Please note: CDR occasionally takes photographs or does some limited video of our events for marketing purposes. Community dances are more fun when lots of people participate, and one of the best ways for us to introduce potential new dancers to Contra and English Country dancing is by sharing photos that show what we do. If you have any concerns about being included and/or tagged in such marketing pictures and videos for  please let us know.

Directions to our regular dance location

Arrival, Sound Check & Tech Stuff
We provide a sound system and tech. We have four Shure SM-57 instrument mics and one SM-58 voice mic (with wireless adapters so that it can be used on the dance floor), a Yamaha powered mixer / amp with 8 input channels and a single monitor mix, two house speakers and stands, a large floor monitor, and a small Mackie powered studio monitor. We also have a Roland RD 600 electronic keyboard which can be set up on request.  And a resident set of the Barnes books.

The hall is usually open 30 to 45 minutes before dance time.  The band should arrive half an hour before dance start, and be ready for a sound check by  10 minutes before dance start.  If your band needs more time to set up, please let us know — it’s sometimes possible to open the hall earlier. We advertise a brief orientation for beginners 20 minutes before the dance starts.  Planning committee members usually run these, but it can be helpful for the caller to be there too.  We also keep a set of the Barnes tune books in our sound cabinet in case they are needed.

Note that our dance start times may vary with the season – our web site’s home page shows times for upcoming dances.

Program
We advertise our evening dances as beginner friendly, so callers should be prepared to accommodate newcomers when they show up. Our dancers are good at partnering with new dancers.  Average attendance pre-COVID was about 30, with slightly more women than men.  Current averages during the pandemic are significantly less. The hall has a good wood floor, about 36 ‘ x 60’. We ask callers to provide the band with a tune list at least two weeks before the dance date.

If you would like to see what dances we have been doing, you can request access to annual lists of our dance programs with these links: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

We like to have a break (preceded by a waltz) for socializing and refreshments roughly half way through the dance.  Announcements are made by someone from the planning committee as dancers are lining up for the last dance before the break.  We also like to have a final couples waltz; please leave time for that so we can end promptly.

The hall is not air conditioned, but has good cross ventilation and fans provide some heat relief in the summer. It can be on the chilly side for performers in the winter.

We look forward to seeing you
If you have any questions, changes in personnel, last minute travel difficulties, etc. please email the booker at .