North Berkshire Contra Dance
Date/Time
Location
North Berkshire contra dance (906 Main St., Williamstown, MA 01267, Williamstown MA)
The North Berkshire Contra Dance will hold its monthly community contra dance with live music by nationally performing Massachusetts trio trio Joy Factor and all dances taught by well-known Albany caller Peter Stix.
Contra dancing is contemporary fun based in a living tradition, with dances hundreds of years and recently composed for an upbeat spring evening evening. Come alone or with a partner — most people change partners for each dance throughout the evening, and no experience is needed.
Peter Stix will call (teach) all the dances, starting the evening with easy dances friendly to newcomers and families with children, and the evening will open at 7:30 with instruction.
Joy Factor brings Gianna Marzilli Ericson and Rebecca Rose Weiss on fiddles and Henry Yoshimura on guitar. They play original and Celtic, Quebecois and Old Time tunes with a shared love of twin fiddling and late night tune writing, dynamic harmonies, driving chords and deep appreciation of the dance. Between them all, they’ve played for dances around the country.
Want to learn calling or help new callers learn the craft? NBCD will hold a friendly beginner calling workshop before the dance, at 2:30 p.m. in the Williamstown library, with live music. Dancers and listeners are welcome!
Visit www.NorthBerkshireDance.org for more information.
Earlier on the same day, NBCD musicians are also hosting a pre-dance calling workshop in the Williamstown Public Library from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Anyone is welcome to come to see how it works, and help out as a dancer on the floor, or bring a dance you’d like to workshop calling in a friendly group setting.
The music is live, all the dances are taught, and anyone is welcome, with or without a partner — most people change partners for each dance of the evening. Contra dancing is the contemporary face of a living tradition. Both the dance and its music can be traced to roots in 17th century England, France, and Scotland, but have been vigorously mixed and remixed in New England and nearby regions since.
Admission is pay-as-you-can, and barter (like help with cleanup) is also welcome. Covid Policy: For this first post-holiday dance in a season of rising respiratory illness, NBCD will require masks on the dance floor. Because contradance isn’t made to social distance — whoever your partner, you’ll wind up dancing with everyone in the room.