Rehoboth Contra Dance/Contradance Links for the
Mid-Atlantic Region of the United States
Regional | Delaware | Maryland | New
Jersey | New
York | Pennsylvania
Virginia | Washington D.C. | Bands and Musicians | Callers | Organizations
Schedules
Delaware |
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New Jersey
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Virginia
This page is devoted to listing contra dances in the mid-Atlantic
region of the United States along with bands, musicians, callers, and
organizations that are based in the region. URLs and e-mail addresses
are listed when available. New entries, additional information, and
changes in information are always welcome. Links to other pages in
the www.contradancelinks.com web site are listed at the bottom of the page.
New links are simply new to me, not
necessarily new to the World Wide Web. Change
in URL means that a link has changed its WWW address or
URL.
No regional links found or submitted.
- The Annapolis
Traditional Dance Society contra dances are held on 3rd Saturdays,
but sometimes other events are held on special dates.
- Almost Heaven
is a contra and swing dance weekend in West Virginia sponsored by the
Annapolis Traditional Dance Society. It occurs in late May includes
contra and swing.
- The Baltimore Folk Music
Society among its other activities, holds a number of dance events
including:
- Southern Maryland Traditional Music and Dance hosts a variety of
dance and music events including contra dances in Chaptico.
- Renee supplies details on Contra Dance on the Eastern Shore in Cambridge on the 1st Saturday of the month.
- The Folklore Society of Greater Washington hosts a Chesapeake
Spring Dance Weekend in late April at Camp Letts in Edgewater which
includes contras, Southern-style, zydeco, cajun, and Irish
stepdancing.
- The Mid-Maryland Folk Arts Council and the Frederick City
Department of Recreation host contra and square dances on the 4th
Saturday of each month in Frederick.
Marguerite Plank supports the site.
- The Friday Night Dancers (FND) dance contras on Fridays in Glen Echo Park.
- The Folklore Society of Greater
Washington (FSGW) hosts regular dances on Sundays in Glen Echo Park.
- The Folklore Society of Greater
Washington sponsors a series of family dances in Glen Echo on the 2nd or 3rd Sunday of the month.
- Several organizations sponsor monthly 4th Saturday contra dances in St. Michaels. New entry (February 7, 2010)
- The Folk Project maintains a list of dances in the northern NJ area.
- The Philadelphia All Week
Dance Guide mentions contra, English, and Scottish dancing on the
2nd month of the month in Cinnaminson.
- As part of the Folk
Project activities, Swingin' Tern presents Contra and Square Dancing to live music in East Hanover the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month.
- The Lambertville Country Dances hold contra dances on the 2nd Friday of each month (with occasional dances on other Fridays). However, for now, the dances are in Titusville as the site search continues.
- The Folk Project's Spring (May) and Fall (October) Festival
weekends are held in northwest New
Jersey with contradancing among the activities.
- The Princeton Country
Dancers meet each Wednesday and on 4th Saturdays for contra dances.
English country dances are held on 2nd Saturdays. Community dances are held on a variety of Sundays. Many special contra and English events are held throughout the year.
- The Valley Contra Dance holds regular dances on the 2nd, 4th, and
5th Saturdays of each month in Bethlehem September through June, except November's second dance is Butterball Friday, the day after Thanksgiving and the day before Butterball (on Sautrday).
- The Elverson contra dances are held on the 1st Saturday of each month (other than in July and August).
- There are dances in Galilee on the third Saturday of each month from May to November at 7:00pm to 10:00pm at the Unity Grange, 554 Galilee Road. There's a pre-dance workshop, beginners and kids are welcome. Contact: 570-224-4653 or click on the link for e-mail. New entry (June 14, 2010)
- Sarah Gowan now handles the duties for the Third Saturday Dance
(Contras and Squares) held in Glenside
at a new URL.
- In addition, she provides the information about the Thursday
night dances in Glenside.
- The Grove City, Pennsylvania dances occur on various Saturdays, on some months, at the YMCA.
- The Harrisburg Area Contra Dance Association holds the Locust Lane
Contra Dance in Harrisburg on the
2nd and 4th Fridays of the month.
- The Folklore Society of Northeastern Pennsylvania holds contra
dances, generally on 1st Saturdays, in Kingston, in the
Scranton-Wilkes-Barre region of Pennsylvania.
- The Princeton (New Jersey) Country Dancers hold an annual Head for the Hills, a weekend of dance and music, near Kresgeville in
early November.
- The Lancaster Traditional Society hosts the Lancaster Contra Dance, normally held on the third Saturday of each month.
- The Lewisburg (Pennsylvania) Contra Dances, presented by the Countryside Contra Dancers, are held on the 3rd Saturday of each month.
- There's a contra dance every Wednesday night at Montgomery Hall
at Allegheny College in Meadville when school is in session.
- Peggy Leiby keeps track of dancing in Philadelphia for the Folk
Dance Council with the Seven Day Guide to Folk and Traditional
Dancing In and Around Philadelphia.
- The annual ButterBall is held in Philadelphia, two days after Thanksgiving, going 12 hours, with 4 bands and 4 callers, sponsored by a multi-state consortium of local dance communities for the Mid-Atlantic Region.
- For dancing in Pittsburgh, try the Pittsburgh Contras &
Squares web site. Contra dances are held every Friday. You can
also obtain information about their Fall Dance Weekend in
mid-November. Terrie Wheeler hosts the site.
- The Central Pennsylvania Country Dance Association holds dances
generally on the 3rd Friday of each month in State College. The pages are authored by
Chris Sacksteder.
- While specializing in English Country and Scottish Country
dancing, the Swarthmore
College Folk Dance Club also holds occasional contras during the
school year. Jennifer Tyson does the honors.
- Donna Arehart's
Central Virginia Dance News covers the world of dance, including
contra dance, in central Virginia.
- The Two-Dog Waltz dance series in Blacksburg occurs on
the 3rd Saturday of the month.
- In Bristol, there are dances on the 2nd Friday of the month at the Bristol Ballet studios.
- The Rockbridge Mountain Music & Dance Festival occurs in Buena Vista in
mid-September and includes a couple of contra dances.
- Cville Contra, Contracorners, and the Charlottesville Contradance Fall Festival sponsor the Charlottesville and Central Virginia Contradance web site with information for dances in and around Charlottesville.
- The Albemarle Chapter of the Country Dance and Song Society in Charlottesville, Virginia holds dances on the 1st and 3rd Fridays of each month. The page is maintained by Paul Rosen.
- There are contra dances in Dayton on the
2nd Saturday of each month.
- Earl & Ronda Vanover supply details about the Blue Ridge Country
Dancers which sponsor contra dancing in the Floyd generally on the 2nd
Saturday of each month from September to June.
- The Contra Corners web site has information about the new 1st Sunday (but 3rd Sunday this September 2008) Fluvanna dance in Fork Union.
- The Contra Corners dances are generally the 2nd and 4th Sunday of
each month, except during the summer, in Greenwood. Paul Rosen supports the page.
- Traditional Dance In Norfolk provides information about a variety
of dances, contras and others, in the Hampton Roads area (in
such places like Newport News, Norfolk and Hampton).
- The Friends of Appalachian Music (F.O.A.M.) hold dances on the
1st Saturday of each month except August in Norge or Williamsburg.
- The Bluemont Old-Time Country Dances occur on the 3rd Saturday of the month from October to May in Purcellville.
- The dances in Reston, Virginia, occur on different Saturdays each month.
- The Traditional American Dance and Music Society of Richmond hold Contra Dances on the
evenings of every 2nd and 4th Saturday. In addition, they host the Springforth
Ball & Weekend Dance in mid-April. Webmaster for the site is
Deborah Nelson.
- The Roanoke Contra Dancers host dances on the 4th Saturday of each month and the dances are co-sponsored by the City of Roanoke Parks and Recreation Department.
- The dances in Staunton happen on the 3rd Saturday of the month with a workshop at 7:30pm before the dance at 8:00pm.
- Ted Crane provides information and e-mail addresses for a number of bands
that play at the Ithaca area dances.
- The Princeton (New Jersey) Country Dancers has a page of links
and information for bands, musicians and callers which play at the Princeton dance.
- All Hat No Cattle plays hot tunes for contra dances and more and is based in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania.
- Amarillis features Maro Avakian, Donna Isaac and Allison Thompson and has a CD,
"Waltzing in the Trees". They are based in Pennsylvania.
- Stefan John Amidon plays percussion and other instruments in bands including Magic Foot and Assembly. He lives in Brooklyn, NY.
- The Avant
Gardeners include Laura Light, Dave Wiesler, Dan Sebring, and
George Paul and are based in Charlottesville, VA.
- When they were in existence, Back Up
and Push played old-time fiddle tunes, honky-tonk, blues, early
country, and even some originals and was based in Pennsylvania. Bob
Taylor hosts the page.
- Megan Beller is a violinist and traditional American and Klezmer fiddler in Baltimore, Maryland. She plays American, Irish, and French Canadian fiddle tunes with her contra dance band Contranella.
- The Beverwyck String Band first convened in Albany, NY and soon found themselves playing for dancing girl scouts. They worked their way up to sweaty adults and have subsequently found themselves on the dance and performance stages around the northeast (Old Songs, Falcon Ridge, Clearwater, etc).
- Northcentral Pennsylvania's Black Bear Crossing's
repertoire includes tunes found in the Celtic lands of Ireland,
Scotland and Wales, selections with an Eastern European flavor, as
well as traditional and Old Timey American favorites.
- Blue Jersey is a contra-dance string band from Princeton, NJ with Frank Ruck, Ellen Ruck, Louise McClure and Mike Sutton.
- The Bog Wanderers is a ceili band that plays for Irish country dancing but also plays music for contra dances. They are based in Maryland and the Washington, D.C. area.
- The Bow
Rockers include Nancy Neithammer on fiddle, Rusty Neithammer on
fiddle, banjo, and guitar, Paul Sidlick on banjo and guitar, Margaret
Sidlick on banjo and uke, and Tom Shaffer on bass. Their focus is on
Southern Appalachian old-time string band music. They are based in
Pennsylvania.
- Bo Bradham is a
fiddler in Virginia.
- Matt Brown plays old-time traditional music on fiddle with a variety of musicians and performers and is based in Pennsylvania. MySpace page.
- The Bushwood Mill
Band plays at concerts, jams, and dances in and around Chaptico, Maryland.
- Cabernet
Sauvignon includes the talents of Karen Ashbrook, David Wiesler,
Andrea Hoag and Paul Oorts, each nationally and internationally known
in diverse genres, and is based in Maryland.
- Cabin Fever (2)
features Kathy Vandemortel and Stephen Brand and is based in the
Rochester, New York area. (e-mail only)
- The Cacklin' Hens
& Roosters Too play Old Time Music for dancing, dancing, and
dancing in Chester County, Pennsylvania.
- Cantabile plays music in a variety of genres from classical to dance music and for events ranging from receptions to community dances. The band is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- Julianne Carney has performed with Jay Z at Radio City Music Hall but also plays fiddle at barn dances in New York City.
- The Celtibillies are a
versatile performance and dance band from Virginia. The band includes
Becky Barlow, Jack Hinshelwood, Bob Thomas, Jeff Hofman and Tim
Sauls. Their music celebrates the connection between the traditions
of Appalachia and Celtic Britain.
- The Chelsea String Band, named after a neighborhood in Manhattan and featuring Alan Friend, Michaela Hamilton and Dotty Moore, play at contra dances along with their other gigs.
- The Coalhouse Klezmer Band plays high intensity klezmer music for weddings, bar mitzvahs, and contra dances and is based in Baltimore, Maryland. MySpace page.
- From the Pennsylvania/New Jersey area, Col. Mike's Dance Band is
composed of John Krumm, Bob Pasquarello, and Bob Stein. (e-mail only)
- Confluence from Olean NY, consists of Nadine Dyskant-Miller on flute and foot percussion and Barbara Dyskant on keyboards and features music of Quebec, Ireland, New England, Europe, and elsewhere, plus contemporary sounds and rhythms and original material.
- The Contra Mantra is Barb Schmid and Ryck Kaiser on fiddles and Jill Smith on piano. The band plays Appalachian tunes and is based in south central Pennsylvania. (e-mail only)
- The Contra Rebels is an old-time southern-style band led by York County fiddler Todd Clewell,
with Henry Koretzky on guitar and mandolin. The group specializes in
playing contradances and square dances in a circuit ranging from New
York to Georgia, and is often augmented by banjo and bass.
- The Contradictions is Laurie Hart on fiddle, Rick Manning on fiddle and mandolin, Tom Hodgson on guitar, and Dave Davies on bass and vocals. They offer an eclectic mix of fiddle tunes and songs from American and European traditions. They are headquartered in New York State.
- Contranella
is composed of father and daughter John and Meg Wobus with Charley Beller and is based in Syracuse, New York area.
- The Contraptions are a Philadelphia based contra band and have had fun playing together since June 2006.
- Crossing
the Millstone, including Michael Bell on fiddle, Jane McCarty on
whistles, Larry Koplik on piano, and John MacDonald on mandolin and
recorder, played at the Princeton, New
Jersey dance on a regular basis.
- Dank is a contra dance band hailing from Bradford, Pennsylvania and includes John Siepierski, Brian Thompson, Jason Wood, and Vanere Maynard.
- The work of Peter Davis ranges from the Clayfoot Strutters to Reggie's Red Hot Feetwarmers to many places in between. He is based in New York State.
- Distant Star is
based in the New Jersey/Pennsylvania area and includes Susie Lorand,
Judi Stellar and Kathy Talvitie. (e-mail only)
- Dot-dot-dash
performs live acoustic music in Celtic, Appalachian dance, Old-time
and Gypsy-jazz stylings, performing around Virginia's New River
Valley. They also have a MySpace site.
- Dragonfly
plays wonderfully eclectic collection of trio arrangements of
Scottish, Irish, French, Renaissance, and contemporary folk tunes in
Binghamton and other parts of upstate New York.
- Driver Parks Nicely is a Virginia-based band that plays Progressive Medicine Show music- a lively mix of blues, swing and vintage country, gospel, old-time mountain music- whatever it takes for a trio of string band musicians to just hop out of the wagon and get things shakin'.
- June Drucker is well known in the old time music scene for her bass playing in the Heartbeats, The Horseflies, Big Table and the Tractor Family. She is based in New York State.
- The Eclectic Dance Orchestra, composed of Howard Hamm, Mark Vincent, Paul Rice, Joe De Paolo and Charlie Tokarz and play traditional and rock 'n' roll contra dances. The band is based in New York State.
- The Elk Creek
Family Band from Sullivan County, Pennsylvania plays at a variety
of venues including contra dances.
- Findhorn, including Steve
Hickman, Laura Lengnick, Marty Taylor, Liz Donaldson, and Ralph
Gordon play in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. (e-mail
only)
- From the Pennsylvania/New Jersey area, Fingerpyx
is composed of Enid Diamante, Wes Steenson, Matthew LaRose & Jansen
Wendell. Change of URL (November 27, 2009)
- The FireFlies play traditional fiddle music for your dancing and listening pleasure and are based in the NY Capitol District.
- Floorplay, a Charlottesville, Virginia contradance band plays an eclectic mix of French Canadian, Old-time, Klezmer, Swing, and original tunes since the spring of 2007. MySpace page.
- The Forge Mountain Ramblers include Mark Schwartz, Sue Shumaker, Cal Cizek, Rick Gilligan and Dann Neubauer. (e-mail only)
- Four Potato
Stew with members, New Jersey champion Jim West on fiddle, Mark
Schaffer on mandolin, Kris Lamb on winds, and Paula Entin-Bayer on
piano is the New Jersey Folk Project's own band. Change of URL (January 23, 2009)
- Alan Friend has been playing banjo, guitar and concertina, and singing traditional songs from America and the British Isles for many years. He is a member of the contra dance band "The Contrapolitans." MySpace page.
- Furnace Mountain plays ethno-Appalachian roots music and is based in Virginia. New entry (April 18, 2009)
- Giant Robot Dance includes two Marcus brothers (Andrew and Aaron), two VanNorstrand brothers (Noah and Andrew) and Michael Ferguson. The band is based in Syracuse, New York.
- The Gnu Tones is a
Celtic-based contradance ensemble led by State College, Pennsylvania
fiddler Bruce Young and anchored by Lancaster pianist Jill Smith.
(e-mail only (replace the (at)))
- The Gourdvine String Band plays Contra-Dance, Celtic, and original music from the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia.
- Government Contra
Act takes a fresh new look at contra dance music from the
Scottish Highlands to the NY Jazz Club to the LA Mosh Pit and perhaps
the halls of Congress given that the band is from Washington, D.C.
- In addition to her solo work, Ellen Gozion plays and tours with three contra dance bands, Toad Hall, Toppish and The Hot Toddies and has played with David Knight, members of Amarillis, The Contrarians, Sylvan's Harvest and others and is well-known in contra dance scene in Pittsburgh.
- Grand Picnic,
a Brooklyn based band, combines the rhythmic drive of southern
old-time tunes with French Canadian and New England fiddle music.
- The Great Bear Trio
performs a huge realm of traditional music styles from New England,
French-Canada, Ireland, Old-time Appalachia and Scandinavia with a
contemporary, world-beat twist, features Kim, Andrew & Noah
VanNorstrand and is based in Fulton, New York. MySpace page.
- The Groovemongers is
a band in which world beat meets contra, with Rebecca McCallum on
fiddle, C.W. Abbott on mandolin and guitar, and Jane Knoeck on
keyboard and accordion, as well as Mark Hellenberg on percussion. It
operates from Rochester, New York. MySpace page.
- The Washington D. C. band, Gypsy Meltdown,
features Kathy Kerr on fiddle and mandolin, Colleen Reed on flute,
saxophone and percussion, and Keith Gillis on guitar, and weaves
together old and new melodies from New England, Appalachia, and the
British Isles with rhythm, groove and attitude.
- Before you check out the pages about the bands that she is in,
visit New York's Laurie Hart's own page.
- Jesse Hazzard-Watkins plays classical trumpet along with being a member of the band, Elixir. He is based in northern Virginia. MySpace page. New entry (April 20, 2009).
- Central New York contradance band Hearts
Delight consists of David Smukler on fiddle, Laurel Sharp on
whistle and recorder, and John Wobus on piano.
- Hell on the Nine Mile performs an excitingly raw mix of music and dance stemming from Irish, American and Canadian traditions and is based in Charlottesville, Virginia. MySpace page.
- Hey Diddle Diddle
is comprised of four musicians who perpetuate the exciting
traditional music of Ireland and New England by providing lively
acoustic music for dances in Western New York and Canada. They are
based in Buffalo.
- The Highlander String Band is a collection of Rockingham County (Virginia) musicians playing traditional Appalachian Mountain music, sometimes for contra dances.
- Hold the
Mustard plays music for English country and contra dances and is
based in New Jersey.
- Homespun
Occasions plays for dances at a variety of dances, including
schools with students of all ages. They are based in New York State.
- The Hoover Uprights
play dances and concerts, and in 2001 and 2003 won first prize in the
traditional band contest at Clifftop. The band is based in Maryland.
- The Horse Flies feature Judy Hyman, Richie Stearns, Jeff Claus, June Drucker,
Taki Masuko, and Rick Hansen and is based in Ithaca, NY. MySpace page.
- The Virgina band House Red is Owen
Morrison (guitar, mandolin), Shawn Brenneman (piano) and Jonathan
Thielen (fiddle) who play energetic, driving dance music
to make you wanna move! MySpace page
- Fiddler Judy Hyman is a member of groups such as The Horse Flies, Small Tattoo, and Big Table and is based in New York State. MySpace page.
- Illegal Contraband is a contradance band with an emphasis on New England, Irish, and Quebecois dance tunes, they are just as likely to throw in everything from wild Klezmer music, swing, classical, and jazz to gentle Scandinavian waltzes. The band is based in New Jersey.
- Inishowen repertoire
is drawn primarily from the rich musical heritage of the seafaring
nations, especially Britain, Ireland, Canada and the United States
and is based in the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania area.
- Jane's Gang, a
contra/square dance band, features the driving fiddling of Jane
Rothfield with Allan Carr (Guitar), Paul Sidlick (banjo/mandolin) and
Geoff Harden (bass) and is based in NY State.
- Jiggermeister
plays lively, energetic music from all over the world, combining the
traditional sounds of the British Isles and Appalachia with Eastern
European scales and modern jazz riffs and is based in Ithaca, NY. MySpace page. Added MySpace page (January 23, 2009)
- Rhys Jones has been been raised in the rich environment of Midwestern old-time fiddling and while he find himself surrounded by the echoes of his historical and personal influences, he pays homage to them rather than simply repeat that which has come before. He are based in New York City. Change of URL (November 28, 2009)
- Ryck Kaiser and Jill Smith are a fiddle and piano duo, playing mostly Appalachian and some Celtic tunes. They are based in south central Pennsylvania. (e-mail only)
- John Kirk and Trish Miller live near Saratoga Springs, New York and teach and perform traditional music and dance including playing at contra dances. MySpace page.
- Kitchen Chair is
based in Ithaca, New York and includes Gail Blake (guitar, mandolin)
and Jennifer Dotson (fiddle).
- Along with playing "traditional" Klezmer tunes and swing tunes
and an eclectic assortment of folksongs and tunes from other
cultures, Klezmos plays an
occasional contra dance in the area around Washington, D.C. Site has problems (November 28, 2009)
- David Andrew Knight plays Scottish fiddle and for contra dances and has been playing since 1991. He is based in Washington, D. C.
- Harry Koretzky has played with groups ranging from High Strung to The Old World Folk Band (klezmer) to the contra dance band, Medicinal Purpose along with playing with Todd Clewell and the Contra Rebels. He is based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
- Caller and musician John Krumm has been performing for almost four decades for contras, squares, swing dancing and English dancing with knowledge from the U.S., Quebec and the British Isles. He is based in Pennsylvania.
- Marnen Laibow-Koser plays piano, fiddle, viola, flute, and recorder for contra dances and is based in upstate New York.
- Late for Supper plays old-time Appalachian fiddle tunes, bluegrass, gospel, and originals sung in three part harmony. We're an eclectic group, playing a variety of music on guitar, fiddle and banjo -- old country songs and ballads, to bluegrass standards, to old-time gospel. It is based in Pennsylvania. MySpace page. New entry (January 23, 2009)
- The Laune
Rangers featuring Ryck Kaiser (fiddle), Chad Shambaugh (bodhran),
and Jamie Ward (guitar) are based in Pennsylvania.
- Laura and the Lava
Lamps, composed of Laura Lengnick, Dave Wiesler and Ralph Gordon
are based in the Washington, D.C. area.
- Leighas is committed to the preservation and transmission of the traditional dance music and cultures of Ireland, Scotland, and their Diaspora in the new world. They are based in the Tidewater region of Virginia.
- Lost On The Turnpike is Eve Rantzer, piano; Enid Diamante, fiddle; and Chris Carpenter, mandolin, banjo, clarinet, whistle. They play for contras in the Pennsylvania/New Jersey area and are recording a CD which will be available soon. (e-mail only)
- Mangrove Green plays traditional Celtic, British and American music on fiddle and piano in upstate New York.
- The Martin Family Band is a 6-piece band based in Maryland and has been performing in the Washington DC area since 1995. New entry (March 7, 2010)
- The McKenzies (Woody & Marcia) are from Blacksburg, Virginia and play music from the Celtic/British Isles, Cape Breton/French Canadian, Southern Appalachian, colonial era (18th century and earlier), American minstrel era (mid 19th century), early American country (1920's to 1940's), lesser-known contemporary folk, originals, children's.
- The Mighty Possums,
including Joe DeZarn and Alexander Mitchell on fiddles, Tabby Finch
on piano, and Ralph Gordon on bass and are based in Washington, DC.
(e-mail only for the band)
- Milliners' Maggot plays traditional music on fiddle and piano, with a focus on Celtic, English and New England tunes for contra and English country dances in upstate New York.
- Celia Millington-Wyckoff plays bass and recorder with Dr. Twamley's Audio Snakes and is based in Pennsylvania.
- The Mixed Age Dance (MAD) Band plays easy-to-learn tunes for the Princeton Country Dancer's Community Dance. Our participants range in age from grammar school to senior citizens. It's a great way to learn a new instrument or learn to play with a live band.
- The band Mockin'bird plays contra
medleys that mix old standards from the northeast and the south with
the occasional tune from other parts of the world. The band is based
in upstate New York.
- Rick Mohr is a contra dance caller and fiddler living in the Philadelphia area. Change of location (November 24, 2009)
- New York State's Bruce Molsky : alone or with fellow musicians; guitar, fiddle, or banjo in hand, has been exploring traditional music from an astonishingly broad range of cultures over the past two decades and even plays at a few contra dances. MySpace page.
- Montage, exciting new dance band from Western New York and Pennsylvania, plays an innovative mix of European-based music, rooted in tradition and strongly influenced by modern styles. New entry (November 24, 2009)
- The Morrison Brothers: Jim Morrison (Fiddle and Guitar), Owen Morrison (Acoustic and Electric Guitars) and Will Morrison (Percussion) of Charlottesville, Virginia, occasionally play at contra dances.
- Owen Morrison is a full-time guitarist, living in Charlottesville, Virginia, who is a member of House Red, the Morrison Brothers Band, the Figments, and Night Watch. MySpace page. Main site has problems (November 28, 2009)
- Naomi Morse plays fiddle with the band Night Watch and lives in Brooklyn New York.
- The New Southern Cowtippers reach deep into the musical roots of American music
playing Appalachian fiddle tunes and songs, southern blues, pop tunes
from the early 1900s, Grand Ole Opry favorites, southern gospel, and
original compositions. They are based in Columbia, Maryland.
- No Strings Attached is a
quartet based in Roanoke/Blacksburg, Virginia that features the
following instruments: two hammer dulcimers, guitar, bass, harmonica,
bouzouki, pennywhistle, flute, kalimba, synthesizers, bass and tenor
clarinets, bass and tenor saxophones, Slinkys and percussion. MySpace page.
- The Plum
Moonshiners are an old-time stringband that plays and sings
southern rural mountain music and are based in the Ithaca area.
- The Princeton Country Dancers Pick-Up Band plays about once per month for the weekly contra dance in Princeton, New Jersey. It is open to players at all skill levels on any acoustic instrument.
- Fiddler Alicia Jo Rabins plays everything from old-time (traditional Appalachian dance music, with banjos and stuff) to klezmer (Eastern European Jewish party music, with Slivovitz). She is based in Brooklyn, New York. MySpace page.
- Raise the Roof, from the eastern Pennsylvania/New Jersey area features Mat Clark, Pete Soloway, Judi Stellar and Kathy Talvitie. E-mail
- The Reed Island
Rounders play the foot-stomping dance tunes of the Blue Ridge to romantic waltzes, and beyond to the dark and lonesome mountain tunes of a solo fiddle or duet with the banjo and are based in Virginia.
- Jane Rothfield is a
contra dance fiddler and banjo player and is based in New York State.
- Roustabout, including
Chris Romaine, Lars Hanslin, and Bruce Hutton, play in the Washington,
D. C. area. (e-mail only)
- The Rum & Onions Band is the name of the band which, for many years now, has formed and rehearsed for several weeks in the fall to play at a Halloween contra dance organized by the Princeton Country Dancers. We have been joined in the past by many musicians from near and far. Instruments of all kinds are welcome: melody, rhythm, percussion. They also play at a few other events such as NEFFA.
- The Run of the Mill String
Band has been playing and performing Old Time Appalachian music
together for over ten years in southeastern Pennsylvania. MySpace page.
- Small
Tattoo plays southern old-time fiddle music for square and
contradances and includes Judy Hyman, Jeff Klaus, Stuart Kenney, Liza
Constable, and Taki Masuko. Given that the players are from several
different location, I'll say that they are based in Ithaca, New York.
- Beverly Smith and Carl
Jones play at a variety of contra dances mostly in the
mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic regions. They are based in
Philadelphia.
- Some Assembly is a quartet of musicians from Southern Maryland whose repertoire is quite eclectic, but draws heavily from traditional Irish, Scottish, English and Canadian (especially Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island) instrumental music. (e-mail only)
- Soup for the Soles
is an eclectic ensemble of musicians who share a love for traditional
Irish, English, and North American tunes played at contra and square
dances and is based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Site has problems (November 28, 2009)
- Bill Spence with Fennig's All Stars and other groups, has bee playing the hammered dulcimer for dances and others events since the 1970s. He is based in New York State.
- SPUDS is
the pick-up band that regularly plays for the Thursday Night Contra Dance held at Glenside Hall in Glenside, Pennsylvania.
- While he was born in Italy, Rafe Stefanini has established himself as an interpreter of fiddle music from the South with his dynamic and elegant fiddle and banjo playing in numerous bands. He is based in Pennsylvania. MySpace page.
- Wes Steenson is a member of Fingerpyx along with playing guitar, 5-string banjo, mandolin, mandola, bass guitar, resophonic guitar, bouzouki and bodhran for groups that play English Country dance music or music for dance performances. He lives in Philadelphia. Change of URL (November 28, 2009)
- Besides all his wonderful web pages about contra dancing, Bob Stein, from the
Philadelphia area, is a musician who plays the accordion, piano,
banjo, and a small drum called a doumbek. (e-mail only)
- The Stillhouse Rounders is a group of Hudson Valley musicians who play traditional, acoustic, old time rural stringband music with a sound is reminiscent of early stringbands recorded throughout the rural south and mid-west.
- From State College, Pennsylvania, Strath Hanna plays
mostly Scottish traditional music, both for dancing (Scottish and
contras) and for listening.
- Strings on Wings plays traditional fiddle tunes and waltzes in the Appalachian, Celtic, Folk, New England and French Canadian styles, features Todd Clewell and Barb Schmid and is based in Pennsylvania. New entry (January 23, 2009)
- Tame Rutabaga is a garden variety Family Dance Band, specializing in dances for the very young and the young-at-heart and is based in the Albany, New York region.
- Ellen Tepper plays the harp at dances and other events with a variety of musicians. She is based in eastern Pennsylvania.
- The Maryland based band Terpsichore is
a contra duo (Elke Baker and Liz Donaldson), a trio with Ralph Gordon, or even larger with special guests from Maryland.
- The Virginia band, The Toad
Mamas play New England, Celtic, French-Canadian and American
Music for contra dances, weddings, celebrations and gatherings, or
just plain fun.
- Toppish
plays traditional Irish music for Contra Dancing - many years of
contra experience, precision players, tunes to suit the dances and
plenty of positive energy and plays for the weekly contra in
Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania. Change of URL (November 28, 2009)
- The Tractor Family plays Southern Old-Time music and includes Judy Hyman, Jeff Claus, John Hermann, Larry Unger, and June Drucker and is based in New York State.
- An innovative dance band from Western New York & Pennsylvania, TuneScape nudges the border
between traditional music and modern groove, inspired by the tunes of
Ireland, New England, Quebec, and Appalachia. MySpace page.
- Turtle
United is a group of musicians from Rochester, NY with varied
musical backgrounds united by a love of contradancing and contradance
music.
- John Guay and Vonnie Estes are the members of Two Bits String Band and also play with a number of other musicians comprising different bands with different styles of music ranging from Irish breakdown to U.S. colonial. They are based in New York State.
- Two Lost Turkeys is part of the Appalachian string band revival in Brooklyn, NY, and on sources from North Carolina, West Virginia, Kentucky and beyond.
- UFO, according
to Laura Light, is contradance music with a western swing! This band
features Laura, Pete Vigour and Jim Morrison on fiddles, guitar and
peddle steel and the rhythm section of Kim and Jimbo Cary on bass and
drums and is based in West Virginia.
- Unbowed is a fiddle-less
contradance band from Pennsylvania, led by the mandolin of Henry
Koretzky and supported by guitarist Jamie O'Brien and others. (e-mail
only (take out the (at)))
- Josee Vachon plays in
the band Chanterelle, solos, and with other musicians. She is based in
Pennsylvania.
- The Virginia Klezmer band, the Vulgar Bulgars occasionally play at a contra dance. MySpace page. Re-added main page (November 28, 2009)
- The Walker Family Band, in various incarnations, has played for traditional dances all over New York (their base) and New England for almost 25 years. With the children adding a variety of musical instruments, they play a mixture of music from the dance traditions of England, Scotland, Ireland, Scandinavia, Quebec, Cape Breton, New England, and Appalachia.
- Joel Wennerstrom plays clawhammer banjo at barn dances in New York City and performs with numerous old-time and contra dance musicians in the area.
- The members of Whiskers Before Breakfast
have played for decades with groups from the Glen Echo Open Band to
Moose Chowder. The members include Al Taylor (fiddle), Ritchie
Schuman and Steve Benka (hammer dulcimer). (e-mail only)
- The Whitetop Mountain Band is a family-based band from the highest mountains of Virginia. The members have done much to preserve the Whitetop region's style of old time fiddling and banjo picking and are legendary musicians and teachers of the style.
- Whitewater is from the
New Jersey/Pennsylvania area and features Janet Mills, Robert Mills,
Bob Pasquarello and Kathy Talvitie. (e-mail only)
- Wild Rose (and the Thorns) is a Dance Band group that plays mainly for
Contra Dances but is open to other events and is based in upstate NY
and plays an assortment of fiddle tunes from ancient Celtic and
Scottish origins to early American Jigs and Reels, to Eastern
European Klezmer, and to modern waltzes of mystical influence. MySpace page. Problem with main site (November 28, 2009)
- The Rochester, New York based WildRoot String Band plays Southern style Old-Time music from the Appalachian regions of North Carolina, the Virginias and Tennessee.
- George Wilson's dynamic fiddling, strongly influenced by Cape Breton and French Canadian styles, has been popular with contra cancers and concert-goers since the late 1970s.
- Wily Milo is an old-time
string band in New York State.
- Gary Wright and Leah Weiss play guitar and fiddle with other musicians at contra and square dances in Maryland.
- For more than twenty years, the Zillionaires have played string swing jazz standards, fiddle tunes, klezmer dance music, and songs new and old at events in and around Albany, New York.
- The Zing Kings are three good friends and veterans of the Charlottesville, Virginia music scene who get together to play for the joy of it. Change of URL (November 28, 2009)
- The Princeton (New Jersey) Country Dancers has a page of links
and information for bands,
musicians and callers which play at the Princeton dance.
- Melanie Axel-Lute calls
from South Orange, New Jersey.
- Doug Baldwin is a
caller in the Rochester, New York area. (e-mail only)
- Michael Barraclough was the caller with folk rock band Pyewackett and now calls Zesty Contras and English Country Dance in the USA and is based in Washington, DC.
- Hilton Baxter began contradancing around 1992 and began calling dances in 1998 and have written a few of his own. He calls in and around Binghamton, New York.
- Peter Blue calls,
plays, and handles sound duties at dances in New York State and other
environs. (e-mail only)
- Shawn Brenneman
calls in Virginia and other locales and has designed several web
sites connected to contra dancing.
- Laura Brown is a caller of squares and contras who lives in the downtown of the District of Columbia. (e-mail only)
- Dave Brown calls in the Buffalo, NY area. (e-mail only)
- Ron Buchanan is a
caller from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania but calls and runs workshops in
a variety of other locales. (e-mail only)
- Hanny Budnick is a
caller, teacher and MC from Philadelphia with specialties that
include English Country Dancing, traditional New England contras, and
international family dances. (e-mail only)
- Wendy Burwell is a caller in
the Rochester, New York area. (e-mail only)
- Cynthia Butcher is a
caller from the Albany, New York area. (e-mail only)
- Dave
Colestock is a dance caller and the dance organizer for the
Harrisburg, PA contra dance and calls at a number of venues in the
mid-Atlantic states and New England.
- Besides formulating his heavy duty contra dance data base, Ted
Crane calls in Ithaca, New York and other places.
- Sargon de Jesus is contra dance caller based in Arlington, Virginia (near Washington, DC). New entry (April 27, 2009)
- Sue
Dupré is a caller from New Jersey.
- Ann Fallon calls in and
around the Maryland and also teaches waltz. (e-mail only, take out
'at' to properly use the e-mail)
- Don Flaherty, from New Jersey,
calls and in Pennsylvania. (e-mail only)
- Kim Forry calls
circles, squares and contras in the Maryland area. (e-mail only
(change the at))
- Nils Fredland is a
teacher and caller of contra dances, traditional squares, and
community family dances. You might also see him appear as a musician
-- trombonist, vocalist, or bass player. He is based in New Hampshire. Change of location (November 28, 2009)
- Greg Frock lives in
Maryland and calls there and over the border in places such as State College, Pennsylvania. (e-mail
only for direct contact)
- Rich
Futyma calls in New York State and nearby locales.
- Hailing from Severna Park, Maryland, Alan Gedance calls in
many states. (e-mail only)
- While located in Pennsylvania, Steve Gester calls there and a
number of other places. (e-mail only)
- Pam Goddard is a caller from
the Ithaca, New York area.
- Yonina Gordon is
from the New York City area and calls English Country and contra
dances in and around the greater metro area.
- Amy Gravitz
is a caller in the Rochester, New York area. (e-mail only)
- From New York, Gail
Griffith has been calling for 20 years, specializing in bringing
traditional music and dance to beginners. She calls English and Welsh
barn dances, and contradances.
- Chart Guthrie is a
caller out on Long Island, New York associated with LITMA. (e-mail
only)
- Susan Hankin called at the dance in Arden, Delaware on January 3, 2010. She is based in Baltimore, Maryland.
- Katy Heine is from
Ithaca, New York and has been calling since 1989 in the region
including Rochester, Binghamton, Syracuse, Cooperstown, and
north-central PA. Change from e-mail to URL (April 27, 2009)
- Scott Higgs is a caller
from the Philadelphia area.
- Tom Hinds has been calling
squares and contras since 1984 and is based in Charlottesville,
Virginia. (e-mail only)
- Ted Hodapp calls
from the Washington, D.C. area.
- Donna Hunt lives in
Pennsylvania and calls at a number of dances in the area. (e-mail
only)
- Amy Kahn is a caller in the
Rochester, New York area. (e-mail only)
- Andy Kane calls
traditional Contra, Square and Circle Dance for all groups and ages
in the Maryland area.
- Jeff Kaufman occasionally calls contras along with a varietyof other pursuits. He is based in Pennsylvania.
- Ridge Kennedy is a caller
based in New Jersey. (e-mail only)
- Jim Kitch, of Pennsylvania,
spends much of his spare time volunteering with the Heritage Dance
Association in Philadelphia. (e-mail only)
- Caller and musician John Krumm has been performing for almost four decades for contras, squares, swing dancing and English dancing with knowledge from the U.S., Quebec and the British Isles. He is based in Pennsylvania.
- Denise Lair is a caller from Charlottesville, Virginia. (e-mail only)
- Carl Levine is an English Country Dance and contra dance teacher/caller who is based in New York City but has called dances in Ann Arbor, New Haven, Troy, Wayne, at the LITMA dance in Smithtown, at NOMAD and at various CDSS dance camps. New entry (April 27, 2009)
- Chloe Maryam Maher plays piano with The Contraptions and with other bands and musicians for English, Scottish, and contra dances. She is based in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area.
- Mike Miller is
from Syracuse, New York, but also calls out in the Great Lakes
region. (e-mail only)
- Janet Mills calls on a frequent basis at the Princeton, New
Jersey dance.
- Rick Mohr is a contra dance caller and fiddler living in the Philadelphia area. Change of location (November 24, 2009)
- Eva
Murray is a traditional dance caller in metropolitan Washington,
D.C.
- Bob Nicholson calls from the Syracuse, New York area.
- DeLaura Padovan is based in Virginia and has calls at many of the
dances in the area including the Friday Glen Echo, Maryland dance.
- Charlie Pineda is based
in Maryland and calls there and in other Atlantic states. He started
calling in 1990 and discovered contras in 1993. (e-mail only)
- Judy Rivkin is an English Country/Contra Dance leader based in Central New Jersey.
- Paul Rosen has been calling dances in Virginia and surrounding states since 1990.
- Paul Rosenberg
calls a variety of dances (contras, squares, international) at a
variety of venues ranging from Falcon Ridge to family dances.
- Joyce
Rossbach is a caller based in the Syracuse, New York area.
- Richard Sauvain is a caller in the Rochester, New York area. (e-mail only) Change in e-mail (June 5, 2010)
- David
Smukler calls from the Syracuse, New York area.
- Nancy Spero is a caller
from the Ithaca, New York area. (e-mail only)
- Peter Stix calls in the
Albany, New York area and other venues. (e-mail only)
- Melissa Taggart calls Philadelphia area and in New Jersey. Change of URL (April 12, 2010)
- Susan Taylor is
a caller from the southern Maryland area who considers herself the
hostess of a dance, wherever she may be.
- Mark Widmer is a
caller based in central New Jersey.
- Reine
Wonite calls from northern Virginia and lists
several of her compositions.
- Chris Youngblood called at the Floyd, Virginia dance on
September 12, 2009.
- The Baltimore Folk Music
Society is a nonprofit, educational organization dedicated to
preserving and promoting folk music, dance, and tradition. BFMS
sponsors regular dances, concerts, family events, and
related activities year-round.
- The Folk Project is a
not-for-profit folk music and dance organization which sponsors or
organizes a wide variety of folk-music related activities in the
Northern New Jersey area.
- The Folk Dance Council
is located in Philadelphia.
- The Susquehanna Folk Music
Society (SFMS) is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization
dedicated to preserving and encouraging the traditional arts in
Central Pennsylvania.
- The Tidewater Friends of Folk
Music (TFFM) is an incorporated non-profit organization formed to
advance, preserve, and promote "traditional" and "contemporary" folk
music in the community. Through the sponsorship of concerts,
festivals, music workshops and activities, TFFM provides a focus for
anyone who enjoys folk music and culture.
- The Folklore Society of Greater
Washington's main purpose is to further the understanding,
investigation, appreciation, and performance of the traditional folk
music and folklore of the the American people.
- Friends
of Fiddle & Dance is a non-profit organization that sponsors dances
and concerts, co-sponsors music and dance camps at Ashokan, and publishes the Fiddle & Dance News.
- The Long Island Traditional Music
Association supports traditional music and dance in this part of
the state. S. Guthrie manages the site.
- Old Songs, Inc. is a
not-for-profit, educational, tax-exempt organization dedicated to
preserving traditional music and dance.
- Southern Maryland Traditional
Music and Dance hosts a variety of dance and music events
including contra dances in St. Mary's and Calvert Counties.
- The DanceFlurry Organization sponsors a variety of dances and events in the Capital Region of upstate
New York. See their online Dance Calendar for more information about traditional dance events in the Capital Region.
This page is part of the Contrdancelinks.com web site. For more information about contra dancing, visit these other site pages:
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Produced by Charlie Seelig
Last updated on June 24, 2010