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)
On September 26th, we will hold our contra dance in Williamstown, in the community hall of the First Congregational church. Poster here: 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/
Open band led by Becky Hollingsworth and George Wilson, June 2024
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)
Contra Dancers “taking hands four”, North Adams, June 2024
North Berkshire Community Dance will hold its monthly contra dance on Saturday, May 9th. Fern Bradley will call, and Eric Buddington will lead the music.
Fern Bradley will lead the evening activities. Fern calls regularly for community dances of all sorts and sizes – so please feel welcome whatever your experience level. Come with friends, new or old! Or come by yourself – contra dances are a great place to meet your neighbors thru a fun activity.
The music will be provided by Eric Buddington and Todd Reynolds on fiddle, Seamus Connor on guitar and mandolin, and Drew Zuckerman on bass. Ranging in age and experience from talented high school student (Drew) thru established career professional (Todd), these four share a love of improvisation, melody, and supporting community joy through music. You can expect thoroughly danceable New England fiddle music, with plenty of subtle thrills for your ears interleaved throughout.
The evening will begin 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.
For optional extra fun, come to our pre-dance calling playgroup, 2 – 4PM at Goodrich Hall, 863 Main Street. Bring a dance you’d like to try calling – 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.
Welcome the spring season at a friendly contra dance! North Berkshire Community Dance will hold its monthly contra dance on Saturday, April 11th. The caller, Hannah Johlas, will teach every dance to live traditional fiddle music from The Vintons.
The dance will run 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, and barter (especially help with cleanup) is also welcome.
Everyone is welcome. New dancers and families with children are encouraged to arrive at 7:15 for an introductory lesson. Come with or without a partner; most people change partners for each dance throughout the evening.
Our caller, Hannah, loves sharing the joy of contra with new and experienced dancers alike, and is known for her clear, welcoming, and concise teaching. Her number one priority is always that dancers have a great time!
The band, “The Vintons,” is a collaboration of three long-time musician friends with a love for the classic New England contradance sound: George Wilson – fiddle, Andy Davis – accordion & piano, and Marko Packard – guitar & flute. With many decades of musical experience of all kinds between them, from George with Fennig’s All-Star String Band & teaching at dance camps, Andy with Nowell Sing We Clear & years of dance calling, and Marko with Airdance & Elixir, these three weave new musical fabric from the traditional tunes that they love.
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.
For optional extra fun, come to our pre-dance calling playgroup, 2 – 4PM at Goodrich Hall, 863 Main St. Bring a dance you’d like to try calling – or simply help out as a biddable dancer on the floor.
**** LATE BREAKING NEWS: PETER STIX WILL CALL TONGIHT, 3/14. LARKS AND ROBINS ROLE TERMS.
(Peter is substituting for Maggie who woke up feeling poorly, and regretfully cancelled.)
THANK YOU, PETER!
******
Come on out for a lively community contra dance on Saturday, March 14th. Bring your fiddle!
As usual, the evening will open with a lesson for beginners at 7:15 PM, followed by dancing for all from 7:30 on.
Where: In the Community Hall of the First Congregational Church, 906 Main Street, Williamstown, MA When: 7:30PM (7:15 for introductory lesson), on Saturday, March 14th Who: Maggie McRae will call, the open band (possibly including you!) will be anchored by Rebecca Weiss and Seamus Connor. And you, and lots of other people, will dance. How much: $12 – $20 suggested donation; no one turned away for lack of funds Role Terms: non-gendered, probably Larks and Robins
This will be the fourth time Maggie has called for us, and we have no doubt she’ll be cheerful, calm, and encouraging, just like always. Rebecca, on fiddle, and Seamus, on guitar, will gladly welcome you (or your friends and family members) onto the stage to participate in the music making for all, or a few, of the evening’s dances. A tune list for interested musicians is here: https://northberkshiredance.org/tune-list/
If you want to start early, you may also come to our calling playgroup, which runs from 2-4PM. This 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. You can park in the WCMA parking spots or on Spring Street.
As always, you can help us out by printing and posting our dance flyer:
Shall we contemplate contra dancing in February? The weather is… Oh, enough of the preliminaries! Let’s skip to the good bits.
On Saturday, February 14th, 2026, Steve Howland will call for our Williamstown dance. The evening will open with an introductory lesson for beginners at 7:15, and the main event starts at 7:30. Steve is a cheerful, homespun sort of caller. He’s been calling dances and playing fiddle for years, and has a bunch of fun dances to share. We hope you’ll come!
Music will be provided by Seamus Connor and Alex Moon, and possibly some additional musicians. Seamus and Alex are relatively young and relatively new to contra dancing, and both are enthusiastic musicians, ready to support the dance with a reliable beat and melodic flair. You’ll almost certainly enjoy listening quite as much as dancing.
Someone volunteered to possibly bring cookies. Besides that, here are the double-U(s). (Ws? How do you spell that letter, in the plural, for easy reading?)
–Where: In the Community Hall of the First Congregational Church, 906 Main Street, Williamstown, MA –When: 7:30PM (7:15 for introductory lesson), on Saturday, February 14th –Who: Steve Howland calling to music by Seamus Connor and Alex Moon, and you dancing with lots of other, similarly fun and interesting people –Why: Entertainment we make for ourselves is a fine thing, and so are socializing, good cheer, and a bit of exercise in a warm place on a cold winter night –How much: $12 – $20 suggested donation; no one turned away for lack of funds –Role Terms: non-gendered, probably Larks and Robins
AND there will be a Calling Playgroup, from 2-4PM. Come if you’ve any interest at all in learning to call, in seeing what calling involves, or in helping newer callers learn by dancing obediently. This 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.
As always, you can help us out by printing and posting our dance flyer:
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.
Come cheer up, and warm up, at a community contra dance, on Saturday, December 13th, in Williamstown, MA. We’ll have live music in the New England tradition by George Wilson and Selma Kaplan, and calling by Luke Donforth.
This month, we will start with an introductory lesson at 7:15 PM. This is little earlier than the 7:30 start time you may be accustomed to. Please do come for the lesson if you can — Luke’s lesson is fun, engaging, and leads smoothly right into the evening’s dance program. It’s a perfect start for you or a friend who’s been hesitating to try something new — also a good refresher if you danced long ago and want to ease back into it — and a great way to help welcome newcomers to our community dance if you’re a regular.
Where: in the Community Hall of the First Congregational Church, 906 Main Street, Williamstown, MA
When: 7:15PM – 10:30PM, on Saturday, December 13th
Music by George Wilson on fiddle, with Selma Kaplan on keyboard
Calling by Luke Donforth, using Larks and Robins role terms
Cost: pay-what-you-can, donations of $12 – $20 recommended, but no one turned away for lack of funds
Respiratory Health Policy: Please stay home if you feel at all unwell, and we’ll be glad to see you next month. Masks are welcome, but not required. Windows open.
Music will be provided by George Wilson on fiddle with Selma Kaplan on keyboard. The two have been supporting contra dances with dynamic traditional music for well over thirty years. George’s fiddling, strongly influenced by Cape Breton and French Canadian styles, will lift your feet, and Selma’s piano will provide a solid and sensitive rhythmic foundation.
Additionally, this month, we’re having a playgroup from 10AM – 12PM, in the Williamstown Public Library. Anyone with an interest in learning to call, seeing what goes into calling, or just being a biddable dancer to help new callers learn, is very welcome.
As a community contra dance in a small college town, we try to be welcoming to a wide range of people and abilities. Contra dancing is a group activity, perfect for meeting neighbors, making new friends, or just enjoying live music and a low stakes, pleasant social activity. Come alone or with friends – no need to bring a partner. In contra dancing it is usual to find a new partner for each dance within the evening, and you’ll end up dancing with everyone in the hall, more or less. Newcomers, and families with children, please do come for the introductory lesson at 7:15.
We’d love it if you were to print and share the poster, to help new people find the dance!
This Saturday, November 8th, please come enjoy dancing in Williamstown, MA to music by California-based band, “Raven and Goose”, and calling by Ben Sachs-Hamilton of Northampton, MA.
11.8.2025: LATE BREAKING NEWS: Liz Nelson will be our caller tonight. (Ben unfortunately had to cancel.) Thank you, Liz!
The dance will run 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.
Caller Ben Sachs-Hamilton will teach using “larks and robins” role terms. Sachs-Hamilton has called and organized for dances across the northeast, with a focus on LGBTQ and gender-role-free dance communities. He fosters a welcoming and inclusive space for diverse groups of new and experienced dancers.
Raven & Goose are a nationally touring contra duo. With fiery fiddlin’ and foot stompin’ piano, they play original compositions and breathe new life into traditional tunes, all delivered with a passion that will get you up and dancing! Here is video of Raven & Goose playing for the NW Folk Festival, earlier this year: https://youtu.be/FmTgO-ZmdIg?si=Pk2NDQff3uYc3TvG
Additionally, Corwin and Grace, (of “Raven and Goose”), will lead a free workshop for contra dance musicians, from 2-4 PM on Saturday, November 8th. Workshop focus: adapting (standard repertoire) tunes to the dance being called. For example, what do you do if the dance has a balance you didn’t necessarily plan for? The musicians’ workshop 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.
The dance will run 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.. 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 7:30 for instruction in the basics.
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.
North Berkshire Community Dance 