UPCOMING HCD 2ND-SATURDAY CONTRA DANCES
Saturday, October 14, we’ll have some yummy contra music to dance to provided by the band French Toast (Helen White on flute, Anna Bosnick on fiddle, and Cynthia Shaw on keyboard), serving up all kinds of contra fare, with a specialty in French Canadian tunes that have interesting harmonies and are driving, rhythmic, full of whimsy, and great for contra dancing. Callers for the evening will be George Thompson and our own Jen Jasenski.
Saturday, November 11, we’ll start jumping with joy as we contra dance to Jumpstart (Gene Albert on the bass, Paul Lizotte on the fiddle, and Victor Troll on the piano). This trio has been the house band at the Mill City Dance in Manchester, NH, since 2008, and you’ll understand why when you enjoy a sample of their music here. They’ll be joined by caller Tod Whittemore.
♦ December 9: Wild Notes with caller Steve Holland.
♦ December 31: Wee Merry Banshees with callers Don Heinold & Jen Jasenski. This special HCD New Year’s Eve contra dance will be held at 1st Church in Middletown. See more information here.
♦ January 13: Dead Sea Squirrels with caller George Thompson.
♦ February 10: Wry Bred with caller Jim Gregory.
♦ April 13: Boom Chicks with caller TBD.
♦ September 14: Wild Notes with caller TBD.
Not enough contra dancing for you? Check out HCD’s other contra events, HCD Quiet Corner Contra Dances, held in Coventry on the first Friday of every month (except summers). More information here.
THE PARTICULARS
Our monthly 2nd-Saturday contra dances are held from 7:30–10:30 p.m. the second Saturday of each month at Temple Beth Torah in Wethersfield. If you’re new to contra dancing, or even if you want to brush up on your contra moves, join us prior to the dance, at 7:15, for a newcomer’s workshop. All contra dances are taught and prompted by the caller and our dances are smoke-, alcohol-, and fragrance-free. See a video of one of our dances here. Find out more about contra dancing in general here, and read about our other monthly contra dance, the HCD Quiet Corner Contra dance here.
ADMISSION
The regular adult admission for the monthly HCD 2nd-Saturday Contra dances is $13, $5 for students (with ID), and free for kids under 13. Maximum per family: $30. (We appreciate exact change and $5 bills; please, no $50 or $100 bills.) In exchange for thirty minutes of their time, volunteers are also admitted free.If you’d like to be included on our roster of prospective volunteers, complete the form at the bottom of this page, including your name, email address, and “I’D LIKE TO VOLUNTEER” in the Subject field. Finally, if our admission charges represent a hardship for you, let us know. We are willing to work with you.
HCD CONTRA BULLETIN
We publish a newsletter, the HCD Contra Bulletin, that we email to our dancers a few days prior to each of our regular 2nd-Saturday Contra dances, reminding them of the upcoming dance and providing them with information about the dance. You can see the most recent edition of our newsletter here, and if you’d like to be added to the list of those who receive it, complete the form at the bottom of this page by including your name, email address, and “SIGN ME UP” in the Subject field of the form.
STILL GOT QUESTIONS?
If we haven’t answered all your questions about our HCD 2nd-Saturday Contra dances, we’ve prepared an FAQ flyer that might be just what you need. View or download it here.
View a video of a typical 2nd-Saturday Contra dance here.
The HCD 2nd-Saturday Contra Committee is made up of (l. to r.) Steve, Rob (chair), Pam, Jen, Sal, Jay, Brad, and Bill.
The HCD 2nd-Saturday Contra Committee will be happy to answer any questions you might have. Get in touch with them concerning HCD 2nd-Saturday Contra by completing the form below.