Details
Community dance downstairs at 6:00 with Margaret Mathews calling to music by the CDR Open Band, led by Micah and Clara, followed by an intro to contra at 7:00, and hot dancing upstairs at 7:30 with Audrey & Jane providing the music to calling by Christine Merryman, who is visiting us from Arizona.
Admission is charged on a sliding scale, with $12 as the suggested donation. Our admission fees don’t cover all our costs, so feel free to pay more if you can. We offer an introduction to contra dancing starting at 7:00.
Callers
Christine Merryman
Christine Merryman discovered the magic of contra dancing over 14 years ago just outside her hometown in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Christine started calling dances in her parents’ backyard eight years ago. She took callers workshops with Bob Isaacs and began calling dances in the Philly area. Six years ago, Christine moved to Arizona and began calling for dances in Phoenix, Tucson, and Flagstaff. She has also called dances and dance weekends in California and throughout the eastern U.S.
Christine enjoys teaching beginners and creating a welcoming atmosphere for all dancers. One thing she loves the most about calling is seeing the joy, laughter, and smiles on dancers’ faces!
Margaret Mathews
With more than 35 years experience as dancer, musician and caller, Margaret’s easy-going, engaging style gets everyone out on the dance floor. Her ability to smoothly adjust the dances to the experience level of the dance community make it a fun and accessible evening for everyone. In addition to contra dances, she calls for traditional Old Time square dances, Civil War reenactments, hoedowns, weddings and other joy filled occasions. Her dance calling has taken her up and down the East coast, from the Carolinas to Vermont, as well as the Northwest and Canada. As a musician, Margaret has played with Homage Quebecois, Wildroot String Band, and others.
Bands
Audrey Potter
Audrey Potter (fiddle)
Fiddler Audrey Potter enthusiastically plays for our contras. A former member of Ginger Majority, she is an alumna of the Kanack School of Musical Artistry before going on to study Violin Performance and Music Education at the Fredonia School of Music. She now teaches Orchestra & General Music at West Irondequoit CSD.
Jane Knoeck
Jane Knoeck (piano, accordion)
Jane Knoeck is the doyenne of Rochester dance piano for both English country and contra. She is a member of the nationally touring band, The Groovemongers, as well as River Bend, Sister Haggis, and others reaching back over many years. It’s always a great night for dancing when Jane is on stage.