Calendar
Submit calendar info to:
calendar@corvallisfolklore.org
Unleashed!
Since its members came together in 1999, UnLeashed! has been one of Portland’s favorite contra bands. Fiddler Jocelyn Goodall leads the pack with the driving style she learned from famed Irish fiddle master Tommy Peoples. On guitar, banjo, and fiddle, Rick Macquoid provides enough energy to keep dancers going all night long, while Eliza Romick’s percussive dulcimer and banjo-ukulele add that infectious pulse that dancers love. With Rick Piel’s incessant keyboard backup supplying intensity and rhythm, an evening with UnLeashed! is guaranteed to make you howl with joy!
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)
First and Third Saturdays of the month except July, August. Occasional special dances.
Immerse yourself in traditional
American music and dance at the
Willamette Valley Old-Time Social
May 3rd – May 6th!
Mud City Old-Time Society is once again hosting the region’s 3rd annual old-time music and dance celebration, the Willamette Valley Old-Time Social in Eugene, Oregon May 3rd-6th. There will be a Thursday night kickoff party at 1st National Taphouse with four local bands including, Huff & Meade, Sugar Pine String Band, The Eugene City Barnstormers, and Grand Ronde String Band. Friday night will feature a BBQ social and jam fest, and on Saturday there will be a whole day of workshops at The Shedd Institute for the Performing Arts, focused on old-time fiddle, banjo, guitar, dance and voice, including one with two-time Grammy-nominated fiddler Bruce Molsky and his Mountain Drifters-Allison de Groot and Stash Wyslouch! Saturday evening we will offer flatfoot dance lessons with Rebecca Stout and a big traditional square dance at the W.O.W. Hall with The Horsenecks and Gabe Strand calling. The weekend will finish off with a Sunday farm brunch and later that evening, a farewell concert at Sam Bond’s Brewing with The Local Honeys from Kentucky.
This event is sponsored by; Bubbaville, Stumptown Printers, 2Towns Ciderhouse, Zigzag Mountain Farm, 100 Mile Bakery and the Eugene City Barnstormers. Mud City Old-Time Society is a local nonprofit dedicated to supporting traditional old-time music and dance in the Southern Willamette Valley. Come and be a part of the thriving Pacific Northwest old-time music scene and experience the community-building power of traditional American music and dance!
Westwind Weekend
of music and dance
A beautiful setting on the Oregon Coast. A pristine, sheltered beach, tidepools galore, wildlife in the water, woods, and air, hikes that lead to superb vistas up and down the coast. It’s a weekend at the beach, with music and friends old and new. It’s always sunny at Westwind, AND it almost always rains. Which is to say, any weather can happen.
A growing, family friendly community. More than a fourth of those who attend the Westwind Weekend are young people. Kids bring their friends. They dig in the sand, play Frisbee, hike, play cards, dance, play music, drink hot cocoa, help out, hang out, and build lasting memories.
Non-stop music jams. At any moment you’ll find swing favorites on the front porch, old-time in the shed, and Irish/contra tunes in the kitchen. Some of the finest musicians in the Willamette Valley come to Westwind and are joined by folks just learning to play and everyone in between.
Contra dancing and more. Friday and Saturday evenings feature the Westwind All Star Orchestra playing tunes, and dance programming that’s aimed at all ages and abilities. Expect family dances, contras and squares, and a set of Scandinavian favorites. Also find musicians jamming and swing or zydeco dancing underway outside the main hall.
Camper-led workshops. Gumboot dancing, daisy chain squares, swing chords, beach talk, favorite folk songs: come with your special talent to share or learn something you’ve never heard of before. Sunday morning expect time for singing the gospel of our non-denominational love of community.
A Saturday camper concert. Enjoy listening to the crazy, creative, and sublime as your fellow campers perform, or put together your own high or low art performance and step up onto the whale bone stage.
Happy, hearty vegetarian food. Beth Littlewolf has been our cook for 25+ years. She makes wonderful fare that brings us all together in the historic Wilson Lodge for family-style meals. Meals at Westwind include snack Friday evening, breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Saturday, and early-wake up breakfast fare plus brunch on Sunday.
The Bridgetown Boys
- Victor Fiore – fiddle
- Lanny Martin – piano
- Jon Neff – guitar
We’re all experienced contra dance musicians. We’re in the Portland Megaband and, following a rehearsal, we jammed together and decided to form a band. We sound sound pretty darn good, if we say so ourselves. (Formerly named “Magpie”, then “Lanjovic”)
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)
Potluck at 6:00 p.m with host Relan Colley, 745 NW 16th St; 541-753-2617. (Located near the south side of Corvallis High School and several blocks east of Fred Meyer. The closest intersection is NW Taylor & NW 16th.) Probably in the backyard if the weather is good!
First and Third Saturdays of the month except July, August. Occasional special dances.
Song Circle
Share a song, lead a song, request a song, or listen as we go round the circle. Song Circle is free and open to all who wish to participate. Bring your own instrument, borrow one, or just sing.
Annual Membership Meeting 2018
The Corvallis Folklore Society’s Annual Members’ Meeting will be on
Saturday, May 19th, 2018
starting at 5:00 pm
before the regular contra dance, at the First Alternative Co-op South Store meeting room at 1007 SE 3rd Street. It will replace the usual pre-Contra dance potluck dinner.
In the old CFS tradition we will combine a potluck dinner with an open jam session, so bring your instruments and/or voices along with a dish to share. Bringing your own plates and utensils will help reduce landfill.
The purpose of the meeting is to provide CFS members an opportunity to talk with the current board, to vote for the 2018-19 board and, most importantly, to help support, expand and improve CFS activities.
The room will be open around 5:00 pm and the festivities will start as soon as people arrive. The business meeting will begin at about 5:30. Members who don’t wish to eat or jam are encouraged to come just for the meeting. The business meeting will end in time for contra folks to get to Saturday night’s dance at Gatton Hall.
Hope to see you there!
A reprise of a dance cancelled in December 2017 because of icy roads
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)
CFS Annual Membership Meeting with Potluck at 5:00 pm (all are welcome) at South First Alternative Co-op meeting room, 1007 SE 3rd ST
First and Third Saturdays of the month except July, August. Occasional special dances.
InTentCity
Betsy Richards – fiddle
Graham Richards – guitar, fiddle
Seth Richards – piano, bass
David Richards – percussion
From North Idaho, InTentCity is more than just a contradance band. We bring all the fun family dynamics that come with years together of living, working, playing, dancing, traveling, eating, sleeping, joking, talking, walking, singing – you get the idea. And after all this time we still cannot think of a better way to spend our time together than playing and dancing in the contradance community. During the summer we set up our big canvas wall tents and live outside. Now you know why the name.
Jacqui Grennen
Jacqui Grennan is a contra dancer, caller, and choreographer from Los Angeles. She is known for her clarity in teaching and her ability to adjust to the dancers on the floor. She breaks down the dance figures and gets dancers moving so that they can immediately feel the connection with other dancers. As a caller, Jacqui likes to put together a session of dance that is varied and enjoyable for newer dancers as well as for those who have been dancing for 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.
Song Circle
Share a song, lead a song, request a song, or listen as we go round the circle. Song Circle is free and open to all who wish to participate. Bring your own instrument, borrow one, or just sing.
Treehouse
- Rachael Young, piano
- Benjamin Young, whistle and guitar
- Kevin Craven, fiddle
- Shari Ame, fiddle
- Bo Leyden, mandolin, flute
bring a mix of Irish, Quebecois, and New England style, and put it together with Pacific Northwest flair. Becky has played for dances throughout Vermont, New Jersey, Arizona, and California, and previously played with Amazon Creek in Eugene. Ben and Rachael come from the Irish traditional session background, having played with many groups across Canada and throughout Washington, Oregon, and California. Bo and Shari play with several Corvallis area bands.
Noah Grunzweig
Noah Grunzweig is a master of stories and dance! He called in Corvallis most recently last November. Noah brings enthusiasm and encouragement to new and experienced dancers alike. He promotes safe dancing and a culture of consent that welcomes children and adults to contra dancing. Noah is fluent in traditional and techno contra.
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.
Bring your instrument or just yourself and sing, play or just listen.
Song Circle
Share a song, lead a song, request a song, or listen as we go round the circle. Song Circle is free and open to all who wish to participate. Bring your own instrument, borrow one, or just sing.
Bring your instrument or just yourself and sing, play or just listen.
Song Circle
Share a song, lead a song, request a song, or listen as we go round the circle. Song Circle is free and open to all who wish to participate. Bring your own instrument, borrow one, or just sing.
Bring your instrument or just yourself and sing, play or just listen.