This page is devoted to listing contra dances in the Rocky Mountains 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.

Regional

• No regional links submitted or found.

Arizona

• Ron and Linda Nieman supply a good starting place for contradancing in Arizona.
• There is a dance in Cottonwood on the 3rd Saturday of the month. There is a page with additional information about the dance.
• The Flagstaff Friends of Traditional Music hold contras on the 1st Saturday of each month. Neil S. Weintraub provides the information.
• The Tucson Friends of Traditional Music hold an annual Dance in the Desert in early November in Oracle which includes a significant amount of contradancing.
• Joe Hesley maintains the pages for the Phoenix Friends of Old-Time Music dances held the 2nd Saturday and 4th Wednesday of each month.
• The Desert Valley Squares sponsor gender neutral traditional contra dancing in Phoenix on the 4th Sunday of the month.
• Ron Nieman supplies information about Folk Happens! in Prescott which holds dances on the 1st Friday of each month. There is an additional page with more information.
• The May Madness ContraFest weekend is held in Prescott in mid-May.
• The Tucson Friends of Traditional Music hold dances on the 1st, 3rd and 4th Saturday of each month and most 5th Saturdays with special dances on other dates.

Colorado

• The Colorado Contra Dancing produced by Jared Gottlieb covers the contra scene (plus some international folk dance links) across the state (including Boulder, Colorado Springs, Denver, and Greeley).
• CFOOTMAD -- Colorado Friends of Old Time Music and Dance holds a variety of dances in several locations in Colorado.
• The CFOOTMAD dances in Boulder occur on the 1st and 3rd Fridays of each month.
• Among the organizations holding dances in Boulder is Calico & Boots Traditional American Dancing which has dances on Tuesday nights. They include a variety of dances: squares (at various levels), contras, mixers, rounds (such as waltz, two-step, polka, and cha-cha), and a few international dances. They have several regular callers and cuers, live music several times a year, occasional guest callers, and parties every couple of months.
• Stellar Days & Nights: A Rocky Mountain Dance Adventure Buena Vista, is held in mid-February.
• Arkansas Valley Music And Dance sponsors dances in Buena Vista once a month, generally on the 2nd Friday. CFOOTMAD also has information about the dances.
• Pikes Peak Traditional Dance holds contra dances in Colorado Springs on the 3rd Saturdays of most months.
• The Rocky Mountain Dance Roundup is held in late June and/or early July in Colorado Springs and sponsored by the Lloyd Shaw Foundation, includes contras.
• The CFOOTMAD dances in Denver occur on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of each month with Zesty Contras happening on 2nd Saturdays.
• The Swallow Hill Music Association sponsors, with CFOOTMAD, dances on the last or next to last Sunday of the month in Denver. No current listings (March 1, 2008)
• The folks in Durango typically dance on the 1st Saturday of each month.
• The Glenwood Springs dance occurs on the 1st Saturday of each month except for the summer. CFOOTMAD also has information about the dance.
• There's information about the Colorado Moon Festival Music & Dance Camp which are generally held twice a year, usually the third week of May and the fourth weekend of September near Gold Hill, about 50 minutes west of Boulder.
• The dances Grand Junction occur on a Saturday every other month. CFOOTMAD also has information about the dance.
• There is a community dance series in Lyons (e-mail), on "Halloween Saturday" and monthly, on the 1st Saturday of the month, from January to May. CFOOTMAD also has information about the dance as does the Lyons Chamber of Commerce.
• Arkansas Valley Music And Dance sponsors dances in Salida once a month, generally on the 3rd Saturday.
• The Westminster old-time community dances happen on the 1st Saturday of each month and include squares, reels, circles, contras, waltzes and other couple dances to live, old-time music

Idaho

• The Boise Contra Dance Society holds dances on the 3rd Saturday of each month.
• The Spokane Folklore Society promotes three dance camps a year at Camp N-Sid-Sen located on Coeur d'Alene Lake in Idaho:
  • Music and Dance Week, in late June;
  • Family Week, in late-mid August; and
  • Fall Lady of the Lake in early October.
• The Teton Arts Council is sponsoring two dances in May 2008 in Driggs with the hope that this will be the beginning of a new dance series. New entry (April 21, 2008)
• There's dancing in Idaho Falls, usually on the 4th Saturday of the month, with music by the Wild Coyotes.
• The dances in Moscow are generally on third Saturdays and are sponsored by the Palouse Folklore Society.
• There are dances in Pocatello on the 2nd Saturday of the month, but check the Utah Contradance Information Page for contact info, etc.

Montana

• Along with international and Scottish dance nights, the Bozeman Folk Society hosts contra dancing on the 3rd Saturday of each month most months from October to April. they also host the Wintergreen Dance Weekend in late January.
• The Missoula Folklore Society holds the Bear Hug Mountain Festival in September, the weekend after Labor Day, near Rollins. In addition, they hold contra dances on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month in Missoula along with 3rd Saturday dances in the summer in Arlee. They also include information about the 2nd Saturday dance in Helena, the 2nd Saturday dance in Kalispell, and community dances (a variety of types and styles) in Missoula on Friday nights. They also a "Complicated Contras" series in some months on 4th Fridays. Change in date for Kalispell (March 2, 2008)

Nevada

• There is a series of Pioneer Family Dances in Carson City, usually on the 1st Saturday of most months.
• The folks at the Southern Nevada Contra Dance Society dance generally on the 2nd Saturday and last Saturday of the month in Las Vegas, but check the Contra Las Vegas blog for updates. Dan Allison provides the information. Change in date (March 2, 2008)
• Sierra Contra Dance Society holds dances in Reno on the 2nd Saturday of the month with an occasional 5th Saturday dance. David VonSeggern puts the information on the page.

New Mexico

• The New Mexico Folk Music and Dance Society offers good coverage of dance activities in the state and sponsors dances in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Taos and information about dances in Las Cruces and Moab, Utah.
• The Southern New Mexico Music & Dance Society hosts contra dances from August to May generally on the 3rd Friday of the month in Mesilla along with jam sessions and other events.
• The annual FolkMADness Music & Dance Camp is held in late May in Socorro and includes contradancing among its many offerings.

Utah

• Michael D. Drews covers the Utah Contradance Information Page.
• There's the annual Watasch Wiggle Weekend in Camp Cloud Rim in September.
• The Bridger Folk Music Society holds contra dances on the 1st Saturday of most months in East Logan along with a variety of other events.
• There are occasional dances in Moab sponsored by the Moab Arts and Recreation Center.
• The Watasch Contras are held in South Salt Lake City on the 3rd Saturday of each month.

Wyoming

No links found or submitted for this state.

Bands and Musicians

• Jared Gottlieb provides information about the callers and bands performing at the various sites in Colorado.
• The Albuquerque dance series has information and photographs of many of the dances that play at that locale.
• The Adobe Brothers play at contra dances in the Albuquerque, New Mexico area. (e-mail only)
• The Albuquerque Megaband is an open band that plays at the 3rd Saturday dance in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
• Balance and Swing is based in Colorado and includes Susan Reading playing fiddle, Tina Gugeler on hammered dulcimer, and John Reading on piano/keyboard. They perform a variety of music blending jigs, reels, hambos, waltzes, and other traditional styles from New England, Europe, and Scandinavia.
• Based in New Mexico and playing at a variety of dances including contra dances, the Bayou Seco sound energetically captures the spirit of the Southwest USA today.
• David Combs, David Sealander and Daryl Lopez comprise Bellows Fellows a group from Idaho Falls, Idaho.
• While specializing in cowboy/western music, bluegrass, and the folk songs of the west, Blue Sage Trio plays, on occasion, at contra dances, especially in Idaho and Utah.
• The Boise ContraBand is an ensemble of talented musicians who play new and used Celtic music in and around Boise, Idaho. Change in URL (March 4, 2008)
• The Boulder Bogtrotters are an eclectic dance band playing a sometimes mystifying variety of instruments. They indulge in a mix of southern Appalachian, New England, Celtic, Ragtime and other tunes with energy and abandon and are based in Boulder, Colorado. (e-mail only)
• The Broken String Band plays on a frequent basis in Bozeman, Montana. (e-mail only)
• The Buckle Busters play avant-garde music for archaic times and are based in Salt Lake City, Utah.
• Bonnie Carol plays the hammered and fretted dulcimers as well as bodhr‡n, folk drums and hand percussion as a soloist and as part of some contra dance bands in Colorado.
• Deb Carstensen has, since 1991 performed with various bands including Highstrung, Celtic Fair, All in Good Time, Conundrum, Unstrung Heroes and Deb and the Pariahs with what some call a "Denver" style of Celtic music because there are influences creeping in from old timey music and other traditional Colorado music styles.
• Colorado's Ceol Ceili includes Steve Hart, Kari Wilson, Heidi McClure, and Ron Sommers and play Celtic music and then some. MySpace page.
• Cider Mill is a string band devoted to Appalachian and old-time music and has played along the Colorado Front Range since 1998. (e-mail only)
• Clusterfolk is based in Arizona and primarily plays for Contradance, but does a wide variety of Irish and Celtic tunes. (e-mail only)
• The Crested Hens are the Celtic Band of Montana's Bitterroot Valley and plays at dances in the area.
• Bill and Patti Cummings are a duo that play Old Time from the mountains of North Carolina, Cajun String Band music from the Southwestern prairies of Louisiana, Irish, and Scottish music from Cape Breton (Celtic) from Arizona, where they are based, to Kansas and Missouri. (e-mail only)
• In New Mexico, the Estrotones feature Barbara Herrington, Marjorie Mullany, and Nancy FryeWeaver.
• The Fast Pesos plays a blend of Appalachian fiddle tunes and songs from the Civil War into the 1920's, as well as music learned from the revivalist string bands 1960's to the present. Photos of the group can be found on a page. You can e-mail Tom Adler for more information.
• FiddleSticks is a Utah family band that performs folk songs and traditional tunes from the Celtic lands, from England, and from America and plays at an occasional contra dance.
• The Five Dog String Band is based in New Mexico and features Steve Huestis, David Margolin and Rick Olcott.
• Forty Story Shack (go to the bottom of the page) is from Driggs, Idaho and was formed in 2007 with members Kent Garwick, Roy Clapper, and Cynthia Stoetzer. New entry (April 21, 2008)
• The Grouchy Geezers play for a variety of venues in Colorado and other places. MySpace page.
• Tina Gugeler plays hammered dulcimer solo and with a number of bands in the Denver, Colorado area.
• Hands Five thrives on the energy that flows from the band to the dancers on a good medley (and back to the band when it all comes together!) and combines some old-time southern style, New England, Celtic, and "Newtime" music in Albuquerque, New Mexico. MySpace page.
• While Hey! is based on Albuquerque, New Mexico, it has played at other venues in the state and in Colorado. MySpace page.
• High on the Hog is an old time string band from Colorado.
• The Hippie-billies, featuring Dan Levenson and Miss Jennifer, have a driving old time sound for a dance or stage show! They are based in Georgia and Arizona.
• Seth Houston plays with a variety of musicians including the band, Lift Ticket, along with significant time with vocal groups and in teaching vocal students and groups. He is presently based in Colorado.
• The Just Desserts Contra Dance Band is the house band for the Flagstaff contra dances every other month.
• Kindred Spirits plays music primarily of Renaissance and Celtic origin. using recorders, penny whistle, viola/violin, mandolin, guitar, Celtic harp and cello. The band is based in the Denver, Colorado area.
• The Last Minute String Band sponsors the monthly dance in Glenwood Springs and was formed in the Fall of 2002 and grew out of the efforts of a small group of friends and musicians, all sharing a passion for playing old time acoustic music. The group draws its energy primarily from the musical traditions of early Appalachia, Ireland and Scotland. New entry (January 10, 2008)
• Leaping Lulu plays on a regular basis at the dance in Logan, Utah. MySpace page. Change of main URL (March 5,2008)
• Loose Ends of Flagstaff, Arizona are a contra band playing traditional Irish and Ceili tunes. (e-mail only)
• Loose Shoes plays at the Salt Lake City, Utah dances on a regular basis. Actually, they play all over Utah on a regular basis.
• Rob Pine, Tom Christenson and Jim Mullany make up The Nabobs and are based in New Mexico.
• Out of the Wood has played for dances in Washington, Oregon, Montana and Idaho during the past five years, draws on traditional music forms from Celtic, New England, Quebecois and Southern Old Time music, and creates their music from a dancer's perspective. They are based in Idaho. Change from e-mail to URL (March 8, 2008)
• The Parlor City Trio features Chuck Williamson, Steve Richard, J.P. Thom-Gronachen and Torsten Clay (e-mail only).
• The Percolators band members are multi-instrumentalists who each bring over 30 years of experience to playing traditional music. The band features voices, fiddles, banjos, guitars, and mandolins. The Percolators' expansive repertoire spans a rich variety of traditional and contemporary fiddle tunes from a variety of North American and Celtic traditions, with some songs tossed in for good measure. The band is nominally based in Colorado.
• The Privy Tippers are located in Tucson, Arizona and include Jacqueline Wohl (fiddle), Craig Tinney (guitar and banjo), Dave Firestine (mandolin) and JerryRay Weinert (bass). They have been playing for contra and square dances for more than 10 years all over the state of Arizona and throughout the Southwest. (e-mail only)
• There's a Utah band with the name Roaring Jelly, but no relation to the band from Massachusetts.
• Round the House plays celtic music for contradances in the Tucson, Arizona area. MySpace page.
• The Sandia Hots are are Liz Stevens on fiddle; Scott Mathis on mandolins and harmonica; Michael Gallagher on banjos, fiddle and accordion; and Linda Askew on guitar. Everybody sings. These folks encompass a wealth of musical experience, playing old and new music of the southern Appalachians, the Southwest and Mexico.
• Shanahy is a band that hails from Salt Lake City and performs traditional songs and tunes from the British Isles--primarily Scotland and Ireland.
• The Soda Rock Ramblers are three friends and musicians (Linda Askew, Larry Edelman, and Scott Mathis) whose music features old-time American fiddle tunes from the South and Midwest and the haunting melodies from the Southwest, including Mexican tunes, music of the Rio Grande (Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado), and the beautiful and rare Gu-achi tunes from Arizona. They are based in Colorado.
• As you might guess, the Southern New Mexico Music & Dance Society Band plays at the SNMM&DS dances in Mesilla on a regular basis.
• Street Legal String Band plays old-time music and tells bad jokes and are for hire in Albuquerque, New Mexico and the vicinity. They feature Tim Shaffer, fiddle; Jonathan Longcore, banjo; Beth Corwin, guitar; Rick Olcott, mandolin; and Jane Phillips, fiddle.
• The Sweet River String Band is a bluegrass/old-time band which plays at contra dances in Colorado.
• Sweet Sunny South plays bluegrass and old-time, any time and is based in Colorado.
• Too Tall for Our Hair, featuring Larry Bolin and Mike Rucks, plays on a regular basis for dances in Nevada. (e-mail only).
• Village Idioms play occasionally at the Albuquerque, New Mexico dance. (e-mail only -- note the "NOSPAM")
• The Virginia Creepers including, Greg Donohoe, bass; Laurence 'Laurie' Phillips, mandolin; Rick Olcott, guitar; Peter White, fiddle; Bruce Thomson, fiddle; and Steve Huestis, banjo, play in New Mexico and other parts of the southwestern United States. MySpace page.
• The Wild Coyotes play music spanning a wide variety of traditional American roots styles including old time, bluegrass, and classic and contemporary folk set to classic old-time string band instrumentation with wonderful vocals. The band is based in Idaho.
• Sandra Wong plays both the fiddle and the the Swedish nyckelharpa for concerts and dances in Colorado.

Callers

• Jared Gottlieb provides information about the callers and bands performing at the various sites in Colorado.
• Jim X Borzym calls and leads dances ranging from contras to tango in Colorado. (e-mail only)
• Jim Buechler is a caller in New Mexico, especially the Taos dance.
• David Michael Cottle can be found calling many of the dances in West Jordan, Utah or Pocatello, Idaho. (e-mail only)
• Larry Edelman from Colorado calls and plays at dances in Colorado and other environs. (e-mail only)
• Eleanor Fahrney calls for any group, but especially loves calling for families and kids (even middle schoolers!). She call contras, squares, circles, longways sets and is based in Colorado. (e-mail only)
• Joseph Erhard-Hudson calls in Moscow/Pullman, Idaho and in Spokane, Washington. (e-mail only)
• Kay Forsyth is the chief caller for the dances in Logan, Utah. (e-mail only)
• Mitchell Frey calls contra and English Country dances along with teaching calling workshops in Idaho and other environs. (e-mail only)
• Brenda Goodwin calls in Salt Lake City, Utah. (e-mail only)
• Wendy Graham of Durango, Colorado has been dancing, writing and calling folk dances for 15 years throughout Kentucky, Washington D.C., New York, New England, and the 4 corners of the Southwest.
• Ed Hall is based in Colorado, but has called from Washington State to Vermont. (e-mail only)
• Peggy Hesley calls in Arizona and beyond.
• Donna Howell who formerly called in Arizona, California and Texas is now back home in New Mexico and calls dances in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. (e-mail only)
• Loren Kalmen calls periodically in Nevada and other locations. (e-mail only)
• There is a biography of Chris Kermiet, a caller in Colorado and a second biography has been published.
• Barb Kirchner is a caller based in Colorado and calls there and other locales. New entry (March 1, 2008)
• Art Lane often calls at the Reno, Nevada dance. (e-mail only)
• Seth Levine calls squares and contras and is based in Phoenix, Arizona.
• Lonnie Ludeman is one of the main callers at the Mesilla, New Mexico dance. (e-mail only)
• Vickie Marron is a caller from Idaho. (e-mail only)
• Mark Matthews, of Missoula, Montana is a country dance caller and instructor for experienced New England contra dances and family dances. (e-mail only) New entry (April 19, 2008)
• Will McDonald is a guest caller at the Mesilla, New Mexico dance.
• Richard Myers calls old-time circle, square, contra and folk dances in Colorado. (e-mail only)
• Becky Nankivell, is based in Tucson, Arizona and calls in the southwest. (e-mail only)
• Devin Nordson calls in Colorado and has contra danced since 1994.
• Merri Rudd calls contras and English country dances around the Southwest and makes "I don't book ahead" buttons. She is based in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
• J.P. Thom-Gronachon calls and plays music for dances in Arizona. New entry (February 29, 2008)
• Kathy Tucker calls in Colorado on a periodic basis along with playing a variety of musical instruments.
• Mark Turbin started calling in the midwest and now lives in Colorado. (e-mail only REMOVE TEXT)
• Lindsay Turnquist calls often at the Bozeman, Montana dances as well as other locales. The Bozeman Folklore Society has an interview with him on their website. (e-mail only for contact)
• Claire Zucker calls and clogs, many times with Round the House, in Arizona.

Organizations

• The Durango Arts Center works in cooperative effort with many organizations in the Durango area to promote the Arts.
• The Lloyd Shaw Dance Archives, located in the Library of the University of Denver in Denver, Colorado, consist of books, periodicals, sound and picture recordings, callers' notes, dance camp syllabi, cue sheets, and special collections relating to square, round, contra, and other specialized forms of dance.
• Along with contra dances, The Bozeman Folk Society hosts international and Scottish Dance nights, Celtic jams, and a variety of other events. Oshi Simsarian maintains the site.
• The Tucson Friends of Traditional Music sponsors and promotes traditional music and contra dancing in Tucson.
• The Southern New Mexico Music and Dance Society sponsors dances, concerts, and jam sessions.
• The New Mexico Folk Music & Dance Society aka FOLKMADS sponsors dances, concerts, music and dance camps, and other special events.
• The Missoula Folklore Society is dedicated to promoting, preserving, enjoying and sharing the music, dance, arts, crafts, and skills of traditional cultures and generally having a pretty good time.

http://www.contradancelinks.com/rocky.html
Produced by Charlie Seelig
Last updated on April 23, 2008