Emerald city

(last update July 23, 2024)

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

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.

The upper parking lot will be closed for the Phinney Farmer’s Market on Fridays, from June 7 through September 27.  The market is open from 3:00-7:00 pm. Come early and enjoy the market before the dance.

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…

Schedule of bands and callers:

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

  • July 26  Rufous! Meet Manda Brown, fiddling, with Melissa Coffey on winds and fiddle, and Nick Leininger, strumming like heck on his vintage Ovation guitar, to give dancers a great beat. Victoria Fox calls tasty dances on our first outing. 
  • August 2  GinSu is Marni Rachmiel on flute & saxophone, Claude Ginsburg on fiddle & concertina, and Dave Bartley on various guitar-like instruments.  Valerie Cohen calls.
  • August 9  Countercurrent – Brian Lindsey on fiddle & banjo;  Alex Sturbaum on guitar & accordion. This powerhouse acoustic duo  features fiddle, guitar, harmony vocals, and foot percussion. When dancers and listeners experience the blend of lyrical melodies, groovy chords, thumping percussion, and vocal harmonies all simultaneously, the reaction is invariably “How does so much music come from just two people?!”  Craig Wolfe calls.
  • August 16 RiffRaff is Lindon Toney – fiddle; Evo Sokoloff-Toney – fiddle; Jesse Partridge – piano. 
  • August 23 Hayden Stern (fiddle) & Patrick Gunning (guitar).  Angela DeCarlis calls.
  • August 30 Hayden Stern fiddles, Elise Snoey fiddles as well, and Patrick Gunning plays the guitar again.  Penelope Weinberger calls.
  • September 6 Vienna Scheyer and Company.
  • September 13 The Electrodes are Joe Bowbeer on electric fiddle, Joe Micheals on guitar, and Marcy Kubbs on piano.  Russell Owen calls.
  • September 20 Eros Faulk (fiddle & guitar), Dante Faulk (cello & bodhran), River Scheuerell (fiddle & guitar).
  • September 27 The Luddite Ramblers: Craig Shaw (flute, whistles), Laurel Stone (fiddle), Olga Hauptman (fiddle), Jay Finkelstein (guitar).
  • October 4  To be determined.
  • October 11 Ryan McKasson & friends.
  • October 18 Contra Quartet.  That’s Jesse Partridge on fiddle, Jay Finkelstein on guitar, Steve Cifka on cello, and Julie Bennett  on percussion. You’ll hear everything – fluid melodies, driving chords and rhythm, even more rhythm on a varied array of percussive instruments, rounded out with sustaining low sounds, growls, and harmony.