Downtown Amherst Contradance Most Wednesdays (exc 2nd), 7:30-10:30 Beginners Lesson at 7pm - bring your friends!
 
 
Beginners welcome: Intro lesson at 7pm at every dance. Masonic Lodge 99 Main Street - Amherst, MA (near the Black Sheep Deli and the Police Station) Admission: $10, Students: $8 , High School: $6 Please bring water and clean, soft-soled shoes to protect the wood floor. Also please refrain from wearing perfumes, colognes and other highly scented products. All dances smoke, drug and alcohol free. Upcoming Dances May 23, 2012 Music: The Stringrays Calling: Dave Eisenstadter The Stringrays won the crowd over at the Peterborough Snowball with their fun, lively and varied repertoire. Featuring awesome Stuart Kenney on bass and banjo, master fiddler Rodney Miller, and the amazing Max Newman on guitar, mando and banjo. Popular Boston caller and regular Downtown Amherst dancer Dave Eisenstadter joins us for this great evening. May 30, 2012 Music: ‘Techno’ contra DJ Improper Calling: Dave Eisenstadter DJ Improper (Jeremiah Seligman), throws down the hottest remixes and mashups. Known for his regular DC-area “Contra Sonic” gigs, dJ Improper spins current music into contra dance-able rhythms that you can even sing along with! (For more info on DJ Improper, see this review.)  June 6, 2012 Music: Fiddle Legend Donna Hébert
 Stuart Kenney (upright bass & 5-string banjo) Max Cohen (guitar) Calling: Eric Black (California caller) Eric Black has been calling and composing contra dances since 1982. He is known for his smooth stage presence and style which make for a fun evening for all, mixing accessible and comfortable dances to welcome new dancers to our fold, and dances for all that hold a special reward for experienced dancers. He has called in most of the US as well as Japan, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, England, Scotland, Russia, and Ukraine, and has composed numerous familiar contras.  June 20, 2012 Music: Trip to Nelson Calling: Rickey Holt Trip to Nelson (named after a Pete Sutherland tune) is a high energy band of (mostly) young musicians who honed their chops in the Nelson Town Hall. Featuring Perin Ellsworth-Heller on fiddle, Richard Backes on mandolin, guitar, banjo, Matt Garland on flute and whistle, Liz Backes on flute, whistle and concertina, and anchored by elder statesman Gordon Peery (Fresh Fish) on piano, the band weaves a tapestry of colorful orchestrations, solidly rooted in the New England tradition, yet vibrant with the spirit of youth.  June 27, 2012 Music: TBA Calling: TBA July 18, 2012 Music: Light Reaction Calling: TBA Light Reaction is a family affair, featuring Kathleen Fownes, a fabulous young fiddler and well-known dancer in Greenfield and Amherst. If you’ve never heard Kathleen play, don’t miss this chance before she heads to Northeastern in the fall. She’s joined by her dad Jim Fownes on piano and mom, Robin Harrington on guitar. July 25, 2012 Music: TBA Calling: TBA August 1, 2012 Music: “Techno Contra” with Firecloud Calling: Nils Fredland “Firecloud” is a new Techno contra musical duo featuring Andy Reiner (fiddle) and Julie Vallimont (keyboards, synths, samples, beats). They are guaranteed to set your feet a-dancin’ with their musically rich blend of live fiddle and keyboard infused with infectious beats, loops, samples. Nathan and Matt Johnson from Boston will be once again providing dramatic lighting with black lights and lasers (but no strobes). Bring your favorite glow-in-the-dark clothing, face paint, etc! The awesome Nils Fredland joins us once again for another great intro lesson and night of fabulous calling.  August 15, 2012 Music: The Mean Lids (from Urbana, Illinois) Calling: Diane Silver (from North Carolina) This dance presents a double feature of performers that we rarely get to see in New England. Diane Silver is a wonderful Asheville, North Carolina based caller, known for her clear and patient teaching and enthusiastic style. She calls all over the Southeast and recently toured with Perpetual e-Motion. 

Mix one part smooth Irish session, one part spicy cajun-zydeco, one part hot western swing, with two parts driv- ing southern old-time and take it down to the local dance hall. There you have the Mean Lids, a young, energetic acoustic trio from Illinois. Playing a mix of original and traditional tunes, the Mean Lids produce an exciting, unique sound born from the living traditions of American fiddle and dance music. Find them on Facebook.   Special Event: Sunday, Oct 14  Guiding Star Grange, Greenfield, MA An 8-hour “techno/crossover” contra dance and musical collaboration event, featuring: Giant Robot Dance DJ Improper (Jeremiah Seligman) Perpetual e-Motion Firecloud (Julie Vallimont & Andy Reiner)
 Callers to be announced ContraEvolution features four of the most progressive and popular contra dance musical groups playing today, each on the forefront of this evolving trend in their own unique way. Giant Robot Dance brings together six talented young musicians from NY, VT and DC for a high-energy, super-psychedelic contra dance experience! Perpetual e-Motion is renowned for their “nothing pre-recorded” looping and layering of new and traditional music; Firecloud plays scintillating fiddle and keyboard mixed with wild vocals and a diverse set sequences, samples and loops; and DJ Improper mixes top 40 music samples and beats into infectious contra rhythms that you’ll be singing along with These four fabulous groups will play both individually and collaboratively across the evening in what will be a very unique event, mixing repertoires and creating new sounds to dance too. NOTE: This “Downtown Amherst” Special Event will be held at the Guiding Star Grange in Greenfield Cost to be announced. Click here to download a PDF of the current Amherst flyer Dances organized by Amherst Area Contradances, a group of local dance enthusiasts. For information, contact Will Loving This dance series is funded in part by the New Leaders, Good Leaders Fund of the Country Dance and Song Societyhttp://www.contrasyncretist.com/1/post/2011/4/contra-dj-profile-dj-improper-washington-dc.htmlhttp://www.contrasyncretist.com/1/post/2011/4/contra-dj-profile-dj-improper-washington-dc.htmlhttps://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Mean-Lids/333350760031988http://www.contrasyncretist.com/1/post/2011/4/contra-dj-profile-dj-improper-washington-dc.htmlhttp://www.perpetuale-motion.com/http://amherstcontra.org/Flyer.pdfmailto:will@dedicationtechnologies.com?subject=AmherstContrahttp://www.cdss.orgshapeimage_2_link_0shapeimage_2_link_1shapeimage_2_link_2shapeimage_2_link_3shapeimage_2_link_4shapeimage_2_link_5shapeimage_2_link_6shapeimage_2_link_7
 Beginners
Welcome! ----- All Dances
Taught! ----- No Partner
Needed! ----- Please Bring Clean, soft-soled Shoes! ----- Download the current Flyer Here http://amherstcontra.org/Flyer.pdfhttp://amherstcontra.org/Flyer.pdfhttp://amherstcontra.org/Flyer.pdfshapeimage_3_link_0shapeimage_3_link_1shapeimage_3_link_2