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:
- July 25 - Chassez - Vivian Williams - fiddle, Phil Williams - guitar, mandolin, Terry Wergeland - piano. Rich Goss calls
- August 1 - Making Time - Susan Burke (fiddle) and Terry Wergeland (piano, accordion) with Maryland-based Anna Rain calling.
- August 8 - Les Fabulous Girls du Ouest Coast. Laura Mé Smith calls.
- August 15 - Ryan McKasson – fiddle, viola and Scotty Leach - piano. Greg Frock calls.
- August 22 - Heliotrope - Paul Englesberg (flutes, whistles, concertina), Robin Brown (fiddle), and Michael Hobart (guitar). Their repertoire consists largely of tunes from the New England, French Canadian, and celtic traditions, but with other influences as well. Joe Michaels calls.
- August 29 - Perpetual eMotion is Ed Howe on electric fiddle (augmented by electronic/computerized controls) and John Cote on guitar and didgeridoo. Captivating, passionate, propulsive and progressive are what best describe their sound. This dance happens at OmCulture in Seattle, near Gasworks Park. Will Mentor calls.
- September 5 - Susan Burke (fiddle), Betsy Cooper (flute), Joe Michaels (guitar and bass), Marcy Kubbs (piano). Craig Wolfe calls.
- September 12 - Larry Unger, Audrey Knuth, and friends.
- September 19 - Celador - David Hayes - guitar, mandolin, tenor banjo; Gretchen Caverly - violin, viola. Music for dancers by dancers. They start with the basic repertoire, add a bit of electronic wizardry and a touch of eccentric instrumentation. Add some eclectic musical selection and some unusual arranging and you have a big sound, high energy, good time. They play mostly high energy tunes, but they have some sweet and sultry and some groove available - even a splash of old time, if it becomes necessary. Learn about them and watch some videos at their web site. Erik Weberg calls.
- September 26 - W.B. Reid & Bonnie Zahnow.
It's summer. And it's warm in here.
Well... yes. A hundred people doing an aerobic activity in an enclosed and poorly-ventilated space will create some heat. One of these days, we will have some better ventilation, but that won't happen soon. So here are a few suggestions to make your experience and everyone else's experience better.- Drink plenty of water. If you perspire, your body needs water to replace that perspiration.
- Bring additional shirts or blouses so that you can dance in (relatively) dry garments.
- Take a break and get some fresh air outside. Go up to the parking lot, and don't use the lower outside doors. (Sorry, we had one complaint about this from a neighbor in July 2012, and we continue to react to that complaint.)
- Shower before you arrive. Yes, I admit that it sounds weird. If you don't have the collection of aromas from the entire day, those aromas won't permeate the hall.
- Sit out a dance or two to give your body some rest.
- Drink plenty of water. If you perspire, your body needs water to replace that perspiration. Repeat often.
- Don't bother with cologne, perfumes, aftershave, etc. Volatile organic chemicals like these will evaporate readily and, uh, permeate the hall.
- Drink plenty of water. Bring some lemonade or fruit juice for variety. If you perspire, your body needs water to replace that perspiration. Repeat more often.
- Take a break and get some fresh air outside. Go up to the parking lot, don't use the lower outside doors.
- Use unscented or fragrance-free antiperspirant. Check the fine print on the label for the words "scent" or "fragrance". Those of us who react adversely to these chemicals will appreciate your restraint.
- Not everyone can endure the warmth and humidity. If you reach your limit, we understand. We look forward to seeing you again when we have cooler weather.
For even more information about the Friday dance, click here.