|
DANCES IN FEBRUARY 2012
Feb 4: Yana Malysheva with Tim Ball and Ethan Jodziewicz
Feb 10: Pamela Goddard and Notes Inégales Feb 18: No Dance - try the Dance Flurry Feb 28: Bob Nicholson with Mad Goat |
Welcome to the Syracuse Country Dancers' home page. As well as visiting us here, we hope you will come visit us at one of our contra dances! Every dance has live music and a caller who teaches each dance sequence. It's fine to come with or without a partner. If you're an old hand, you know how much fun contra dancing can be. New dancers are also always welcome at our dances. We encourage new dancers to come at the beginning of the dance (to get the most out of the teaching), and to be prepared to smile a lot. If you're new to this, we invite you to check out our brief description of contra dancing.
Schedule
Our dances run 8:00 to 11:00 PM. We dance almost every weekend. However, there are exceptions to our scheduling formulas, so it's always worth checking before traveling. Beginning March 2012 our usual schedule will be to offer contra dances on first and third Saturdays, English country dancing on Fridays of the second weekend of every month, and a fourth Saturday dance at Madison Hall in Morrisville where contras, squares and English dances all may be offered. If the month has a fifth weekend, we will still have a dance, usually on Saturday, but you should check our schedule because it might be on Friday instead. See? We told you it wasn't simple! Here's a chart:
A Typical Month for the Syracuse Country Dancers
| 1st Weekend |
Saturday contra dance |
| 2nd Weekend |
Friday English country dance |
| 3rd Weekend |
Saturday contra dance |
| 4th Weekend |
Saturday dance party at Madison Hall (anything goes: contras, squares, English dances and more) |
| 5th Weekend |
Friday or (more likely) Saturday contra dance |
Locations and Admission
Most of our dances are held at the United Church of Fayetteville. Fourth Saturday dances are held at Madison Hall in Morrisville, NY. There are a few dances each year that we move to alternate locations.
Suggested admission to our regular dances is $7, $10-$15 for supporters, $5/each group rate or for people with limited income, or you are welcome to pay what you can to attend. Admission is higher for occasional special dance events, such as our annual contra prom or our October weekend of dance, the Phylla Mae Fall Fest (pronounced, "Fill-a May"). All the work that happens to put on our dances is done by volunteers. Your admission pays the callers and bands, or supports paying for expenses like rent, insurance, etc.
Other Details
What should you wear to one of our dances? Go for comfortable, informal clothes. It's best to avoid colognes and perfumes. And, to help us protect the wood floors, please bring soft-soled grit-free shoes. (Flip flops and high heels should be avoided.) Don't feel you need to purchase special dance shoes; sneakers work fine and there is a brush at the dance to clean your street shoes if necessary.
This site can also lead you to information about other dances throughout central New York, info about our local callers (Carmen Giunta, Keith Hunt, Bob Nicholson, David Smukler, and Sarah VanNorstrand), and links to other dance pages.
Up to date weather in Syracuse: 
Still have questions about contradancing in Syracuse? Go to our contacts page to connect with the person you need.