Contra dancing is a joyful, energetic community dance for all ages. We dance to live music – fiddles, guitar, accordions, and more – and talented callers guide us through dance formations. Check out our Schedule page or subscribe to our email newsletter for upcoming dances.
Beginners are very welcome – all dances are taught and no partner or previous experience needed – just bring your smile!
“It was [a] very friendly atmosphere. The instructions were good. The music was fantastic!” “Very welcoming.”
Contra Dances in 2023
Contra dances will take place once or twice a month on 1st and/or 3rd Saturday evenings. Our local callers Catherine Burns or Peter Simonyi will be leading many of the dances.
Doors open at 7 PM
Introductory lesson 7:30-8 PM (highly recommended for new participants)
Dance 8-11 PM
Location: Churchill Recreation Centre, 345 Richmond Road, Ottawa
Schedule
December 2nd 2023 Les Quatre Patates (Grace Hendrickson-Jones, Jonathan Werk, Antonie Beaudet, and Jacob deGroot-Maggetti)
Calling: Qwill DuvalDecember 16th 2023 Greg Brown, Richard Forest and Emily Addison
Calling: Catherin Burns
This is our Christmas dance with goodies pot luck and other fun at the break. 😀January 6th, 2024 Traditional Fare January 20th, 2024 Odds and Sods February 3rd, 2024 Atlantic Firth February 17th, 2024 Magia Vestis Café Orchestra March 2nd, 2024 To be announced soon March 16th, 2024 Peach Jam
For ticket prices and more information, check out our Schedule page.
Masks are optional. Please stay home if you’re sick.
Starting at our June 2023 dances mask wearing was optional. Dancers are most welcome to wear a mask if they wish to. If you feel unwell, test positive for Covid, or are a close contact of someone with Covid, please do not attend. Staying up to date with vaccination is highly recommended. Please see our full list of Covid measures here.
Newsletter
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