4515 West Hills Road
Corvallis
OR
Contra dance is returning 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 provide an email address for COVID exposure notifications and sign waivers for the Corvallis Folklore Society and the First Congregational UCC (our dance hall) before their first dance of the 2023-24 season. Please read the waivers 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.
Northwest Stomp
Katie Jane Lubiens is a dynamic fiddler from Portland, OR, best known for her high-energy fiddling, infectious smile, and unstoppable dancing feet. Katie Jane fiddles her way up and down the West Coast with her popular traditional Irish band, Katie Jane Band. She has recorded several albums, and she directs the dazzling Celtic Light Orchestra. As a teacher Katie Jane shares the joy of fiddle music with students of all ages in every step of their musical journey.
Thom Dudley, singer/guitarist/songwriter, is one of the founding members of the Portland area Celtic group Raven. He has been composing and playing music for many years, with his song “If I were the West Wind” winning a JPF Songwriter award in 2004. He has recorded two “solo” albums of well received original contemporary folk music featuring musicians from the Pacific NW, British Columbia, and Alberta.
Rob Ripley is a multi-instrumentalist originally from New England, and currently located in Portland, Oregon. He has been playing Irish Traditional Music for 8 years, primarily on the flute and whistle. In addition to playing traditional music, Rob is also an audio engineer and a long time producer of electronic music.
Eddie Butler and Nila Garner both reside and enjoy playing Irish music in Portland. They have been playing Irish music professionally since 2014 at Contra Dances, Ceili Dance, wineries, breweries, St Patrick’s Day Celebrations and for special occasions. Eddy is an excellent musician demonstrating great skill and authentic Irish style while also using the freedom afforded by the genre to create his own unique Celtic voice on the fiddle, mandolin, and guitar. Nila who plays Bodhran, the Irish frame drum, is also an excellent musician with a terrific sense of rhythm and highly ornamented authentic Irish style.
Shell Stowell
Shell Stowell started contra dancing in 2015, and has been dancing up and down the West coast ever since. Driven by her passion for the dance, music, and community, Shell now plays the fiddle and helps to organize contra dances in Corvallis, and has been calling since 2019. As a dancer, Shell is known for her enthusiasm on and off the dance floor. As a caller, she incorporates her love of teaching, organizing, and music to strive for clear, energetic instruction and variety in her programming. Shell also emphasizes safe, inclusive dance etiquette that promotes positive communication between dancers.
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).
We are still seeking new volunteers to help with dances in the fall! If you are interested in volunteering this fall, please see role descriptions and tell us how you would like to help by taking our volunteer survey at:
https://bit.ly/CorvallisContraVolunteering2022
For questions regarding contra dance volunteering, please contact Shell Stowell at corvalliscontra@gmail.com
