Our contra dances take place twice a month on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month from September through June each dance season. Our local callers Peter Simonyi, June Harman & Emily Addison will lead many of the dances, along with other callers too.
*** Starting with the March 21st dance, times will shift forward by 30 minutes. Until then, times shown here still apply. ***
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 (see our Location page)
Contra Dance Schedule (Saturdays)
- February 21st, 2026 – Balfolk dance too!
- Band: Gregannian Chance (Greg Brown, Ann Downey & Ian Clark)
Caller: June Harman and Laura Simons
*** Plus *** There will be a Balfolk dance, upstairs, from 4:15 to 6:30 PM. It will start with a lesson. New dancers very welcome! - March 7th, 2026 – Also an English Country Dance for Contra dancers!
- Band: The Star Charters
Caller: David Smukler
*** Plus *** There will be an English Country Dance, for Contra dancers, from 3:30 to 5:30 PM. Music will be by two of the Star Charters plus Grace Hendrickson-Jones. - March 21st, 2026 – Our first dance starting at 7:30 PM!
- Band: JET (James Stephens, Emily Addison & Tim Cutts)
Caller: Peter Simonyi - April 11th, 2026 – The second Saturday of the month.
- Band: JET (James Stephens, Emily Addison & Tim Cutts)
Caller: Rachel Ameen
We have only one dance in April, but our friends in Montreal are hosting a dance weekend: Bonjour-Hey. - May 2nd, 2026
- Band: Kaw Creek
Caller: Drew Delaware - May 16th, 2026
- Band: Ramshackle Jack
Caller: TBD - June 6th, 2026
- Band: Greg Brown, James Stephens and Emily Addison
Caller: TBD - June 20th, 2026
- Band and caller still TBD.
- July and August 2026
- No contra dances.
- September 19th, 2026
- First dance of the 2026-2027 season.
- October 30th – November 1st, 2026
- Hey Fever! dance weekend!
More info
Payment is available at the door. We have a sliding scale so you can choose your price. We accept cash, or e-transfer to ottawacontra@gmail.com
- $10 Minimum
- $15 Regular price
- $20 Helps cover our costs
- $25 Helps sustain our dances
- Children: no minimum price
- When we hold an additional afternoon dance, admission is separate for the afternoon and evening. The minimum is $10 for the afternoon session.
Masks are optional. 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 recommended. Please see our full list of Covid measures here.
If you are new to contra dancing, check out the info on our website. Beginners are most welcome!
To stay informed, if you are not already subscribed to our Newsletter, please sign up for our emails here.
Larks and Robins
We dance using the role terms “Larks and Robins.” The “lark” is the same role as “gent,” and the “robin” is the same role as “lady.” Larks are on the LEFT to begin the dance and end the swing. Robins are similar on the RIGHT. Handy that Left/Right first letter alignment with the names (not a coincidence)! If you would like more information about these terms, take a look at this summary from the San Francisco dance community.
What to Bring – Contra dancing is energetic!
- Lightweight, casual clothing
- A water bottle
- Indoor shoes with non-marking soft soles (to protect our wooden floor).
Conduct and Etiquette
We expect all attendees to our events to follow our code of conduct and to practice good dance etiquette. Please do your part to create a culture of safety, respect, and consent.
Concerns? Don’t hesitate to contact a Dance Committee member.
Past bands this 2025-2026 season
- Sept 6/25 – Greg Brown and Ian Clark, with Peter Simonyi calling
- Sept 20/25 – Kittiwake, with Qwill Duvall calling
- Oct 4/25 – Frost and Fire (from Vermont), with Luke Donforth calling
- Oct 18/25 – JET (James Stephens, Emily Addison & Tim Cutts), with June Harman calling.
- Oct 31-Nov 2/25 – Hey Fever! with Good Company and River Road, plus Mary Wesley and Will Mentor calling.
- Nov 15/25 – Quatre Patates, with Nicholas Smith calling
- Dec 6/25 – Magia Vestis Café Orchestra, with Bev Bernbaum calling
- Dec 20/25 – Atlantic Firth, with Emily Addison calling.
- Jan 3/26 – Dawn Chorus (Cedar Stanistreet, Eric MacDonald & Grace Hendrickson Jones) with Emily Addison calling.
- Jan 17/26 – Traditional Fare, with Peter Simonyi calling.
- Feb 7/26 – Traverse (Nicholas Williams, Laura Risk & Rachel Aucoin), with Grace Hendrickson-Jones calling.
2024-2025 bands (click/tap to show)
- Sept 21/24 – Trois Patates
- Oct 5/24 – Ramshackle Jack (Nathan Smith & Kyle Kirkpatrick)
- Oct 19/24 – Emily Addison, James Stephens and Richard Forest
- Nov 1-3/24 – Hey Fever! Dance weekend with Elixir and Peach Jam
- Nov 16/24 – Atlantic Firth
- Dec 7/24 – Double dance with Cojiro (Jess Newman & Mark Price with special guest Grace Hendrickson-Jones)
- Dec 21/24 – Quatre Patates
- Jan 4/25 – Traditional Fare
- Jan 18/25 – Ramshackle Jack (Nathan Smith & Kyle Kirkpatrick)
- Feb 1/25 – JET (James Stephens, Emily Addison & Tim Cutts)
- Feb 15/25 – Trio of Greg Brown, Ashley Murray & Justin Theriault
- Mar 1/25 – Double dance with Stove Dragon
- Mar 15/25 – Trio of Ian Clark, Greg Brown & Ann Downey
- Apr 5/25 – Waltz hour, before main dance, with Magia Vestis Café Orchestra
- Apr 19/25 – No dance (hall not available Easter weekend)
- May 3/25 – Double dance (English Country Dance in the afternoon), with Trio of Ian Clark, Greg Brown & Ann Downey
- May 17/25 – Greg Brown, Richard Forest, James Stephens & John Mitchell
- June 7/25 – Atlantic Firth
- June 21/25 – JET (James Stephens, Emily Addison & Tim Cutts)
2023-2024 bands (click/tap to show)
- Sept 16/23 – Gròóvåtrøñ
- Oct 7/23 – Greg Brown, Richard Forest and Ian Clark trio
- Oct 12/23 – Grace Hendrickson-Jones, Jonathan Werk, and Antonie Beaudet
- Nov 4/23 – Magia Vestis Café Orchestra (James Stephens, Kate Weekes and Peter Andrée)
- Nov 18/24 – Odds and Sods
- Dec 2/23 – Les Quatre Patates (Grace Hendrickson-Jones, Jonathan Werk, Antonie Beaudet, and Jacob deGroot-Maggetti)
- Dec 16/23 – Greg Brown, Richard Forest and Emily Addison
- Jan 6/24 – Traditional Fare
- Jan 20/24 – Odds and Sods
- Feb 3/24 – Atlantic Firth
- Feb 17/24 – Magia Vestis Café Orchestra
- Mar 2/24 – Greg Brown, Denis Drouin, Tina Therieu and Peter Andree
- Mar 16/24 – Peach Jam
- Apr 6/24 – Traditional Fare
- Apr 20/24 – Tamsyn Klazek-Schryer Trio
- May 4/24 – Grace Hendrickson-Jones, Jonathan Werk, and another
- May 18/24 – Rideau Ramblers
- Jun 1/24 – James Stephens, Ian Clark and Ann Downey
2022-2023 bands (click/tap to show)
- Sep 17/22 – Greg Brown, Paul Hawtin, Emilia Bartellas, and Doug Dorward
- Oct 1/22 – Ottawa Valley trio of Dan Schryer, Paul McClelland, and Alistair MacDonald joined by Ian Clark and Karen Steven
- Oct 15/22 – Greg Brown, Richard Forest and Ian Clark
- Nov 5/22 – Rideau Ramblers (Frank Cassidy, Jeff McClintock and Dennis Alexander)
- Nov 19/22 – Magia Vestis Café Orchestra (James Stephens, Kate Weekes and Peter Andrée)
- Dec 17/22 – Old Sod with Ann Downey gathering Ian, Tim, Phillip and Dan
- Jan 7/23 – Nicholas Williams and James Stephens
- Feb 4/23 – Peach Jam
- Mar 4/23 – Rideau Ramblers (Frank Cassidy, Jeff McClintock and Dennis Alexander)
- Mar 18/23 – Odds and Sods with Ann Downey and Old Sod Band alumni
- Apr 1/23 – Gròóvåtrøñ (Grace Hendrickson-Jones, Jonathan Werk, Everest Witman)
- Apr 15/23 – Atlantic Firth (Alastair MacDonald, Karen Steven and John Mitchel)
- May 6/23 – Traditional Fare with Nicholas Smith
- May 20/23 – Magia Vestis Café Orchestra (James Stephens, Kate Weekes and Peter Andrée)
- June 3/23 – Ian Clark, Greg Brown and Richard Forest
- June 17/23 – James Stephens, Anne Downey and Ian Clark