![]() ![]() Location: the Community Hall of the First Congregational Church. 906 Main Street, Williamstown, MA Time: 7:30 – 10 PM Admission: pay-as-you-can. $12 – $20 suggested. Barter (especially help with cleanup) also welcome. Covid Policy: we continue to require proof of vaccination and masking for this June 10th dance. Please be prepared to show proof of vaccination at the door, if you have not previously registered at our dance. (Pre-registration form here: https://tinyurl.com/NorthBerkshireDancePreReg) Having a spare mask to change into can be really helpful – just like shirts, masks get a bit dampish from dancing in warm weather, and a fresh, dry one is a pleasure. Speaking of Covid policies, ours is potentially up for revision. Would you contribute your thoughts, please, in this survey? https://tinyurl.com/NBCDCovidSurvey2023 We had planned to launch this survey last month, but then one of our key organizers came down with Covid (he’s recovered now), and we had a bit of a scramble to put on the May dance without him. He reports that Covid is distinctly unpleasant, even with Paxlovid. Since he stayed home (model comportment) we didn’t have to worry he would spread Covid at the dance — but it was a good reminder that, A. we miss people when they’re away and, B. Covid’s not gone and we do still need to think about how we want to manage it. We hope to see you at this dance, and many more! |
Author Archives: doonemackay
Covid Policy Survey
How do you feel about our Covid policy at the North Berkshire Community Contra Dance (Williamstown, MA)? Let us know if it’s too much, too little, or just right by taking this survey:
Community Dance and Open Band: May 13th, 2023
Remember how much fun we were having in early 2020? (Link to video on Facebook.)

Join us for the sequel on May 13th, 2023! We’re having another open band dance. As before, we’ll have calling by Andy Davis, and the band led Becky Hollingsworth and (this time) Susan Conger on fiddle.
The dancing will, as usual, feature a gentle opening suitable for beginners and children at 7:30 PM, then progress into somewhat zestier dances after 8:30, including the old chestnut Chorus Jig.
Admission: pay-what-you-can, $12 – $20 suggested
Location: 906 Main Street, Williamstown, MA 01267, in the community hall of the First Congregational Church
Time: 7:30 – 10:30 PM, Saturday, May 13th
Covid Precautions: Masks and proof of vaccination required. If you’re pre-registered, you won’t have to show your card at the door. Here’s a link to the pre-registration form: https://tinyurl.com/NorthBerkshireDancePreReg Performers may go unmasked *if* they’ve had a negative rapid test that day — this includes open band members while in the band area, but masks are required while dancing and elsewhere in the hall.
Anyone with an acoustic instrument is welcome to join the band. Here’s a list of the tunes we’ll play: https://northberkshiredance.org/tune-list-for-open-band-may-13-2023/ Chorus Jig is a little tricky — sheet music available in the “New England Fiddler’s Repertoire” or the “Fiddler’s Fakebook”. Note the ABCB form of Chorus Jig differs from the standard AABB of most contra dance repertoire.
April 8th Dance — Beginner Special!
Worried your dance skills are rusty? Have a friend or family member who is scared to dance? Come to our April 8th community contra dance in Williamstown, bringing your hesitant friends, and your enthusiastic friends, too!

Our caller this month will be Paul Rosenberg, who specializes in leading dance events welcoming to complete novices, families with children, and people who are really worried about the whole idea. The evening will feature lots of simple dances appropriate for novices and families, gradually building the dancers’ skill levels and confidence while having fun.
Caller: Paul Rosenberg

Musicians: Tony Pisano, Eric Buddington, Patrician Kernan (Two fabulous locals, and one spcialist in the caller’s repertoire.)
Location: the community hall of the First Congregational Church, at 906 Main Street, Williamstown, MA
Time: 7:30 – 10PM, Saturday April 8th
Admission: pay what you can; $10 – $20 suggested
Covid Precautions: Masks and proof of vaccination required
Come Dance with us on March 11th, 2023!
Starting with an introductory lesson at 7:30 p.m, Quena Crain will call a program welcoming to families with children (and unaccompanied adults, too). The later half of the evening will feature dances more likely to appeal to those of us who are still vigorous after 9 PM. This year, every event will include the old chestnut, Chorus Jig.

Music will be supplied by master musicians George Wilson and Marko Packard. George has been lifting dancers’ feet with fiddle tunes in the Northern fiddle tradition for half a century; Marko has played guitar, flute, and saxophone with a variety of popular contra dance bands for over two decades. |
Admission is pay what you can, $10 to $20 suggested. Masks and proof of covid vaccination required. Optional pre-registration form here: https://tinyurl.com/NorthBerkshireDancePreReg |
February 11th Dance, Coming Soon
Community contra dance in Williamstown, MA, Saturday, February 11th. All welcome; introduction for beginners at 7:30pm, flowing right into the main event. Admission fee self-determined, $10 to $20 suggested.
Masks and proof of covid vaccination required. Optional pre-registration form here: https://tinyurl.com/NorthBerkshireDancePreReg
Dave Eisenstadter will call, with music by George Wilson and Selma Kaplan.

January 14th Update
Good news: our Jan 14th dance is ON!
We’ve been keeping an anxious eye on Covid community transmission levels, which were worrisomely high in neighboring counties last week. Luckily, the map released yesterday shows Berkshire County, AND also our north-county neighbors, all at medium transmission levels.
Please come if you can! Remember, we dancers share responsiblity for our dance community’s health. Use your discretion; stay home if you’re not feeling well, test before you come out. You can review registration terms here: https://tinyurl.com/NorthBerkshireDancePreReg

January 14th Dance
We’re thrilled to resume our second Saturday monthly series on Saturday January 14, at a new location in the community hall of the First Congregational Church, 906 Main Street in Williamstown, MA.
The night will begin with a brief introductory lesson at 7:30, by caller Andy Davis. The early part of the evening will be particularly welcoming to beginning dancers and families with children. Music will be provided by Arthur Davis on keyboard and banjo, with Cedar Stanistreet on fiddle.
Our Covid policy will follow that of the Friends of the Greenfield Dance, with masks and proof of Covid-19 vaccination required. Optional pre-registration at https://tinyurl.com/NorthBerkshireDancePreReg will help reduce time in lines at the door.
Admission is pay-what-you-can, $5 – $20 suggested.

Williamstown Community Contra Resuming in January, 2023
Come dance with us on January 14th, 2023!
Andy Davis will call, starting with a brief introductory lesson at 7:30 p.m. The early part of the evening will be particularly welcoming to beginning dancers and families with children; at the end, we’ll have Chorus Jig. (What’s Chorus Jig? Read on to the end!)
New in 2023
New location: the community hall of the First Congregational Church, which is at 906 Main Street, Williamstown, MA.
Vaccination & Mask Requirement: unfortunately, some elements that make our dances wonderful community events are also great for spreading respiratory disease. Luckily, it’s possible to have most of the fun, and minimize the misery, with suitable precautions. To this end we’ll be requiring everyone in the hall to wear masks and show proof of Covid-19 vacination. We’ll follow the rules outlined by the Friends of the Greenfield Dance: http://www.friendsofgreenfielddance.org/covid-19-policy/ , and we’ll have an optional pre-registration system to help ease lines at the door.
Optional pre-registration: Save time the first time you attend our dance by pre-registering with your vaccination status here!
New Admission Fee Schedule — Pay What You Can: Pre-pandemic, we put a lot of effort into setting admission fees to both cover expenses and also let as many people as possible join us. Charging different amounts by category got complicated, and still didn’t work for everyone, so we’ve decided to let you decide for yourself how much to contribute. You may choose to contribute by helping with practical matters, like checking people in at the door, or sweeping the floor at the break. However, we do use money to pay our performers (though never quite enough for their specialized skills) and to pay rent for the hall, so contributions from $5 to $15 per person are most welcome.
New Dance of the Year — Chorus Jig! Admittedly, Chorus Jig is old, not new, but dancing it every month here in Williamstown is new for us. Chorus Jig is a dance with a name, and a history, and a reputation for boisterous fun.
Dance November 6th – and More Dancing in 2023
North Berkshire Community Dance is coordinating a dance at the Clark Art Institute’s Free Sunday on Nov 6th. Paul Rosenberg will call several short sets of family friendly traditional dances, with a harvest theme to match the overarching event. Music by Eric Buddington and friends. Masks supplied for Covid safety.
https://www.clarkart.edu/event/detail/2083-89800
Bring your friends and family, wander the galleries, take a hike, try your hand at drawing, and join us for the dance!
Separately, NBCD is planning to resume our regular second Saturday monthly dance schedule in January 2023.