Happy October, everyone! Here in the northern Berkshires, our two September dances were delightful, and our upcoming dances promise to be just as good. We hope you’ll come help make the fun on the second Saturday of October, November, AND December! (Schedule here.)

On October 10th, ace caller Luke Donforth will lead the evening, supported by buoyant live fiddle music from Trois Amis.

Luke will open the evening with a fun introductory lesson at 7:15.  Bring a friend! Join in! Luke’s teaching is supportive and clear throughout the evening, but it helps to start at the beginning.  Luke Donforth is a contra caller and choreographer based in Burlington, VT. He focuses on facilitating everyone in the hall joyously moving to the music.

Music will be provided by Trois Amis, a superb band that has brought many years of happy dancing to communities around New England. Trois Amis is Laurie Indenbaum on fiddle, Andy Davis on accordion, and Mary Cay Brass on keyboard.

The evening will open with a lesson for beginners at 7:15, followed by dancing for all from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. in the Community Hall of the First Congregational Church, 906 Main St., Williamstown. Admission is pay-as-you-can, $12 – $20 suggested, no one turned away for lack of funds.

Contra dancing is a living tradition in New England; for hundreds of years, neighbors and friends have made their own social entertainment in this easy and highly collaborative dance form. All are welcome. Come alone, or with friends — most people change partners for each dance throughout the evening. New dancers and families with children are encouraged to arrive by 7:15 for instruction in the basics.

For optional extra fun, come to our pre-dance calling workshop/practicum, 2-4pm in Goodrich Hall on the Williams College campus. Bring a dance you’d like to workshop in a friendly group setting – or simply help out as a biddable dancer on the floor.

Respiratory Illness Policy: Please stay home if you feel ill or have cold symptoms. We’ll be glad to see you next month!  Masks appreciated but not required.

As always, you can help more dancers find the dance by printing and posting our event flyer:

Hi – quick update to let you know that we’ve cancelled our August 8th dance (boo-hoo!). Summer is just too busy, even for some of us dance organizers.

But, to make up for that, we are having two dances in September.

On September 12th, we will have a contra dance in North Adams, in the community hall of the All Saints Episcopal church. (Same location as June and July.) Maggie McRae will call using larks and robins role terms. Poster here: https://northberkshiredance.org/poster/

On September 26th, we will hold our contra dance in Williamstown, in the community hall of the First Congregational church. Jeff and Kathy Walker will call, using gents and ladies role terms. Poster here, a little lower on the page: https://northberkshiredance.org/poster/

Here are some pictures from our July dance, which was lots of fun. Thanks for coming! Hope to see you again soon!

Saturday, July 11th: a community contra dance! North Berkshire Community Dance will be in North Adams for the summer of 2026. On July 11th, our monthly dance will feature calling by Rindle Glick, and live music provided by local musicians (possibly including you?).

All are welcome. Come alone, or with friends – most people change partners for each dance throughout the evening. New dancers and families with children are encouraged to arrive by 7:15 for an introductory lesson. The dance will run 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. in the Community Hall of the All Saints Episcopal Church, 59 Summer St., North Adams. Use the door closest to the post office. Admission is pay-as-you-can: $12 – $20 suggested, no one turned away for lack of funds.

Rindle Glick will call, starting with an introductory lesson for beginners (and helpful more experienced dancers) at 7:15PM. Rindle is an organizer of the Troy Queer Contra Dance, and we’ve heard good things about their calling also. Dancers of all ages and experience level will feel welcome on the floor.

Music will be live, by local musicians in varied small ensembles we’re calling “mixer bands”. Volunteer musicians will form groups and take turns througout the evening. Any musician familiar with the contra dance (new england folk) genre is welcome to participate. Bring your instrument, a few favorite tunes, and sign up at the dance. Or (most helpfully) email SeamusDConnor@gmail.com to express interest ahead of time.

Prior to the main dance, from 3-5 in the afternoon, we’ll have a calling “playgroup” same location. Anyone is welcome to come try out calling, or help out the practicing callers as a biddable dancer on the floor.

Where: 59 Summer Street, North Adams, MA. In the Community Hall of the All Saints Episcopal Church — between the post office and the best parking lot in town

When: Saturday, July 11th. Introductory lesson 7:15PM, main dance 7:30PM

Admission: donations of $12 – $20 suggested, no one turned away for lack of cash

Role Terms: Larks and Robins (gender neutral)

Weather: may be hot – water bottles, and changes of shirt may come in handy.

Respiratory health policy: Masks welcome, not required. Windows will be open with fans. Please stay home if you feel at all ill, and we’ll be glad to see you next month.

Come to a friendly community contra dance in North Adams, this June 13th! Contra dancing is a traditional dance form, a delightful group activity, and a good place to meet your neighbors — you’ll wind up dancing with everyone in the hall. Also, the music is live and home grown. What could be better?

Our June, July, and August dances will be in North Adams, in the Community Hall of the friendly All Saints Episcopal Church – on Summer Street, between the post office and the best parking lot in town.

On June 13th, we’ll have an open band. George Wilson (fiddle) and Becky Hollingsworth (keyboard) will lead in their friendly, supportive way. All musicians on acoustic instruments are welcome to join. Here is a list of possible and likely tunes: https://northberkshiredance.org/tune-list/

Seamus Connor will call, starting with an introductory lesson for beginners (and helpful dancers) at 7:15PM. Seamus is a new, local caller with a gentle, engaging style. Dancers of all ages and experience level will feel welcome on the floor.

Prior to the main dance, , from 3-5 in the afternoon, we’ll have a calling “playgroup” same location. Anyone is welcome to come try out calling, or help out the practicing callers as a biddable dancer on the floor.

Where: 59 Summer Street, North Adams, MA. In the Community Hall of the All Saints Episcopal Church — next door to the post office

When: introductory lesson 7:15PM, main dance 7:30PM

Admission: donations of $12 – $20 suggested, no one turned away for lack of cash

Role Terms: Larks and Robins (gender neutral)

January 10th, 2026 (another new year), will see a community contra dance in Williamstown, MA. Caller Liz Nelson will open the evening with an introductory lesson at 7:15PM. Music to delight the finest sensiblities will be provided by Spare Parts, and the dance will run 7:30 – 10:30PM.

Where: in the Community Hall of the First Congregational Church, 906 Main Street, Williamstown, MA
When: 7:15-10:30PM
Who: Liz Nelson calling to music by Spare Parts (Liz Stell, Bill Matthiesen, Eric Buddington), and dancing by you and a bunch of other lovely people
How much: $12-$20 suggested (to help cover costs), no one turned away for lack of funds.
Role Terms: Larks and Robins
Respiratory Health Policy: Masks always welcome. Please stay home if you have cold symptoms or otherwise feel unwell.
Why: it might cheer you up.

Our caller this month is Liz Nelson. She will teach all the dances in an inclusive and welcoming style, using gender-neutral phrasing. Liz believes that anyone and everyone can dance. Her goal is to help create evenings where music becomes movement and moving together becomes joy, just as natural as breathing.

Berkshire County band, “Spare Parts” will provide live dance music, performing the traditional fiddle tunes in rich and elegant arrangements.  Bill Matthiesen on piano and Liz Stell on flute combine with fiddler Eric Buddington for period events, contradances, English dances, weddings, parties, concerts, and dance camps from Alaska to Maine. Their historic dance music has been used worldwide in motion pictures (Bright Star) and theater productions as well as television programs including Mercy Street (PBS), Antiques Roadshow and numerous programs on the History Channel (even SpongeBob SquarePants!).

We’ll also have a calling playgroup from 2-4PM, for anyone interested in learning to call, or inhelping out as a biddable dancer for beginning callers. The calling playgroup will be in Goodrich Hall, 863 Main St, Williamstown, MA 01267. The main door for the building is under the bell tower, near the driveway. We’ll be in the first floor meeting room, which has a piano. When you walk in, use the door to the left. You can park in the WCMA parking spots or on Spring Street.