Contra Dance and Dessert Potluck with The Contradictions

Saturday 2 February 2013

Contra dancing 7:30-10:30 pm

Dessert potluck and couples dances 10:30-11:30 pm

CSMA (Community School of Music and Arts), 330 E. State St., Ithaca

A feast of fine music, dancing, and friends, as well as delectable treats, are the allure of this annual event hosted by Hands Four Dancers of Ithaca. Contra dancing (7:30-10:30 pm) will be followed by a dessert potluck and couples dances, including waltzes, swing, schottisches, and hambos, 10:30-11:30 pm. Step lively and you just might balance your caloric intake and output! Music is by the witty, high-energy Contradictions: Laurie Hart on fiddle, Rick Manning on fiddle and mandolin, Tom Hodgson on guitar, Dave Davies on bass, and the sparkling Vikki Armstrong calling. Their irresistible fiddle harmonies and imaginative, hot rhythms will drive winter away, at least for one night. The Contradictions are revered for tight, dynamic, and soulful playing; nary a contradictory note. Their peppy, broad mix of Appalachian and Irish jigs and reels, bluegrass, driving French Canadian tunes, lilting Swedish dances, 1930s and Texas swing, and sophisticated tango-waltzes has brought joy to dancers from the Saratoga Dance Flurry, the Brattleboro Dawn Dance, and Ashokan, to their home in the Finger Lakes. Find out more and hear them in action at http://lauriehartfiddle.com/contradictions.html .

Contra dancing is a more than 300-year-old tradition, a community event at which beginners of all ages are always welcome. A workshop at 7:30 pm will teach the simple steps and moves, each dance is “called,” and experienced dancers are willing to guide. No need to bring a partner. Please bring clean, soft-soled shoes to protect the special Marley dance floor and something yummy to share for the grand dessert finale. Hot beverages and water will be provided. Info: 607-539-3174 or www.hands4dancers.org. Admission: $8 HFDI members; $10 nonmembers.

– Margaret Shepard

The Ithaca Swing Dance Network and the Cornell Swing Dance Club are proud to sponsor the Hotfoot Club for a swing dance on Saturday, October 4 in the Memorial Room, Willard Straight Hall, on the Cornell campus, from 8:30 PM to midnight. A favorite of the Central New York swing scene, Hotfoot Club is a 5-piece band that serves up impeccably arranged swing and rhythm and blues from the 1930s through the 1950s, played by some of the area’s most accomplished musicians. Admission is $10 for adults and $8 for seniors and students. There will be an introductory swing lesson at 7:30 as part of the admission. For more information visit their website at www.ithacaswing.org or call (607) 277-4513. Ithaca Swing Dance Network is a not-for-profit organization run by dancers for dancers!