Cascade Crossing

Carl Thor – piano, dulcimer, mando
Lori Prime – Fiddle
Rich Goss – guitar, percussion
Sarah Goss – Bass, whistle, oboe

Cascade Crossing is currently one of the hottest and most sought after bands in the Pacific Northwest region. They have developed a reputation for intense creativity, breadth of instrumentation, and energizing dance crowds. Cascade Crossing’s music is influenced by many styles, with touches of baroque, Caribbean, Celtic, Klezmer, traditional, northern, southern, jazz and ragtime. With many original tunes, expect the unexpected, from hard-driving reels to smooth, mysterious jigs. Using their wide range of instrumentation and styles, Cascade Crossing fills the dance hall with an exciting palette of musical colors and textures.

William Watson

William Watson, a resident of Eugene, OR, danced his first contra in 1989 and began calling in Texas in 1992. Having called numerous contra events in cities coast-to-coast, William’s extensive experience and soothing voice project a calm confidence. His vigilant and thoughtful dance programming ensures a variety of figures, transitions, and sequences to entertain and support new dancers while offering the occasional challenge for the more advanced. His calling proficiency and sensitivities ensure everyone has a good time.

Beginners lesson starts at 7:30pm (experienced dancers welcome) dance starts at 8:00pm

Each dance is taught.  No partner necessary (it’s traditional to dance each dance with a different partner)

First and Third Saturdays of the month except July, August. Occasional special dances.

Full Moon

Gordy Euler – fiddle
Dave Hamlin – fiddle, mandolin
Janet Ghoulston – concertina, banjo
Fran Slefer – fiddle, button accordion,  piano

Full Moon have used their 15+ years of playing together to hone a distinct sound focused on lifting dancers’ feet and hearts.
Laurel Thomas

Laurel Thomas has called contra dances all over Oregon and Washington since 2008. Dancers appreciate her clear teaching, her articulate calling and her carefully crafted programs designed to build skill for beginning dancers while keeping experienced dancers happy with an appropriate level of challenge. .

Beginners lesson starts at 7:30pm (experienced dancers welcome) dance starts at 8:00pm

Each dance is taught.  No partner necessary (it’s traditional to dance each dance with a different partner)

First and Third Saturdays of the month except July, August. Occasional special dances.

The Weisenheimers

Alan Snyder – fiddle,
Dave Goldman – keyboard

from Portland play zesty dance tunes with a sly sense of humor.

Marlin Prowell

Marlin Prowell is a well known caller from Bellingham. “Marlin has an easy-going way of teaching so that your feet know what to do before your mind has time to worry about it. If you’ve never danced a step in your life, follow the caller’s instructions and you’ll be smiling and swinging in minutes.”

Beginners lesson starts at 7:30pm (experienced dancers welcome) dance starts at 8:00pm

Each dance is taught.  No partner necessary (it’s traditional to dance each dance with a different partner)

First and Third Saturdays of the month except July, August. Occasional special dances.

Special Halloween Dance

The Nettles

Laura Brophy – fiddle
Kevin Johnsrude – guitars
Michael Proctor – bass
Brian Bucolo – percussion

The Nettles are well-known on the West Coast for their original approach to contra dance music. Playing traditional music from all over the world, The Nettles create a strong rhythmic groove under soaring improvisations. Rhythmic drive and melodic fluidity allow The Nettles to propel contra dances into the stratosphere. .

Noah Grunzweig

Noah has been calling contra dances in Corvallis for a couple of years now.

Beginners lesson starts at 7:30pm (experienced dancers welcome) dance starts at 8:00pm

Each dance is taught.  No partner necessary (it’s traditional to dance each dance with a different partner)

~POTLUCK at 6:00 pm: Diane Arney, 770 SW Lookout Drive; just a 1/4 mile from the dance hall! Phone: 541-753-0762

First and Third Saturdays of the month except July, August. Occasional special dances.

Broken Top

Bo Leyden – mandolin
Shari Ame – fiddle
John Light – keyboards

A new Corvallis contra band, with a Portland keyboardist, Broken Top brings lively traditional music to the dance.

Woody Lane

Woody Lane has been calling contra dances throughout the Pacific Northwest for more than 25 years, and when he’s not calling you can find him dancing.

Beginners lesson starts at 7:30pm (experienced dancers welcome) dance starts at 8:00pm

Each dance is taught.  No partner necessary (it’s traditional to dance each dance with a different partner)

~POTLUCK at 6:00 pm: April & Craig Hall Cutting, 1975 SE Crystal Lake Dr #192. Phone: 541-754-7040.  At CoHo Ecovillage; look for the unit with the twinkle lights, visible from Crystal Lake Drive.

First and Third Saturdays of the month except July, August. Occasional special dances.

This is a special MONDAY evening dance.  We book Wild Asparagus when they are available.

Unfortunately, they are not available this year

Wild Asparagus

Ann Percival – piano, guitar, and vocals,
David Cantieni – flutes, tin-whistle, oboe, saxophone and bombard
Becky Tracy – fiddle
and various additional players
Wild Asparagus is the premier contra dance band, performing all over the country.

George Marshall

George calls with Wild Asparagus and other bands, and plays bodrahn or concertina when he gets the chance.

Dance starts at 7:30pm with no teaching session (inexperienced dancers are welcome)

Each dance is taught.  No partner necessary (it’s traditional to dance each dance with a different partner)

First and Third Saturdays of the month except July, August. Occasional special dances.

A schedule conflict has been resolved: The dance is ON

Penk, Pinney & Lindsay

George Penk is a well-known fiddle player across the USA, especially in the Pacific Northwest. He lives in Portland where he currently plays with the bands Joyride and Jigsaw. George collaborates with many musicians in various musical adventures, including being part of the Portland Collection project through his playing on the Portland Selection CD’s. His spirited and rich fiddle style is a delight to listen to. George is widely appreciated as a consummate dance fiddler working with callers to make sure the music is in-tune with the spirit of the dances. The Penk, Pinney, Lindsay trio, which includes Heather Pinney on piano and fiddle (also a member of Jigsaw) and Deborah Lindsay (from Corvallis) on percussion, works most often with the caller Erik Weberg, who also lends his expertise on wind instruments to the tune medleys.

Erik Weberg

I danced my first contra dance in Moscow Idaho in the Fall of 1986.  Several excursions to the dance hall were necessary for me to find the courage to actually dance, but once I, tried it caught hold quickly and I became a regular dancer. Christian Petrich encouraged me to try calling for the first time in 1990 and soon after that I started regularly attending the first Wednesday open mic in Spokane Washington. I called dances around Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho for a few years before moving west of the Cascades in 1993. I was soon asked to call dances in Portland and up the Willamette Valley. Since then I’ve been calling dances, festivals and weekends around the country from Seattle to Boston, from Fairbanks to Tuscon and most places between. I am able to enjoy this craft because of the good folks who encouraged and taught me to call dances years ago, the booking agents and local dance committees who have given me wonderful opportunities to practice in their communities, and the thousands of dancers and musicians who forgive me my mistakes and make it all worthwhile. If you’re reading this you’re probably one of them; so, thank you!

Beginners lesson starts at 7:30pm (experienced dancers welcome) dance starts at 8:00pm

Each dance is taught.  No partner necessary (it’s traditional to dance each dance with a different partner)

~Potluck 6:00 p.m.  Hosts: Greg McKenzie & Maria Orv, 3316 SE Hathaway Dr.  Phone: 831 -325-7627.  Directions: From Rivergreen (off of SW 3rd St.) turn on Hathaway and go 1 block to Villa Dr.  Look for the salmon-colored house on the left at the corner of Villa and Hathaway.

First and Third Saturdays of the month except July, August. Occasional special dances.

Wild Hair

Though we’ve known each other for eons, Wild Hair began as an ad hoc ensemble for a 2006 Northwest Folklife Festival contra dance. Everyone – including us – had such a good time (whoa!) that we knew we’d better play together more often. Dancing listeners from the Bay Area to Alaska since have agreed.

Lindsey Dono

Massachusetts transplant Lindsey Dono is rapidly establishing herself as a Northwest mainstay. With her serene teaching, meticulous programming, and sunny demeanor, Lindsey transforms absolute beginners into confident regulars. Known for her creativity on the dance floor, Lindsey incorporates knowledge of waltz, swing, and blues to lead a variety of workshops, including the ever-requested “advanced contra flourishes.” By day, Lindsey is a devoted research scientist.

Beginners lesson starts at 7:30pm (experienced dancers welcome) dance starts at 8:00pm

Each dance is taught.  No partner necessary (it’s traditional to dance each dance with a different partner)

First and Third Saturdays of the month except July, August. Occasional special dances.

Cancelled because of concern about icy roads

The next contra dance will be on New Year’s Eve at the First Congregational Church. It will feature the band Tree Top with Noah Grunzweig calling a regular contra until 10:30 pm. followed by a techno contra until 12:30 am.

The Nettles

Laura Brophy – fiddle
Kevin Johnsrude – guitars
Michael Proctor – bass
Brian Bucolo – percussion

The Nettles are well-known on the West Coast for their original approach to contra dance music. Playing traditional music from all over the world, The Nettles create a strong rhythmic groove under soaring improvisations. Rhythmic drive and melodic fluidity allow The Nettles to propel contra dances into the stratosphere. .

Michael Karcher

From New York via Seattle.

Beginners lesson starts at 7:30pm (experienced dancers welcome) dance starts at 8:00pm

Each dance is taught.  No partner necessary (it’s traditional to dance each dance with a different partner)

~POTLUCK at 6:00 pm: Marfa Levine, 650 SE Bridgeway; Phone: 541-754-1433.
Directions from central Corvallis: Drive south on SW 4th St, which becomes SW 3rd St (Hwy 99 W). Turn left onto SW Bridgeway Ave. Veer left to stay on Bridgeway. Drive approximately 0.2 miles. 650 SE Bridgeway is on your right.
 Map: https://tinyurl.com/27ptkhy

First and Third Saturdays of the month except July, August. Occasional special dances.

Special New Year’s Dance

Tree Top

• Bo Leyden – mandolin
• Shari Ame – fiddle
• Benjamin Young – whistle, banjo, guitar
• Rachel Young – Piano

Noah Grunzweig

Noah will be calling and DJing for the Techno Contra.

Bring snacks for a potluck at the dance.

Each dance is taught.  No partner necessary (it’s traditional to dance each dance with a different partner)

First and Third Saturdays of the month except July, August. Occasional special dances.

KGB

• Julie King – piano
• Claude Ginsburg – violin, concertina, viola
• Dave Bartley – mandolin, guitar, cittern, etc.

This KGB is not a spy organization, but a band from Seattle that plays for New England style contradance, English Country Dance (as MI-5), Mostly Waltz and other social dance events, concerts, and private functions such as wedding receptions. We write a lot of our own music, and the rest comes from all over the world: the British Isles, French Canada, the Northeastern USA, Western and Eastern Europe, South America, the rest of the USA, and places we haven’t yet identified.

Andrea Nettleton

Andrea Nettleton is a Contra, English and Celtic Dance Leader from Atlanta.

Beginners lesson starts at 7:30pm (experienced dancers welcome) dance starts at 8:00pm

Each dance is taught.  No partner necessary (it’s traditional to dance each dance with a different partner)

First and Third Saturdays of the month except July, August. Occasional special dances.

The Bridgetown Boys

• Victor Fiore – fiddle
• Lanny Martin – piano
• Jon Neff – guitar

From Portland.

Tarka Ayres

Tarka Ayres credits contra dance with helping keep her mental stability through school. She started dancing in 2004 and has called dances in Oregon and Washington since 2012. Dancers appreciate her ability to integrate new dancers into the community, her clear teaching and succinct calling, and her choices of challenging dances.

Beginners lesson starts at 7:30pm (experienced dancers welcome) dance starts at 8:00pm

Each dance is taught.  No partner necessary (it’s traditional to dance each dance with a different partner)

First and Third Saturdays of the month except July, August. Occasional special dances.

The BFD

• Betsey Branch – fiddle
• Fran Slefer – button accordian
• Dan Compton – guitar

The BFD plays for a contra dance about every other month at Fulton Community Center in Portland. Betsy is a versatile musician who loves to explore multiple genres of music. She has wandered her musical way through music from Ireland, Scotland, Appalachia, Quebec, Sweden, England, Bulgaria and New England, to mention a few. She plays regularly for contra and English Country Dances. Fran plays button accordion and fiddle. She grew up in Limerick, Ireland, and lived in Luxembourg, Belgium, Holland, and Dublin before moving to the United States. Fran began playing the fiddle in Dublin, learning from Tralee fiddle player Maire O’Keeffe. Her repertoire delves into the dance music of Ireland, Québec, France and Brittany. Dan Compton is a long-time folkie in the Pacific Northwest music scene, and has performed at numerous concerts, festivals, and music- and dance camps. He’s a captivating fingerstyle player as well as a dynamic flatpicker and accompanist.

Gordy Euler

half of Shanghaied on the Willamette and co-director of the Portland Megaband has been calling good dances all over the west coast for 15 years.

Beginners lesson starts at 7:30pm (experienced dancers welcome) dance starts at 8:00pm

Each dance is taught.  No partner necessary (it’s traditional to dance each dance with a different partner)

First and Third Saturdays of the month except July, August. Occasional special dances.

 CFS annual Corvallis Contra Weekend

Registration open NOW – Click here

The Mean Lids

• Matt Turino – guitar, fiddle
• Miriam Larson – flute
• Ben Smith – fiddle

Mix one part smooth Irish session, one part spicy cajun-zydeco, one part hot western swing, with two parts driving southern old-time and take it down to the local dance hall. There you have the Mean Lids, a young, energetic acoustic trio currently resident in central 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.

Only as mean as they need to be to keep the grit in their tones and the edge on their tunes, they are never seen without their signature cranial apparel. Spot them by their hats, their long lonesome sounds, and the @$$ kicking “chin-cello” grooves emanating from their mean, mean fiddle fingers.

 The Quarks

• Terry Wergeland – piano, accordion
• Betsy Branch – fiddle
• Bill Tomczak – clarinet, saxophone, percussion

Betsy and Terry have played together for dances since 1994, and when Bill moved to Portland in 2012, he was thrilled to join forces with them. With their mix of instruments and improvisatory natures, you never know what to expect from this trio. Their delight in playing together translates to the dance floor, and you are likely to hear plenty of laughter from the stage. When not playing, the three of them love to pontificate about the mysteries of the universe (like how 3 quarks form a particle), thus inspiring the band name.

Gaye Fifer

Gaye Fifer is an accomplished contra caller from Pittsburgh, PA. Her delightful personality makes everyone happy to be dancing, and her clear and charming explanations makes it easy. An active dancer herself, Gaye understands the subtleties of making contra dances particularly satisfying for dancers. She is also an enthusiastic advocate and instructor of the contra-style waltz.

Wendy Graham

Wendy Graham is a self-described “dance maniac” who serves up delicious and nutritious dances for all with infectious enthusiasm and a smile. Wendy hosts regular folk and social dances (including Latin, Swing, Blues, Country Western Two Step, and Waltz) in Durango, Colorado. She also calls community dances, dance weekends, and dance weeks throughout the U.S. and abroad. She has been involved with folk music, song and dance for over twenty years.

Special Sunday Dance with
2 bands, 2 callers

Mean Lids

• Matt Turino – guitar, fiddle
• Miriam Larson – flute
• Ben Smith – fiddle

Mix one part smooth Irish session, one part spicy cajun-zydeco, one part hot western swing, with two parts driving southern old-time and take it down to the local dance hall. There you have the Mean Lids, a young, energetic acoustic trio currently resident in central 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.

Only as mean as they need to be to keep the grit in their tones and the edge on their tunes, they are never seen without their signature cranial apparel. Spot them by their hats, their long lonesome sounds, and the @$$ kicking “chin-cello” grooves emanating from their mean, mean fiddle fingers.

The Quarks

• Terry Wergeland – piano, accordion
• Betsy Branch – fiddle
• Bill Tomczak – clarinet, saxophone, percussion

Betsy and Terry have played together for dances since 1994, and when Bill moved to Portland in 2012, he was thrilled to join forces with them. With their mix of instruments and improvisatory natures, you never know what to expect from this trio. Their delight in playing together translates to the dance floor, and you are likely to hear plenty of laughter from the stage. When not playing, the three of them love to pontificate about the mysteries of the universe (like how 3 quarks form a particle), thus inspiring the band name.

Gaye Fifer

Gaye Fifer is an accomplished contra caller from Pittsburgh, PA. Her delightful personality makes everyone happy to be dancing, and her clear and charming explanations makes it easy. An active dancer herself, Gaye understands the subtleties of making contra dances particularly satisfying for dancers. She is also an enthusiastic advocate and instructor of the contra-style waltz.

Wendy Graham

Wendy Graham is a self-described “dance maniac” who serves up delicious and nutritious dances for all with infectious enthusiasm and a smile. Wendy hosts regular folk and social dances (including Latin, Swing, Blues, Country Western Two Step, and Waltz) in Durango, Colorado. She also calls community dances, dance weekends, and dance weeks throughout the U.S. and abroad. She has been involved with folk music, song and dance for over twenty years.

Beginners lesson starts at 7:00pm (experienced dancers welcome) dance starts at 7:30pm.

Each dance is taught.  No partner necessary (it’s traditional to dance each dance with a different partner)

First and Third Saturdays of the month except July, August. Occasional special dances.