Philadelphia Thursday Night Contra Dance Schedule

Every Thursday night at the Commodore Barry Club
Third Saturdays at Summit Church

FUN. EASY. CHEAP. CONTRA.
Click here to get started!

8 to 11 pm every Thursday Night ~ Instruction at 7:30pm
FIRST TIME FREE for new contra dancers!
Local bands: $8, $5 students with ID
* Touring bands: $12, $8 students with ID
Free admission for children 12 and under.

Oct. 4	Sue Gola with other callers	SPUDS - Philadelphia's Phabulous Pickup Band led by Bob Pasquarello Special 70th Birthday Dance sponsored by Dave Rupp In the spirit of when Dave started dancing in the '90s, the throwback admission prices are $5, and $3 for students. CAKE AND ICE CREAM AT THE BREAK!!
Oct. 11	Bob Isaacs with other callers	Grip It & Rip It - Rich Myers (mandolin, guitar), Ed Bonghi (guitar), Ron Greenstein (bass), Mark Schultz (banjo), Larry Feldman (fiddle, mandolin)
Oct. 18	Emma Anderson	Dr. Twamley's Audio Snakes - Mike Rovine (fiddle), Jill Smith (piano), Wes Steenson (guitar, banjo)
Saturday Oct. 20	Donna Hunt	Pieces of Eight - Double Dance at Summit Church Challenging dances 4:30-6:30, potluck, evening dance 8-11
Oct. 25	Jan Alter with other callers	The Contraptions - Bill Quern (mandolin, banjo, and more), Chloe Mohr (piano), Nora Smith (fiddle)
Nov. 1	Dan Black	Mist Covered Mountains - Donna Hébert (fiddle), Max Cohen (guitar), Molly Hebert-Wilson (Acoustic bass), Alex Bell (percussion) *One more chance to celebrate Halloween!*
Nov. 8	Scott Higgs with other callers	Instant Ensemble - Roberta Goren (flute), Dave Miller (fiddle), Adlai Waksman (piano)
Nov. 15	Mark Hillegonds with other callers	SPUDS - Philadelphia's Phabulous Pickup Band
Saturday Nov. 17	Sue Gola	Brooklyn Swing Ensemble - Location: Summit Church
Nov. 22	NO DANCE - THANKSGIVING
Saturday Nov. 24	ContraCopia, 2pm to 11pm, St. Thomas Orthodox Indian Church
Nov. 29	Greg Frock	The Organic Family Band - Rebekah Geller (fiddle), Jakob Raitzyk (fiddle, foot percussion), Michael Raitzyk (guitar), Judith Geller (French horn)

(Continued in the full calendar)

SAVE THE DATES for two contra dance extravaganzas after Thanksgiving!
Friday Nov. 23: ValleyCopia (in Bethlehem)
Saturday Nov. 24: ContraCopia (in Philadelphia, 2pm to 11pm at St. Thomas Orthodox Indian Church)

We dance every Thursday night (except Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve) in Mt. Airy at the Commodore Barry Club, 6815 Emlen Street, Philadelphia, PA 19119 (directions). The Third Saturday Contra Dance is at Summit Church, also in Mt. Airy. We thank the staff of Glenside Memorial Hall for supporting our dances for nearly 20 years.

FIRST TIME FREE!

Any Thursday night, people new to contra dancing get in free!
"If you can walk and count to 4, you can contra dance!"

Not your first time? Bring your friends and let them too discover the joy, energy, swirling awesomeness, and just plain fun of contra dancing!

As contra dancers, we need to always be recruiting in order to grow our dance and have more fun. Now is the time to start talking to that friend who you think would love to dance with us. Bring them for free on any Thursday night.

The best way to get people to try something new is to personally ask them: share your love for dancing, bring them early, teach them how to swing, et cetera. The more we grow our dance, the more fun we can all have. Who will you recruit? Will it be someone from work? Someone from your place of worship? Someone from your knitting group or Zumba class? A stranger on the street?

See you and your new dancer friends soon!

Want to Know More?

See Welcome Information for more about the volunteer-run Thursday Night Dance and general information about Contra Dancing. See also Video Clip #1 or Video Clip #2. See our contact page to get answers to your questions or to volunteer.

Weather-Related Cancellations

In case of inclement weather please check this website or our Facebook page.

SPUDS

The Summit Pick Up Dance Society (SPUDS) is open to all musicians who wish to participate, and has musicians of different levels of ability among its members. Since it is a contra dance band, the tunes range from reels and jigs to waltzes. We play for the Thursday night dance about seven times a year and occasionally for other events. For more information on how you can take part, including jams and rehearsals, visit the SPUDS website or contact SPUDS Coordinators Kim Neubauer and Bill Quern.

Links

Third Saturday Contra Dance at Summit Church in Mt. Airy
The Seven Day Dance Guide for links to dances in the Philadelphia region
Ted Crane's Dance Database
Contra Dance Links
Germantown Country Dancers
Mostly Waltz
ContraCopia
Join us on Facebook
Join us on Meetup

PATMAD

The Thursday Night Contra Dance is sponsored by Philadelphia Area Traditional Music and Dance (PATMAD), a Pennsylvania non-profit corporation that is an affiliate of the Country Dance and Song Society. PATMAD also sponsors the Third Saturday Contra Dance, SPUDS, and Allons Danser. PATMAD's non-profit filings are available from foundationcenter.org.

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