San Rafael Contra: 2nd Saturdays

The San Rafael Contra series is moving back to the pre-pandemic timing of 2nd Saturdays..we’ll start on Saturday, February 11 from 7:00-10:00pm with calling by Susan Patrick and music by Corwin Zekley and Grace Fellows at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Marin at 240 Channing Way in San Rafael. See you then!

NBCDS Board 2022-2023

At the May 18 Annual Meeting, we confirmed the NBCDS Board for 2022-2023. We welcome Jen Bamesberger as NBCDS Board President for the current year. Craig Meltzner will remain as Vice President and Assistant Treasurer as well as resuming representation of our community as a member of the national CDSS Board. Hideko Oga remains as Treasurer and Bonnie Richardson as Secretary. Michael Martin and Marlene Mahan have again committed to service, and we welcome Sarah Lee back to the Board. We are enthused at the prospect of a return to more in-person events and are working to keep our community members safe and healthy as we gather again.

Saturday Evening Waltz Parties on Zoom

As we are sheltering in place and unable to dance together NBCDS is holding weekly waltz parties on Zoom so we can listen to music that we love, see each other, and dance together virtually. 7-8 pm PT. Sign up for our weekly emails to get the Zoom link to join, or send email to sarah@nbcds.org

Until we can dance together again.

PAST EVENTS:

4/4/2020 Audrey Knuth

4/11/2020 Owen Morrison

4/18/2020 Eden Mac-Adam Somer

4/25/2020 The Oshima Brothers

5/2/2020 Larry Unger

5/9/2020 Rodney Miller

5/16/2020 Christ Burch and Jeff Spero

5/23/2020 Sam Bartlett and Family

5/30/2020 Pete’s Posse

6/6/2020 Tea & Whiskey

6/13/2020 Countercurrent

6/20/2020 George Paul & Rob Zizette

6/27/2020 Adriana Ciconne Andrews

7/4/2020 4th of July Special Party with Jeremiah McLane and Fireworks!

7/11/2020 Rodney Miller Tunebook Kickoff Party!

7/18/2020 In Tent City

7/25/2020 Cedar Stanistreet, Max Newman, Peter Siegel

Max
Cedar and Peter

8/1/2020 Rebecca King

8/8/2020 Audrey Knuth

8/15/2020 Anna Patton, Ethan Hazzard-Watkins, Owen Morrison

8/22/2020 Bethany Waickman and Glen Loper

8/29/2020 Christa Burch & Jeff Spero

9/5/2020 Rodney Miller’s Sock Hop Rock & Roll!

9/12 Peter Siegel & Lissa Schneckenburger

9/19 Ryan McKasson & Jeff Spero


9/26 Elsie Gawler & Ethan Stokes Tischler

10/3 Cecelia Vacanti & Family

10/10 Riptide


10/17 The Oshima Brothers

10/24 Toss the Possum

10/31 Halloween Special-Shira Kammen & Jim Oakden


11/7 Andrew & Noah VanNordstrand

11/14 Daniel Steinberg

11/21 Rebecca King & Rodney Miller

11/28 Ashley Broder & Jeff Spero

12/5 Pascal & Nicolas/ Genticorum

12/12 Audrey Knuth & Ben Jaber

12/18 Holiday with Nils Fredland

12/26 Toss the Possum

1/2/2021 Jacqueline Schwab

1/9/21 Shira Kammen & Jim Oakden

1/16/21 Owen Morrison & Anna Patton

1/23/21 Becky Tracy & Keith Murphy

1/30/21 Katie McNally & Neil Perlman

2/7/21 Reelplay

2/13 Flurry-2 Syncopaths Jeff & Christa + Audrey Knuth

2/20 The Faux Paws

2/27 Joyride

3/6 Rodney Miller

3/13 Dear Crow

3/20 Rebecca King & Jon Berger

3/27 Bethany Waickman & Glen Loper

4/3 1 year anniversary with Audrey Knuth & Ben Jaber

4/10 In Tent City

We love seeing each other at these parties! Everyone is welcome. Please tell your friends. Sign up below to get on our weekly mailing list.

Saturday Evening Waltz Parties on Zoom

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, as we sheltered in place and were unable to dance together, NBCDS began holding weekly waltz parties on Zoom so we could listen to music that we love, see each other, and dance together virtually. We thank Sarah Lee for initiating this series and keeping it going for almost THREE YEARS through 100+ online concerts. Our final Saturday Evening Waltz Party was held on December 3, 2022 with Countercurrent. Thanks to our loyal audience from across the country and around the world, whose consistent attendance and generous financial support sustained musicians income and spirits. We so appreciate your kindness and your dedication to keeping our community connected through a trying time.

Snapshots from many WALTZ PARTIES:

The Very First SEWP: 4/4/2020 Audrey Knuth

4/11/2020 Owen Morrison

4/18/2020 Eden Mac-Adam Somer

4/25/2020 The Oshima Brothers

5/2/2020 Larry Unger

5/9/2020 Rodney Miller

5/16/2020 Christ Burch and Jeff Spero

5/23/2020 Sam Bartlett and Family

5/30/2020 Pete’s Posse

6/6/2020 Tea & Whiskey

6/13/2020 Countercurrent

6/20/2020 George Paul & Rob Zizette

6/27/2020 Adriana Ciconne Andrews

7/4/2020 4th of July Special Party with Jeremiah McLane and Fireworks!

7/11/2020 Rodney Miller Tunebook Kickoff Party!

7/18/2020 In Tent City

7/25/2020 Cedar Stanistreet, Max Newman, Peter Siegel

Max
Cedar and Peter

8/1/2020 Rebecca King

8/8/2020 Audrey Knuth

8/15/2020 Anna Patton, Ethan Hazzard-Watkins, Owen Morrison

8/22/2020 Bethany Waickman and Glen Loper

8/29/2020 Christa Burch & Jeff Spero

9/5/2020 Rodney Miller’s Sock Hop Rock & Roll!

9/12 Peter Siegel & Lissa Schneckenburger

9/19 Ryan McKasson & Jeff Spero


9/26 Elsie Gawler & Ethan Stokes Tischler

10/3 Cecelia Vacanti & Family

10/10 Riptide


10/17 The Oshima Brothers

10/24 Toss the Possum

10/31 Halloween Special-Shira Kammen & Jim Oakden


11/7 Andrew & Noah VanNordstrand

11/14 Daniel Steinberg

11/21 Rebecca King & Rodney Miller

11/28 Ashley Broder & Jeff Spero

12/5 Pascal & Nicolas/ Genticorum

12/12 Audrey Knuth & Ben Jaber

12/18 Holiday with Nils Fredland

12/26 Toss the Possum

1/2/2021 Jacqueline Schwab

1/9/21 Shira Kammen & Jim Oakden

1/16/21 Owen Morrison & Anna Patton

1/23/21 Becky Tracy & Keith Murphy

1/30/21 Katie McNally & Neil Perlman

2/7/21 Reelplay

2/13 Flurry-2 Syncopaths Jeff & Christa + Audrey Knuth

2/20 The Faux Paws

2/27 Joyride

3/6 Rodney Miller

3/13 Dear Crow

3/20 Rebecca King & Jon Berger

3/27 Bethany Waickman & Glen Loper

4/3 1 year anniversary with Audrey Knuth & Ben Jaber

4/10 In Tent City

4/17 Oshima Brothers + Maya

4/24 Vicki Swan and Jonny Dyer

5/1 Shira Kammen and Jim Oakden

5/8 Genticorum

5/15 Elsie Gawler and Ethan Tischler

5/22 Box and String Trio

5/29 Peregrine Road

6/5 Oshima Brothers + Maya

6/12 Molly Tucker and Casey Murray

6/19 Rodney Miller and Daniel Steinberg

6/26 Syncopaths

7/3 Pepperjack

7/10 David Wiesler

7/17 Tom Cunningham and Kate Sanders

7/24 Seattle 4 – Alan, Sande, Olga, and Dave

7/31 Sam Bartlett and Eric Schedler

8/7 Toss the Possum

8/14 Elias Alexander

8/21 Jesse Ball and Sarah Hadley Yakir

8/28 Karen Ashbrook and Paul Oorts

9/4 Rodney Sauer and CL Morden

9/11 Pete Sutherland and Oliver Scanlon

9/18 KGB

9/25 Owen Morrison

10/2 Jacob Chen and Ashley Green

10/9 M’gilvry Allen

10/16 Dave Wiesler

10/23 Becky Tracy and Keith Murphy

10/30 Shira Kammen and Jim Oakden

11/6 Craig Johnson and David Strong

11/13 Rodney Sauer and Sandra Wong

11/20 EmmaLee Hicks-Holmes and Peter Zay

11/27 Rachel Bell and Andrew VanNorstrand

12/4 Dear Crow

12/11 Baymele

12/18 Rodney Miller Trio

12/26 Larry Unger and Caroline McCaskey

Buddy System-Crankie Show and Contra Dance

NBCDS is celebrating 25 years of song and dance in the North Bay in 2018 and this is another special event that we are excited to share with you!

Buddy System is a special band from New England, nationally known and loved. They’ve played for dancers in more than twenty states, at some of the biggest dance festivals in the country. Noah and Julie play as a duo, using fiddle, feet, didgeridoo, piano, and jawharp. See their website for more info.

Julie is also a crankie artist and she will be performing a crankie show (what is a crankie?) and concert together with Noah for us from 7-7:45. We will have a break for refreshments (potluck snacks and desserts) and then a contra dance from 8-10 pm with Susan Petrick calling.

We hope you’ll join us! Appropriate for all ages.

 

 

The NEW Sebastopol Community Contra Dance

If there ever was a time and a place for a (gender neutral) contra dance, Sebastopol is it. The town, home of apple processing facilities for many years, held a thriving contra dance when Apple was king. Now, the beloved Gravenstein is having a rebirth, and so has this contra dance, but with a twist.  If you have been to the dance in the past you will notice a few changes.

What will it look like? Gone are the terms Ladies and Gents, men and women.  In their place the callers will say ” Take hands four from the top, ones cross over, make sure the person dancing the role of the Raven is on the Right.”  What’s that? Ravens???  Well, in making this dance more welcoming to all individuals, we have to consider history of gender.  Some people who considered themselves neither male or female, or who felt themselves inwardly the opposite gender from what they present, have had to fit into either Male or Female categories. You may have tried to rearrange a set of new dancers in the past that did not cross over when they were out at the top or bottom of the line. This dance will have individuals who choose to dance the role opposite of what they may physically present. There may be same gender couples. These same gendered couples may have heard: Which one is the Gent? Are you the girl?

There is a simple mnemonic that we will learn: as a couple the Raven is on the Right and the Lark is on the Left. So, when you ask someone to dance, you ask: “What role would you like, Raven or Lark? If you are confused in the dance: “Are you the Lark? Do Ravens alemande by the left? In the past some dances have put out aprons for men dancing the Raven role, and neckties for women dancing the Lark. These traditional gender signifiers wont be in the room, unless some dancer has just rushed out of the kitchen or board room and didn’t have chance to change clothes.  It may be disorienting for some dancers, (remember the first time you had to negotiate the end effects of a complex dance?) but we think that making a dance that is welcoming to all will be just the ‘Apple a Day’ we all need.

Details:

Every 4th Saturday beginning January 27th, 8:00-10:30 PM at Wischemann Hall Sebastopol. Sliding Scale: Pay What You Can. No One Turned Away For Lack of Funds. (PWYC-NOTAFLoF) New dancers encouraged to arrive 30 minutes early to get some basics.

Mad Robin Ball 2017

Our lovely annual spring Ball held at Hermann Sons Hall in Petaluma, the second Saturday in June.  Dancers attend from the Bay area and beyond to enjoy an afternoon workshop, the evening Ball, and scrumptious snack buffet.  Many continue the fun by traveling to Sebastopol on Sunday for a delicious pot-luck brunch at Tom and Kathy’s and more zesty English dancing in the afternoon at Wischemann Hall.  Mark you calendars for June 9, 2018 when our caller will be beloved Kalia Kliban accompanied by piano and fiddle band Foxfire.  Photos courtesy of John Seto.

Maurette Foster, flute; Rebecca King, piano; Anne Goess violin

They make it happen!  Committee chair Tom Spittler and co-host/co-manager of Ball and ECD in Sebastopol, Kathy Woeltjen

         

David Mostardi and Arlene Baxter      Ellen Simms and Tom Colton

Craig Meltzner and Laura Leonelli

 

Morris Dancing!

Apple Tree Morris dances the Midsummer sun down, dances the Maypole and hosts ales, waissales and more. For more information contact Cliff Stevens cliff@kichu.com

Here are some photos of the May Day Event.

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EPICENTER 2020

Epicenter 2020 has been cancelled but we look forward to having the same talent in 2021 and hope to dance with you all then!

Family Dances

The experience of sharing the joy of dance with children, families and older adults is a treat that should not be missed.  Continue reading