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CFS dances
The Corvallis Folklore Society hosts a series of contra dances. All dances are open to the public and feature live music. Corvallis contra dances usually occur on the 1st and 3rd Saturday evenings of each month, September through June. (We take July and August off.) CFS is the official sponsor of contra dances in Newport on 5th Saturdays, roughly once per quarter. The calendar below lists upcoming CFS dances and other nearby dances of interest:
Corvallis Folklore Society Dances in Corvallis
CFS Dances in Newport
Eugene Folklore Society Dances
Other dances of likely interest
Weekend events requiring advance registration
English Country Dances
CANCELLED Dances

You can subscribe to CFS dance announcements sent out in mail messages.

A local dancer has set up a web log (blog) for announcements and discussions related to Willamette Valley contra dances.

So what’s "contra dance"?

Contra dances are traditional American folk dances, related to English Country Dances, Square Dances, and "whole set longways" dances such as the Virginia Reel. The "living tradition" of contra dances includes tunes and dance sequences as new as last week, and some more than 200 years old. You can find more definitions on the WWW. Wm Leler has several on-line photo albums from a number of dance camps. You can also watch some videos of dances across the continent (over 100!) and contra dance instruction videos.

All CFS contra dance evenings
  • feature live music (perhaps fiddle, guitar, bass, flute, drums, dulcimer, saxophone, accordion, concertina, bagpipes,...)
  • begin with a "newcomer’s session" at 7:30
  • run from 8 pm to 11 pm with an intermission
  • encourage newcomers to join the fun
  • draw dancers from teens to retirees
  • have a caller to "walk through" and call the dance sequences
  • charge $6 admission (Corvallis Folklore Society members, $1 more for non-members, "special" prices for some "special" dances)

We suggest that dancers wear "cool, comfortable, casual clothes" and flat, soft-soled shoes. (Tennis or gym shoes are fine.) Please refrain from wearing fragrances, perfumes, and colognes. Some of our dancers have chemical sensitivities.

Quite often, a CFS member will host a potluck before the evening dance. At the end of the night, after the chairs get put away and the cords wound up, several dancers will head out for a late bite or beverage. The most frequesnt destination is McMinnamin’s, 420 NW 3rd Street (just north of Harrison).

For more information, contact Frank or Karen at (541) 745-1002 or cfs.contradances @ gmail.com

Did you say Swing?

CFS has held occasional series of swing dances. If you have interest in organizing one, please get in touch. Send a message to us at "cfs.contradances @ gmail.com".

Corvallis Contra Dance Weekend

The Corvallis Folklore Society will host its sixth annual contra dance weekend on February 12-14, 2010 You may register (but not pay) online

CFS Dance Calendar

Date Location Talent Notes
Jan 9 Sat Eugene The Eugene Barnstormers with Woody Lane 6pm potluck at the school, Dot Leland memorial dance
Jan 16 Sat FCC Gatton Hall Joyride with Cindy Rakowski
Jan 16 Sat Coos Bay The All Girl Impromptu Pick Up Band with Stacy Rose (home stays avail.) 7:00-10:30
Jan 23 Sat Eugene The Nettles with Marlin Prowell 4:30-6 Hambo workshop, 6pm potluck, 1450 Quaker
Jan 30 Sat Newport Three-Fingered Jack with Woody Lane (home stays avail.) $7. FMI: 541-265-8023
Feb 5-7 Dancing Fool (Seattle) Notorious & The Groovemongers with Cis Hinkle & Seth Tepfer Prereg. req’d
Feb 6 Sat FCC Gatton Hall Full Moon with Joyce Miller
Feb 12-14 (Fri-Sun) Corvallis Contra Weekend Footloose & KGB with Rick Mohr & Susan Petrick Prereg. req’d
Feb 13 Sat Eugene NO DANCE, go to Corvallis Sunday!
Feb 14 Sun Corvallis Footloose & KGB with Rick Mohr & Susan Petrick dance 7:30-10:30
Feb 20 Sat FCC Gatton Hall Red Crow with Woody Lane
Feb 20 Sat Coos Bay The Eugene Barnstormers with TBA (home stays avail.) 7:00-10:30
Feb 27 Sat Eugene Hands4 with Sue Baker
Mar 6 Sat FCC Gatton Hall The Nettles with Michael Schuh
Mar 12 FRI Eugene Zollo (Seattle) with Adina Gordon (NC) FRIDAY dance
Mar 13 Sat Portland (PSU Ballroom) Portland Megaband with Erik Weberg
Mar 14 Sun Portland (Milwaukie CC) Portland Roadhouse: Eight bands & callers, 11 am - 9 pm
Mar 20 Sat FCC Gatton Hall Three-Fingered Jack with Gordy Euler
Mar 20 Sat Coos Bay Willow Creek (Bandon, OR) with Silas Minyard (Portland, OR) (home stays avail.) 7:00-10:30
Mar 27 Sat Eugene Unleashed! with Eric Curl
Apr 3 Sat Corvallis B&G Club Dan Compton, Fran Slefer, Mick Doherty with Erik Weberg
Apr 9-11 (Fri-Sun) Cascade Contras The Great Bear Trio & Celticladda with Bob Isaacs & Lynn Ackerson Prereg. req’d
Apr 10 Sat Eugene NO DANCE, off at Cascade Contras!
Apr 17 Sat FCC Gatton Hall George Penk & Creighton Lindsay with Mary Devlin
Apr 17 Sat Coos Bay The Lanny Martin Revue with Rich Goss (home stays avail.) 7:00-10:30
Apr 24 Sat Eugene Night Owl with Mary Devlin
Apr 30-May 2 Portland Raindance The Moving Violations & Lift Ticket / Steve Zakon-Anderson & Ron Buchanan Prereg. req’d
May 1 Sat FCC Gatton Hall Moonstruck with Tim Gojio
May 8 Sat Eugene Cascade Crossing with Erik Weberg
May 15 Sat FCC Gatton Hall Betsy Branch, David Kaynor, et al with William Watson
May 15 Sat Coos Bay TBA with Alan Winston (Palo Alto, CA) (home stays avail.) 7:00-10:30
May 22 Sat Eugene Red Crow with William Watson
June 5 Sat FCC Gatton Hall Three-Fingered Jack with Eric Curl
June 12 Sat Eugene Full Moon with Susan Petrick
June 19 Sat FCC Gatton Hall The Nettles with Lynn Ackerson
You can also find
Some historic information for our dances on Ted Crane’s DanceDB.

Dance Locations

FCC Gatton Hall (First Congregational Church)

4515 West Hills Road, Corvallis, Oregon

From downtown Corvallis, head west on Western Avenue. Shortly after the four-way stop at 35th Street, Western Avenue veers left, but you should stay right on what becomes West Hills Road. In less than half a mile the road goes downhill, and you pass the first driveway for the church, then the church itself. Enter on the second driveway, follow it to the parking lot behind the church, and park. From the east end of the parking lot, you can enter Gatton Hall (the fellowship hall) where we dance.

You can find several on-line maps to the church: (Google, Mapquest, MapsOnUs )

FUMC Community Hall

1166 NW Jackson Avenue. We use the community center, on the southwest corner of 11th and Jackson. It has a large parking lot directly on the corner.

You can find several on-line maps to this location: (Google, Mapquest, MapsOnUs )

Boys & Girls Club of Corvallis

1112 Northwest Circle Blvd, 757-1909

You can find several on-line maps to this location: (Google, Yahoo, Mapquest, MapsOnUs )

Cheldelin Middle School

987 NE Conifer, between Hwy. 99 and Hwy. 20.

You can find several on-line maps to this location: (Google, Yahoo, Mapquest, MapsOnUs )

Newport High School, West Gym

322 NE Eads Street
7:30 Newcomers’ workshop, dance 8:00 to 11:00
$7 admission at the door (maximum $25 for families)
Please bring snacks to share.
For More Information, contact Evelyn Brookhyser: brookhyser (AT) newportnet (DOT) com or 541-265-8023
Homestays available; call Janet 541-961-1963
(For the 29 March 2008 dance: Potluck at 5:30 pm at 316 SE Penter Lane, Newport)

Click for online maps from
Google, Yahoo, MapQuest.com, MapsOnUs.com

Newport Senior Center

20 SE Second Street (opposite the Rec. Center)
7:30 Newcomers’ workshop, dance 8:00 to 11:00
$7 admission at the door
For More Information, contact Evelyn Brookhyser: brookhyser (AT) newportnet (DOT) com
Click
for a map from MapQuest.com

Mohawk Valley Grange

Mohawk Grange Road, Marcola, OR, 97454 Get a map from
Google, Yahoo, Mapquest, or MapsOnUs.

Coming from I-5 (Eugene or south or west)
126 E towards Springfield
Exit 42 street exit to Marcola.
Turn left at end of ramp go N on 42nd st
Turn right on Marcola road.
Go 17 miles to Shotgun recreation area.
Go past Shotgun and look for first road on the right. Mohawk Grange road.
Take a right on Mohawk Grange road.


Coming from I-5 from the north
Exit Brownsville exit Rd 228 E
Go through Crawfordsville.
First Right after Crawfordsville is Brush Creek Rd
Turn Right on Brush Creek Rd
Go approximately 15 miles: Roadsign will say Mabel
Look on left for Mohawk Grange road
Take a left on Mohawk Grange road If you see Shotgun recreation area, you have gone too far.
If you get to Marcola, you have gone way too far.

Salem Knights of Columbus Hall

725 Shipping NE (off Broadway)
7:30PM newcomers’ workshop, dance 8:00 to 11:00
$3 - Students
$6 - Adults
Donations Appreciated
For More Information, contact Rosalie Schele: rschele (AT) willamette (DOT) edu
Click
here for a map from MapQuest.com

Salem Unitarian Universalist Church

5090 Center Stree NE
7:30PM newcomers workshop, dance 8:00 to 11:00
For More Information, call 734-497-7287 or write q (dot) m (dot) smith (at) att (dot) net.

Green acres Grange Hall near Coos Bay

7:00 PM newcomers workshop, dance 7:30 to 10:30
on Green Acres Road, less than 1/2 mile off Highway 42, 3 miles east of US 101.
Google Map showing rough location.

Where else can I dance?

We will eventually add links to other Corvallis dances (square, folk, swing, etc.)


Corvallis Folklore Society
P.O. Box 1690
Corvallis, Oregon   97339


Send your CFS related announcements, volunteer opportunities, and comments to our president.
Send web page comments and contributions to: William

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