Montpelier Contra Dance at the Capital City Grange
Presented by the Contra Dance Umbrella (1st, 3rd and 5th Saturdays)
and the Montpelier Contra Exchange (2nd Saturdays)
Contra dancing brings joy and laughter and friends into your life. It is fun beyond words. Contra dancing is done to live music – guitar and fiddle and other instruments, playing jigs and reels. A caller teaches each dance, and tells you what to do. You just need to know how to walk! No need to bring a partner.
Contra dances are 1st, 3rd, and 5th Saturdays at 8 PM at the Capital City Grange in Berlin (located on Northfield Street/Route 12 just south of the I-89 overpass), 8–11 p.m. Admission is $9; bring clean, soft-soled shoes, please!
On 2nd Saturdays from 8 PM to 11:30 PM there is a contra dance that also includes a different type of dance style at the end of the night. This can include blues, waltz, advanced contra, English, Scandinavian, swing, and more. There is a mini workshop before the break to help you learn the featured dance style that evening. Admission is a sliding scale from $6 – $12. For more information about these contra dances, visit http://www.contraexchange.org/.
Contra dances are done in lines of couples. All ages -from 5 to 105. Each couple follows the calls, dancing with another couple. After you and your partner have done the dance figures with one couple you do them with the next couple in line. By the end of the dance you have danced with everyone in your set. There are about 9 or 10 dances in an evening. The convention is to ask a different partner for each dance and to ask people you don’t know to dance. You get to hear lively music, enjoy some exercise, meet your neighbors, and build our community. What more could you want!
Please help us preserve our dance floor! Bring a pair of clean, soft-soled shoes, and change into them downstairs before joining the dance on the main floor.
For more information about Contra Dance Umbrella dances, call 802-744-2851 (Todd).
For information about booking Contra Dance Umbrella bands and callers, contact Dana Dwinell-Yardley at danadwya@gmail.com.
For more information about Montpelier Contra Exchange dances, visit Montpelier Contra Exchange.
The Contra Dance Umbrella is a volunteer group of Montpelier dancers who organize the CDU dances. If you have questions, concerns, suggestions, or want to know more about the Montpelier dance at any time, feel free to talk with one of these lovely people or call 802-744-2851.
• Dana Dwinell-Yardley
• Kurt Giavara
• Patty Giavara
• Jody Pettersen
• Merry Shernock
• Tim Swartz
• Todd Taska
• Cindy Taska
• Thomas Weiss
If you’re interested in other dances nearby, visit the Dance Gypsy website (www.thedancegypsy.com), which has lots of local listings for dancing of all kinds!
