman (fiddles), Jay Finkelstein (guitar), & Laurie Andres (accordion, and maybe piano).
  • September 5 Contra Quartet is Jesse Partridge (fiddle), Jay Finkelstein (guitar), Steve Cifka (cello), and Julie Bennett (percussion). Jesse plays melodies effortlessly and Jay plays chords and rhythm to back up the melody. Julie plays even more percussion to emphasize the beat and the energy.  Steve fills what’s left with growling low sounds, harmony, and maybe melody.