dancing

 

 

I'm a bit of a dance fanatic. I started with contra in 2000, and have since branched out into swing (east coast and lindy), waltz, cajun/zydeco, and 19th century ballroom (polka, mezerka, shottische, etc.).

One of my favorite venues in San Francisco was Friday Night Waltz, which combines waltz with a variety of other 19th century ballroom dances, to an eclectic DJ mix. Fun, energetic, mixed crowd. Now that I'm not in the Bay Area, I deeply appreciate this unique community that I've left behind.

A good time can also be had at Gaskell's Ball in Oakland-- a formal ball with many of the same dances. The picture to the right is me at Gaskell's, in my Victorial gown. Photo courtesy of Matt Rollefson.

And the best cajun/zydeco is at Eagle's Hall in Alameda (Friday nights) and most Tuesdays at Ashkenaz in Berkeley -- a truly wonderful local dance and music venue.

Contra Dancing

Years ago, I was crazy for contra dancing. If you don't know why, then you haven't tried it. It's a great way to start dancing!

Do you want to know the area contra dances going on? Please visit this Ukiah to the Bay calendar or the BACDS calendar (for Bay Area only)-- this will tell you, each week, what regularly scheduled dances are happening in each of the following towns: San Francisco, Berkeley, Palo Alto, El Cerrito Santa Rosa, Sonoma, San Rafael, Sebastopol, Calistoga, Ukiah, Santa Cruz and Felton, Monterey and Aromas. You can also find the Monterey Bay and Santa Cruz Area contra dances by visiting Traditional Dancers of Santa Cruz.

"Contra" dancing is a type of country dancing, done to live music, -- mostly jigs and reels. It's fun and energetic, flirtatious, with lots of partner switching, and full of surprises. Here's a really good answer to the question, "what is contra?".

Here is an excellent local radio piece on contra dancing (with interviews with lots of the locals).

Here are some particularly beautiful photos of contra dancing by an innovative photographer.

Below are contra camps I've been to. Have you been there too?

Click on links for photos. (I only update this sometimes)

  • Contra Carnivale, San Luis Obsispo, CA. 2006, 2007, 2008.
  • Dance Awakening, Harbin Hot Springs CA. 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008.
  • Dancing Fool, Seattle WA. 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007.
  • Echo Summit, Lake Tahoe CA. 2004.
  • Fire Ant Frolic, Austin TX. 2004.
  • Monte Toyon, Aptos CA. Spring 2003, Fall 2003, Spring 2004, Spring 2005.
  • Fall Has Sprung, Grass Valley CA. 2002, 2003, 2005.
  • Spring into Summer, Grass Valley CA. 2002, 2003, 2004.
  • SOKA Summer Solstice, CA. 2004, 2006.
  • Sprung Floor Festival, Santa Barbara CA. 2004, 2005.
  • Harvest Moon Festival, Santa Barbara CA. 2003, 2004, 2007.
  • Northwest Folklife, Seattle WA. 2003, 2006, 2007.

Useful Links

Bay Area Country Dance Society (BACDS) - San Francisco, Berkeley, Palo Alto, El Cerrito.

North Bay Country Dance Society (NBCDS) - Santa Rosa, Sonoma, San Rafael, Sebastopol, Calistoga, and Ukiah.

Traditional Dancers of Santa Cruz (TDSC) - Santa Cruz and Felton

Monterey Country Dance Society (MCDC) - Monterey and Aromas dances

This year's dance camps in the Bay Area

Northern CA bluegrass society

New England dances - find any kind of dance on this search site

And the gold standard for finding dances anywhere is the Dance Gypsy site.