Calendar

Contra dance has returned to a regular schedule in Corvallis this fall! The dance will start at 7:00 PM with a newcomer’s lesson and community meetup, helpful for all dancers. Following the lesson will be dancing from 7:30 PM to 10:30 PM. No partner necessary. Dance calling and role terms will be Larks & Robins. The cost is $12 – $20 sliding scale.

Because of the Covid-19 situation:

All attendees must sign a waiver for the First Congregational UCC (our dance hall) before their first dance of the 2024-25 season. Please read the waiver here before you arrive in order to speed up the check-in process at the door.

Thank you for helping to keep our dance community safely dancing! For more information on attendance requirements and other precautions, please see our current COVID-19 policy here, to be further updated soon.

Hayden Stern
& Patrick Gunning

From Seattle we have

• Hayden Stern on fiddle
• Patrick Gunning on guitar

Hayden Stern’s fiddle playing seamlessly blends Scottish and Cape Breton tradition with contemporary composition and improvisation. Blending influences comes naturally to Hayden, who grew up in Spain, Portugal, coastal California, and Panama. His musical career began in the contra dance world, and the skills he gained there shine in his concert sets: layers of rhythm, harmony, and groove that keep the audience asking for more. He has toured nationally, playing shows at venues, contra dances, and dance camps all over the US.

He is joined by powerhouse Pat Gunning, who blends Scottish, bluegrass, and Scandinavian influences on guitar. Pat’s playing moves fluidly between forcefulness and delicacy, expertly pulling the audience’s
heartstrings.

Isaac Banner

A long-time contra dancer and Seattle transplant, I’ve worked for several years to become known in the Pacific Northwest for my particular blend of humor and dance instruction. With contagious excitement, a warm cadence, and a cheerful personality, I strive to bring moments of magic into the lives of newcomers and veteran dancers alike. Contra has always held a special place in my heart and I try to share that love with every dance I visit.

Newcomers lesson starts at 7:00pm (experienced dancers encouraged)
Dance starts at 7:30pm.
Each dance is taught.  No partner necessary
(it’s traditional to dance each dance with a different partner).

Breabach

Twenty years on from winning the Danny Kyle Open Stage Award at Celtic Connections, Breabach remain securely ranked amongst Scotland’s most skilled & imaginative contemporary-folk acts and at the forefront of the burgeoning traditional music scene. The band unite deep roots in Highland and Island Gaelic tradition alongside progressive musical influences and have cultivated a unique sound, anchoring double bagpipes, fiddle, whistle, step-dance and song with energetic double bass and guitar accompaniment.

Versatility, love of experimentation and a willingness to push the boundaries of Scottish roots music have endured as the core values of the band over the past two decades. They have embraced and pioneered many cross-genre collaborations, linking up with artists including Quebec’s Le Vent du Nord, BAFTA award-winning animator Cat Bruce, indigenous Australasian artist Moana & the Tribe, video game composer Big Giant Circles, Cape Breton powerhouse Beòlach and most recently the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra.

With 8 critically acclaimed studio releases to date, an extensive global touring schedule and having received recognition with 6 BBC ALBA Traditional Music Awards, a 2023 German Record Critic’s Award and as European Folk Group of the year finalists in the prestigious Songlines Awards, Breabach’s journey shows no sign of slowing. They continue their adventures throughout this special anniversary year with performances and festivals across the UK, USA and Europe.

Breabach are: 

• Megan Henderson (Fiddle/Vocals/Step Dance)
• James Lindsay (Double Bass/Vocals)
• Calum MacCrimmon (Highland Bagpipe/Whistle/Bouzouki/Vocals)
• Conal McDonagh (Highland Bagpipe/Uilleann pipes/Whistle/Vocals
• Ewan Robertson (Guitar/Cajon/Vocals)

Contra dance is back to the regular schedule in Corvallis! The dance will start at 7:00 PM with a newcomer’s lesson and community meetup, helpful for all dancers. Following the lesson will be dancing from 7:30 PM to 10:30 PM. No partner necessary. Dance calling and role terms will be Larks & Robins. The cost is $12 – $20 sliding scale.

Because of the Covid-19 situation:

All attendees must sign a waiver for the First Congregational UCC (our dance hall) before their first dance of the 2024-25 season. Please read the waiver here before you arrive in order to speed up the check-in process at the door.

Thank you for helping to keep our dance community safely dancing! For more information on attendance requirements and other precautions, please see our current COVID-19 policy here, to be further updated soon.

Bandwidth

Bandwidth brings together three of Portland’s contra dance music veterans, Gordy Euler (fiddle, piano), Keith Moe (fiddle), and Carl Thor (piano, mandolin) in a new configuration.

Their list of band affiliations reads like a “Who’s Who” of the Portland folk music scene, including: Hands4, Full Moon, The Steeltones, Shanghaied on the Willamette, Stepwise, Cascade Crossing, Celtinalia, Tunestruck, and, of course, the bodacious Portland Megaband. Be ready for a satisfying spectrum of contra dance music when these gents take to the stage.

Stacy Rose

Stacy Rose is a passionate advocate for folk dancing and a dedicated educator. She began folk dancing in the early 1980s and expanded her repertoire in the early 2000s when she became a contra dance caller, sharing her love of dance at events around her state and beyond. Recognizing a need to revitalize her local folk dance community, Stacy began teaching a folk dance class at her community college in 2009. This effort not only kept the tradition alive but also inspired others to take up teaching folk dance themselves.

Stacy’s commitment to fostering new talent extends to her involvement with the National Folk Organization’s mentoring project. As a steering committee member and mentor to novice dance teachers, she helps nurture the next generation of folk dance leaders. She also co-facilitates “Dancing With Friends,” a weekly Zoom folk dance class, collaborating with skilled remote instructors to bring the joy of dance to a global audience.

Kate and Brendan

Kate Gregory and Brendan Hearn form an innovative duo that brings together American Old Time, Irish and other folk music traditions on fiddle and cello. They combine their backgrounds from multiple musical styles with their shared appreciation for melody and groove to create rhythmic arrangements of traditional and original tunes and songs. The tunes they play and write live both in the rich and multi-continental history and in the imaginative future of traditional music.
This is a rare west coast appearance that will benefit both the South Benton County Food Pantry and the Corvallis Celtic Festival. Heritage Hall is a warm and cosy venue located at the old Methodist Church in Monroe.

All attendees must sign a waiver for the First Congregational UCC (our dance hall) before their first dance of the 2025-26 season. Please read the waiver here before you arrive in order to speed up the check-in process at the door.

Thank you for helping to keep our dance community safely dancing:

• Dancing should be fun and safe.
• You have the right to say “yes” or “no” to any dance or any role, no excuses needed.
• If your dance partner is doing something that hurts or makes you feel uncomfortable, let them know.
• Tell a committee member or the person at the front table about inappropriate behavior, or ask for assistance if needed.

For more information on attendance requirements and other precautions, please see our current COVID-19 policy here

Peter and the Wolf Tones

• George Penk (fiddle)
• Jesse Schafer (guitar, cello)
• Heather Pinney (fiddle, piano)

Hailing from Portland, Oregon’s enthusiastic dance scene, Peter and the Wolf Tones, a small pack of tunehounds, emerged from a post-pandemic slumber with vim and vigor. With George Penk (of Joyride and Jigsaw) leading the way with his artful, acrobatic and seasoned command of the fiddle, Heather Pinney (Jigsaw) providing a much needed anchor with her warmth, harmonic exploration and support on both fiddle and piano, and newcomer Jesse Schafer filling the gaps on the cello and guitar, fueled by a wanderlust for harmony, counterpoint, and the occasional vocal mashup. They deliver old tunes in new ways and house new songs in old settings. These dances are merely a clever excuse to get together each Friday morning to share tunes, tales and coffee, so please, come dance heartily and contribute to the coffee bean budget.

Kelly Tabor

Kelly Tabor is a caller and organizer from Portland, Oregon. She enjoys dances that play with elasticity of momentum and works to incorporate them at an accessible level.

Jubilate! The Treble Choir of Corvallis

Jubilate!, a diverse community of treble singers, invites you to their December concerts where we will celebrate the holidays of Chanukah, Winter Solstice, Christmas, and Kwanzaa.. Each singer will bring their own unique voice and share their distinctive human experience. Through song we will celebrate the sums of our ancestry, race, culture, gender, ethnicity, and experiences. In this way, we are one.

Jubilate! has been singing in Corvallis for over 30 years. We welcome new singers twice a year and hold concerts every winter and spring.

All attendees must sign a waiver for the First Congregational UCC (our dance hall) before their first dance of the 2025-26 season. Please read the waiver here before you arrive in order to speed up the check-in process at the door.

Thank you for helping to keep our dance community safely dancing:

• Dancing should be fun and safe.
• You have the right to say “yes” or “no” to any dance or any role, no excuses needed.
• If your dance partner is doing something that hurts or makes you feel uncomfortable, let them know.
• Tell a committee member or the person at the front table about inappropriate behavior, or ask for assistance if needed.

For more information on attendance requirements and other precautions, please see our current COVID-19 policy here

The Overtones

The Overtones is a Corvallis-based band whose sound was born in the rivers and woods of the lush Willamette Valley. Its musical versatility ranges from Irish to Quebecois, Old Time to funky modern tunes, and features Shari Ame kicking a serious backbeat on fiddle, Evelyn Idzerda wading deeply into rhythm and rhyme on piano, Bo Leydon rocking octave mando and wooden flute, Marjorie Sandor coaxing luscious new chords from DADGAD guitar and harmonium, and Tracy Daugherty keeping it steady on bodhran and cajon. Together, the Overtones whip up a danceable storm!

Gordy Euler

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

Jubilate! The Treble Choir of Corvallis

Jubilate!, a diverse community of treble singers, invites you to their December concerts where we will celebrate the holidays of Chanukah, Winter Solstice, Christmas, and Kwanzaa.. Each singer will bring their own unique voice and share their distinctive human experience. Through song we will celebrate the sums of our ancestry, race, culture, gender, ethnicity, and experiences. In this way, we are one.

Jubilate! has been singing in Corvallis for over 30 years. We welcome new singers twice a year and hold concerts every winter and spring.

All attendees must sign a waiver for the First Congregational UCC (our dance hall) before their first dance of the 2025-26 season. Please read the waiver here before you arrive in order to speed up the check-in process at the door.

Thank you for helping to keep our dance community safely dancing:

• Dancing should be fun and safe.
• You have the right to say “yes” or “no” to any dance or any role, no excuses needed.
• If your dance partner is doing something that hurts or makes you feel uncomfortable, let them know.
• Tell a committee member or the person at the front table about inappropriate behavior, or ask for assistance if needed.

For more information on attendance requirements and other precautions, please see our current COVID-19 policy here

Cucanandy

Cucunandy is a Corvallis band with Katie Maxey on fiddle, Beth Brown on cello and pennywhistle, Van Fister on Guitar and Laureen Urey on Bodhran. They play an eclectic mix of traditional and modern Celtic and Celtic inspired tunes.

Nefesh Mountain Band

New York based progressive Americana group Nefesh Mountain Band has been hailed as one of the formative boundary-pushing ensembles in roots music today. For over a decade, they’ve carved out a sound all their own; blurring the lines between Americana, bluegrass, psych-folk, Jazz, blues, and jam. Their critically acclaimed latest release and double album Beacons marks a new touchstone for them, bringing together hard driving acoustic bluegrass with searing electric Americana, country and blues. The powerhouse band has been rapidly growing a devoted following with their unique and transformative live shows that embody their own wild nature and unbridled free spirits with compositional prowess and prolific songwriting with deft instrumentals and colossal jams.

All attendees must sign a waiver for the First Congregational UCC (our dance hall) before their first dance of the 2025-26 season. Please read the waiver here before you arrive in order to speed up the check-in process at the door.

Thank you for helping to keep our dance community safely dancing:

• Dancing should be fun and safe.
• You have the right to say “yes” or “no” to any dance or any role, no excuses needed.
• If your dance partner is doing something that hurts or makes you feel uncomfortable, let them know.
• Tell a committee member or the person at the front table about inappropriate behavior, or ask for assistance if needed.

For more information on attendance requirements and other precautions, please see our current COVID-19 policy here

Coriolis

Coriolis joins the musical forces of Victor Fiore (fiddle), Dave Hamlin (mandolin), and Jon Neff (guitar) to spin lively tunes and drive contra dance delight.  Jon and Dave played together in The Steeltones, and both are long time members of the Portland Megaband.  Victor played with Eugene’s Mad Robin before moving to Portland, where he has also played with the Portland Megaband.

Rich Goss

Most weekends, and sometimes on weekdays, I can be found in a dance hall somewhere calling, playing, doing sound, or contra dancing. I also play percussion once or twice a year with The Portland Megaband, a 75-80 member contra orchestra!!

The Pacific NW is such a terrific place to live! It’s great for calling and playing opportunities. In addition to established contra dances, I also enjoy calling for parties, weddings and community dances.

I’ve called dances from coast to coast for events ranging from large to small, novice to experienced, in a driveway to very large dance halls. My goal is to call fun accessible dances with clear concise teaching, always with a good-natured, easy-going style.

A Night of Scottish Music and Poetry:
Robert Burns Night

Bagpipes, the Corvallis OWD Sunday Session Players, Cucanandy, and Evan Eleven and Friends.

This concert is in collaboration with the Corvallis Celtic Festival (July 16-19 2026). Visit corvalliscelticfestival.org for more information.

All attendees must sign a waiver for the First Congregational UCC (our dance hall) before their first dance of the 2025-26 season. Please read the waiver here before you arrive in order to speed up the check-in process at the door.

Thank you for helping to keep our dance community safely dancing:

• Dancing should be fun and safe.
• You have the right to say “yes” or “no” to any dance or any role, no excuses needed.
• If your dance partner is doing something that hurts or makes you feel uncomfortable, let them know.
• Tell a committee member or the person at the front table about inappropriate behavior, or ask for assistance if needed.

For more information on attendance requirements and other precautions, please see our current COVID-19 policy here

The Nettles

The Nettles play improvisational music based on traditional tunes. Playing hard, they’re a Celtic jam band that makes audiences move and groove. Playing soft, they’re a lyrical folk-jazz group.

The Nettles blend traditional Irish and American music with modern spices. Laura Brophy’s fiddle forms strong melodies punctuated by soaring improvisation and intertwined with Kevin Nettle’s muscular guitar. The Nettles are propelled by the purring but powerful rhythm engine of Michael Proctor on bass and Tracy Daugherty on drums.

The Nettles play for festivals, dances, bars, and weddings on the West Coast. Their music retains the vital energy of its roots, but The Nettles’ unique interpretations add to The Tradition with every performance. The Nettles joke that “We never play the same tune once.”

Lorie Bunyard

from Coos Bay teaches, calls and leads dances in SW Oregon.