This page is devoted to listing contra dances in areas outside of the United States and Canada along with bands, musicians, callers, and organizations that are based in elsewhere. While the information can be skimpy at times, I try to be inclusive rather than exclusive in the listings on this page. 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.

Australia | Austria | Belgium | Costa Rica | Czech Republic
Denmark | Germany | Guatemala | Israel | Japan | The Netherlands
New Zealand | Switzerland | United Kingdom | Virgin Islands
Bands and Musicians | Callers | Organizations

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.

Australia

• Excellent sources of news about folk dance organisations and events across Australia include:
  • the Folk Dance Australia site.
  • the list of Australian Dance Links created by Don Herbison-Evans.
  • Jared's list of Australia Folk Dance.
  • Folk Alliance Australia's list of Dance & Dance Groups.

   

• The Adelaide Traditional & Bush Dance Society hosts dances on 2nd, 4th and 5th Tuesday of the month with everything from English to contra. Change of URL (February 15, 2010)
• Celtic Southern Cross in Bracknell, Tasmania includes contra dance tunes and composition books in its list of wares.
• The monthly Saturday (usually 2nd Saturday) dances in Brisbane include contras along with a number of other dance styles.
• There is an English Country & Broadview Uniting Hall, cnr Galway Ave & Collingrove Ave, Broadview, South Australia. Thursday nights 7.30-9.30pm. $3. Phone Maureen Morris 8261 8225. Change of location (February 15, 2010)
• The National Folk Festival is held in Canberra each year in April and within its large schedule of participatory dances, at least one contra dance is included.
• As part of the Monaro Folk Society, the Canberra Contra Club hosts periodic contra dances on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month. Alternate site. Main link changed (February 15, 2010)
• The band, Contratemps, hosts several contra dances each year in Canberra. Change of URL (March 23, 2009)
• The Central Coast Bush Dance and Music Association sponsors bush dances in East Gosford, generally on the 2nd Saturday of the month. New entry (May 23, 2009)
• In Hobart, you can find contras included as part of an evening of dancing on the last Saturday or the month or the 2nd Friday of the month hosted by different groups. The Folk Federation of Tamsmania also has information about this series which takes place in various locations.
• And Danceoholics Unanimous runs programs on 2nd Fridays (other than January) in Hobart which includes contras. MySpace page.
• The Melbourne Colonial Dancers host dances on most Wednesdays from the 1st Wednesday in February to the 2nd Wednesday in December with social dances in lines, squares and circles with special events throughout the year.
• In Morningside, Queensland, the Queensland Heritage and Folk Dancers hold bush dances including Colonial/Bush, English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, American Contra, and Multicultural dances usually on the 2nd Saturday of the month.
• The Bush Music Club, Inc. hosts bush dances (similar, in some respects, to some types of contra dancing) in Sydney on most 1st and 3rd Saturdays.
• If you are visiting Tasmania in Australia, browse through the listings of the Folk Federation of Tasmania as they include information about concerts and dances, some including contras, on the island. Dances include last Saturdays in the southern part of the island and 2nd Fridays in Newtown.
• While the aim of the Wongawilli Band & Wongawilli Colonial Dance Club Inc. is to preserve, promote and perform Australia's tradition and heritage of music, song, dance, poetry and yarnspinning, they do hold a contra dance near or on July 4th (American Independence Day). The pages are compiled by David De Santi with space provided by Graeme Murray.
• The band Earthly Delights hosts a series of dances on Sundays in Yarralumia with English Country Dance, Baroque, Regency Couples, Contra Dance, Renaissance Dance, and Vintage Ballroom. New entry (October 12, 2008)

Austria

• The group zietenTANZ hosts country dance evenings, including contra dances in Vienna twice a month.

Belgium

• The Anglo-American Dance Service provides links to a number of dance sites in Europe and elsewhere. Blancke provides the information on the spring dances.
• See additional note.

Costa Rica

• The annual Pura Vida Dance Camp takes place in Moravia de Chirippo each February.

Czech Republic

• Dvorana Dance of Praha holds occasional dances, weekends, and dance trips, some of which include contras.

Denmark

• The site to go to is Traditionel Square & Contra Dance i Danmark. Try Square & Contra dance schedule for dates in the area. The contact person is Margot Gunzenhauser. The mailing address is Smakkegaardsvej 102, 2820 Gentofte. The telephone number is (+45) 4583 9983. The e-mail address is margot@gunzenhauser.dk. The site is in Danish, though. See additional note.
• Square and Contra Dance in Denmark includes some background about the history and dance scene in Denmark.

Germany

• A central site is Contra dancing in Germany. It provides information about dances across the country.
• In the Aachen area, there is Pro Contra. The contact person is Carol David-Blackman. The mailing address is Zedernstr. 10, D 52146 Wurselen. The telephone number is +49 2405 82836. The organization hosts New England contras and traditional squares on a monthly basis at 7:30pm (19:30). The organization can also give information on Club squares in the area. See additional note.
• In Berlin, the American Contra and Traditional Square Dance Group meets, generally, every other Sunday of most months with a break during the summer.
• You can dance in Hannover every Monday and Tuesday with Open Country Hannover. Dances include a range of contras, squares, and mixers, depending on who attends on a given night.

Guatamala

• No listings at present.

Israel

• Howard Felson reports that the Jerusalem Contra Dance Society now holds a monthly dance at Kehillat Mevakshei Derech, Shai Agnon 22, Givat Oranimina, Jerusalem. Doors open at 7:30pm; we begin promptly at 8pm. He says that they dance on the third Thursday of the month from April to September and the third Saturday from October to March (but check ahead with them to confirm dates). If anybody is planning to visit...musicians, dancers or callers...please be in contact. Our dances benefit greatly when we have experienced dancers join us. And we'll find a way to work in a guest caller or musician. They have a Yahoo group Change in location (May 24, 2009)

Japan

• There are dances on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month in Fushimi. New entry (February 15, 2010)
• There appears to be a dance series in Kyoto. I'm unsure of the frequency, but the page is current. New entry (May 31, 2009) http://fushicon.okoshi-yasu.com/

The Netherlands

• Donna Richoux provides information about a variety of places to folk dance in the Netherlands including contras, squares, English country, etc along with links to just about every other type of folk dancing in the country.
• Antony Heywood supplies information about the Folk Dance Society NVS which hosts a number of events and activities including English, Scottish and American Country (contra) dancing.

New Zealand

• An excellent place to find out about all types of folk dancing in New Zealand is Folk Dance New Zealand produced by Kieron Horide-Hobley for the association.
• The Dancing Kiwis hosts dances on a variety of dates in Christchurch along with other venues. New entry (March 23, 2009)
• The Dunedin Contradance Group meets every Monday (except long weekends).
• Contra dancing is part of the activites of The International Dancing Group in Hawkes Bay. Problems with site (February 15, 2010)
• Contra dancing every third Saturday with Chilli Jam in the Wellington suburb of Kelburn.

Switzerland

• There are contra dances, generally on the 3rd or 4th Saturday of most months in Dietlikon/Zurich: With caller Katja Hunn and music provided by "Over the Isles". The group dances traditional American contras, squares, mixers and English dances. For more information contact: Katja Hunn, Sonnenbühlstrasse 31, CH- 8305 Dietlikon Tel: +41 1 888 20 85 e-mail: katja_hunn@hotmail.com. And they have their own web site at http://folkdancedietlikon.ch.

United Kingdom

• For festivals, try the following pages:
  • Folk Roots list of festivals
  • Martin Kiff's Festival Pages
  • English Folk Dance and Song Society's list of festivals in the United Kingdom.
• Colin Hume provides advice to American callers and dancers visiting the United Kingdom.
• The English Folk Dance and Song Society has its calendar of activities for the Cecil Sharp House and the rest of England.
• Set and Turn Single, an independent magazine for folk dancers, includes schedules and other dance information for a number of events across England.
• Cruise Conrol Contras has good listings for dances, callers and bands in the UK including those that do not have web sites along with a fairly extensive list of links to contra dancing in general and related subjects.

   

• The Alcester contras are held at the Greig Hall in Alcester, Warwickshire on various Friday nights throughout the year. Change of URL (February 15, 2010)
• John and Hilary Turner sponsor a series of Light-Hearted Dance Weekends in locales such as Bare and Bournemouth which feature dances from the 'Playford era' (c1650) up to the present day including 'New England' Contras & Squares. Change of URL (February 15, 2010)
• The Batheaston Contradance Club meets on the 1st Sunday of each month. Dances on hiatus (February 15, 2010)
• The Inter Varsity Folk Dance Festival (IVFDF) is held in late February and/or early March on a rotating site basis (in 2011 it will be in Bristol). It is described as a wild and wacky folk dance festival arranged for students by students. This doesn't mean that you have to be a student to attend, it just means that the festival is produced with students in mind; i.e. no five star accommodation on site, no fancy publications and no sleeping. Some of the years, there have been contra dances among the activities.
• The Cambridge Contra Dance meets fortnightly on Friday evenings. Hugh Stewart supports the site.
• The Round is Cambridge University's English Country Dance Society. While The Round is primarily a Playford club, they do not limit themselves to this collection and so they also dance other traditional English dances as well as "Ceilidh" dances and American Contras on Thursday nights. They also hold Ceilidhs during the year. Richard Morgan supports the site.
• The Chilworth contras are held once a month on a variety of Thursdays with New England Contras & Squares and lots of swinging!
• The Chippenham Festival takes place in late May each year, sometimes with contras included in the programme.
• The Halsway Contra Club has started meeting at Halsway Manor in Crowcombe, Somerset on the 2nd Wednesday of the month with calling by Ron Rudd and music by the Meltdown Contra Dance Band led by Alan Corkett on accordion, with Sue Rivett on fiddle and Hazel Ridd on keyboard.
• There is now a series of dances in Guildford, on a variety of Saturdays, every other month.
• The Run of the Mill Club hold dances on the 2nd, 4th and 5th Wednesday of each month from September to July in Holloway with dances which may be Traditional, Elizabethan, American Contras and Squares or dances by Pat Shaw. New entry (February 15, 2010)
• The Loughborough Folk Dance Club occasionally holds a night of contra dancing in Kegworth on various Fridays. New entry (March 23, 2009)
• There are now Contras in Kent with weekly Monday night contra dances plus workshops and live bands monthly on Saturdays. New entry (November 15, 2009)
• There are contra dances in Leeds the 2nd, 4th and 5th Tuesday of each month except July and August. Thomas Green provides the information.
• The Liverpool "Contra" folk-dance club, while a specialist club for English Country Dancing does include some contras during its weekly Tuesday night programs (September-May).
• The London Barndance Company generally meets on 2nd Saturdays. Jane Curry and Andrew Findlay prepare the information.
• The Loughborough Folk Dance Club hosts dances on Monday nights featuring English Ceilidh dancing, Irish, American and Scottish social dancing. New entry (May 20, 2009)
• The Nottingham Folk Dance Group holds regular Tuesday night dances and occasional Saturday night dances with the genres ranging from 'Playford' dances and those by Pat Shaw, to American style contras. New entry (February 15, 2010)
• The Reading Folk Dance Group meet on alternate Wednesday evenings dancing Playford, dances from the villages, Fallibroome, Maggot Pie, Pat Shaw, American Squares & Contras.
• The Sidmouth International Festival in Sidmouth, held in the first part of August, definitely includes contradancing.
• The M27 Megabops is bringing country dance back where it belongs (bringing back barn dancing with a bang) in Southampton each month including an occasional contra dance band and caller.
• The Friday Folk at St. Albans specialise in English traditional dances, but occasionally try other dance styles including contras. Bob Barrett hosts the page.
• The Flying Clouds Contra Dance Club holds dances on the 2nd Friday of each month in Stockport. No dances listed since July 2009 (February 15, 2010)
• The White Horse Contras occur in Wiltshire on a variety of dates throughout the year.

Virgin Islands

• In St. Croix in the Virgin Islands, Wild Asparagus sponsors a "Tropical Dance Vacation" - A Week of Contras and Squares in mid-to-late February.

Bands and Musicians

• Martin Kiff maintains a list of English Ceilidh and Barn Dance bands in England for the webfeet site.
• The Folk Federation of Tasmania has information about dance bands in Tasmania.

   

• The Barking Bulldogs play intense and cheerful American old time music for square and contra dances in Denmark with roots in different music styles from American old time music through Scandinavian and Celtic folk music to bluegrass music. MySpace page.
• Bellows, Scratchitt, and Pluckitt play at ceilidhs & barn dances in the Nottingham, England area.
• Big Bad Contra is a dance band from the UK playing mostly in the East Midlands for Contra evenings, and including many American and French-Canadian tunes in its repertoire.
• The Bristol Players, featuring Edward Jay on accordion and Fiona Barrow on fiddle, play at conta dances in England and the United States. MySpace page.
• Dave Brown played with Wild Thyme for a number of years and now plays with ConTradition and Skylark. He is based in England.
• The Bursledon Village Band is based near Southampton on the South Coast of the U.K.
• The Cat's Whiskers Barn Dance Band plays ceilidhs, barn dances and hoe-downs right across England, from Northumberland to Southampton and from Essex to Wessex.
• Chilli Jam plays on a regular basis at the dance in Wellington, New Zealand.
• Contraband (U.K.) is based in Kent. The band's repertoire includes traditional folk music, our own compositions, Irish, traditional American andeven some Scottish tunes with many "new" tunes and arrangements being introduced.
• ConTradition features Dave Brown on fiddle, Julia Day on keyboards and Shane Day on accordion and plays everything from Playford to contra in the UK.
• Corkscrew are an entertaining established band providing music and fun for all ages. The band is based in Poole in Dorset, England.
• The Currawong Bush Band plays traditional Australian bush music for bush dances and other events in and around Sydney. Change of URL (March 6, 2010)
• The Drift is a six piece band playing British and European traditional dance music, mainly in Mid Sussex area of England. Mel Stevens maintains the site. Problem with site (March 23, 2009)
• In Australia, Earthly Delights plays music and lead dances in many traditional styles, they also cross traditional boundaries, mixing medieval and modern instruments and blending Anglo-Celtic, Central European, Latin American and Middle-Eastern melodic, harmonic and rhythmic styles to produce new and exhilarating music. For those that won't be making Down Under in the near future, you can buy "A Box of Earthly Delights", their 2 CD set, which includes instructions for the dances played on the CDs. John Garden supports the site.
• The English Contra Dance Band are based in England and feature fiddle players Jackie Allen and Linda Game and piano player Gareth Kiddier.
• Fiddlin' Around is an all-strings dance band, which would play for the UK's emerging high energy contra dance scene, as well as the English ceilidh circuit. Change of URL (April 3, 2010)
• Caroline and Dan Hollingshurst compose Folkus Pocus which along with playing at an occasional contra dance play dances and workshops at Cecil Sharp House and clubs around the UK.
• Good Parking is the resident band for Leeds (England) Contra Dance. The line-up of fiddles, flute, piano, guitar, and squeeze-boxes depending who comes.
• The Hazel Hill String Band regularly plays at the dance in Jerusalem, Israel.
• Herbal Remedy is a lively band for all barn dances and folk dances, playing mainly in the West Midlands of England.
• The High Jinks Band plays music for English and American Country Dancing, Ceilidhs and social events and is based in Stockport, England. New entry (April 20, 2009)
• The Hobart Old Time String Band plays at an occasional contra dance in Tasmania and other locales in Australia along with their other gigs.
• Kelly's Eye plays for contras, barn dances in England.
• Andrew King is a member of the UK bands, Fiddlin' Around and Stomp, along with performing his own singer/songwriter material.
• Knotted Chord is a folk dance band and plays a wide variety of folk dance music, suitable for all levels of dance experience and all age groups. Their repertoire covers more than three centuries of English music, as well as a broad range of more recent dances. They have a strong interest in American Contra dance music and can also provide a sprinkling of tunes from most parts of Europe. It is based in Nottingham, England.
• Robert Mahony is a dance and tune composer along with one of the organisers of the Canberra Contra Club in Australia.
• The Melbourne Colonial Dance Band provides live music for the Colonial Bush Dance held on the first Wednesday of each month and plays tunes suitable for playing for Australian colonial and folk dancing.
• The Meltdown Contra Band regularly plays as the resident band for Halsway Contra Dance Club and ventures out to perform diverse music for various folk dance clubs parties and weddings in England.
• Howard Mitchell plays double bass, melodeon and concertina for all types of dances including contra dances in England.
• Over the Isles plays on a regular basis in Zurich, Switzerland.
• Based in England, Skylark is a new band formed out of members of the Dave Brown Band. Dave Brown (Fiddle), Elaine Meechan (Keyboards), Kathryn Meechan (flute), Dave Hunter or Patience Scott-Brown (Guitar) and Mark Brown (Bass).
• The Spike Island Band plays at barn dances in England. Richard Breton maintains the site.
• Stick Shift plays driving dance music in the United Kingdom that's geared to a groove. New entry (January 14, 2008)
• Stradivarious plays music for Folk Dances, Country Dances, Barn Dances, Ceilidhs, Scottish Dances, Square Dances, Contra Dances, in much of England.
• Vertical Expression was originally formed as the house band of the Sheffield Contra series, but now also plays at other venues in England and is driven by the double bass and guitar rhythm with excellently danceable melodies played on the fiddle and melodeon.
• The Weston Country Dance Band combines Christina on fiddle, Mary Brock on keyboard and John Brock on box in the UK. (e-mail only)
• The Wongawilli Band plays at bush dances and other events in Australia and all over the world. MySpace page.

Callers

• Julie Bishop calls contras and some English with a variety of bands in Australia. (e-mail only)
• Barrie Bullimore is an experienced caller of American dances, particularly contra, in the UK. (e-mail only (take the (at) out)
• Michael Catovsky calls from contras to internataional and everything in between in England.
• Mike Courthold is a contra caller and Chippenham Festival dance organiser in England. (e-mail only (take the (at) out)
• Geoff Cubitt is a wondrous caller of contras and decidedly devilish squares in the UK. (e-mail only, take the (at) out)
• Rhodri Davies is a magical contra caller at home on both sides of the Atlantic and resides in England. (e-mail only (take the (at) out)))
• Elmo Eldridge has been calling dances (American Contra Dance, English Country Dance, French Dance, and Border Morris) since 1981 from Texas to England and danced from Hong Kong to Chicago. He is based in Derbyshire, England.
• Heiner Fishcle is a caller based in Hannover, Germany and has written several essays (in German and English) on contra dancing.
• Thomas Green, of England, calls at barn dances at a number of venues.
• Adam Hughes calls Ceilidhs, and Barn Dances, and Contra dances, and Playford Dances and... all in England.
• Colin Hume, based in England, calls at dances, camps and festivals there and in the United States.
• Katja Hunn calls on a regular basis in Zurich, Switzerland.
• Robert Mahony is a dance and tune composer along with one of the organisers of the Canberra Contra Club in Australia.
• John Meechan is praised equally for his work with absolute beginners who confess to having two left feet through to the real experts who relish in the challenge and complexity of John's more complicated dances. He is based in Warwickshire, England.
• Eileen Nightingale is a caller of high energy contras and squares in England. (e-mail only (take the (at) out))
• Audun Reitzel calls traditional American square and contra Dancing in New England style, singing calls, and traditional/transitional western style, with a wide repertoire of dances, suitable for beginning to advanced dancers. He is based in Denmark. Change of URL (April 3, 2010)
• In Germany, Ulla Stern has several decades of experience organizing folk music and dance groups along with calling various types of dances.
• Andrew Swaine calls and is involved in a number of dance activities in and around Cambridge, England.
• Colin Towns is a specialist in English (from 1650), American Contra and Square, Morris and Sword dancing in Australia. (e-mail only)
• Chris Turner is a contradance caller in the UK. (e-mail only)
• John Turner calls English Country and contra dances and lives in England.
• David Wanless & Cathy Hutchinson call contras along with a wide variety of other dances in Tasmania. (e-mail only)
• Ian Whitehead calls at a variety of dances in England.
• Stephen Woodcock is a barn dance caller in the West Midlands of England. Change of URL (April 3, 2010)
• Cashy Yates calls on a regular basis at the dance in Wellington, New Zealand.

Organizations

• The The English Folk Dance and Song Society is busy protecting folk heritage. It is the primary UK organisation for stimulating the practice and enjoyment of folk music, dance, song, custom and drama.
• The Vaughan Williams Memorial Library is the library of the English Folk Dance and Song Society and is located in London.

Notes

• Much of the non-UK information was provided by Donna Richoux. She notes that in the Netherlands, UK, and probably other locations, visitors should expect to find English Country Dancing and US contras mingled together. It is rare to find a purely US contra event.
• Margot Gunzenhauser writes that in Denmark (or for that matter, the Czech Republic), there is less English Country Dancing. She included a lot of Playford dances when she first started up the group in Denmark in 1981, but English dancing never really caught on here, although it is starting to become a little more popular now with some of the more experienced dancers. The contra and traditional square dance scene in Denmark is thus very much American in focus, and visitors usually feel at home with them.

This page is part of the Contrdancelinks.com web site. For more information about contra dancing, visit these other site pages:

http://www.contradancelinks.com/world.html
Produced by Charlie Seelig
Last updated on May 4, 2010