Join Brooklyn Contra and Country Dance New York for a Three Day Festival of Contra Dancing and Participatory Folk Culture in NYC!
Friday night and all-day Saturday we’re back in the beautiful sanctuary of St. Paul and St. Andrew for an expanded schedule of contras and waltzing, with dance tunes from Stomp Rocket and the Some Assembly Required Quartet, waltzes and break tunes by Emily Johnson-Erday, with calling from Will Mentor, and Lisa Greenleaf.
Sunday we’re taking over the iconic Jalopy Theatre for workshops, group sings, waltzing, a jam and more!
Schedule:
Friday: Dancing Starts at 8pm (7:30 lesson) at St. Paul and St. Andrew (263 W 86th St, New York, NY)
Saturday: Dancing Starts at 12pm at St. Paul and St. Andrew (263 W 86th St, New York, NY)
Sunday: Workshops and More Starting at 11am at Jalopy Theatre (315 Columbia St, Brooklyn, NY)
Full schedule coming soon to www.contrashock.org
Sign up for housing here (or to host here)
COVID-19 Protocols
This years ContraShock’s COVID protocols are as follows:
All participants will need to EITHER mask OR provide a negative rapid or PCR test from the past 12 hours for Friday and Saturday dancing.
This means that participants will need to test both Friday and Saturday
Either showing a picture of your test with meta-data of the time taken, or testing on site is acceptable.
To alleviate cost concerns the ContraShock team will be selling rapid tests for ~ $3 available on site.
In short, no need to test before you arrive if you don’t want, just show up, test, then mask for 15 min and you're good!
With enough dancer interest on Friday and Saturday the ContraShock team will establish an all masked line in the hall.
In the event of a positive test ContraShock will issue you a refund.
No testing or masking is required for Sunday.
Our Talent for the Weekend!
Stomp Rocket is a New England based trio that delivers high energy foot-stomping dance music for Contra dancing! The band consists of fiddler extraordinaire Dave Langford, DADGAD guitar monster and pianist Bethany Waickman, and tenor banjo and mandolin wild man Glen Loper. They’ve played for Contras throughout New England, and at dance weekends from Alaska to Tennessee and Quebec to Florida.
The Some Assembly Required Trio brings the energy of NYC's best musicians to the ContraShock stage. This iteration is:
· Matthew Christian's Irish fiddling (from Cake Jam, ContraPostive and more)
· Colin Forhan's guitar in between appearances at halls such as the Grand Ole Opry with Eileen Iver’s band,
· The melodious cello of Brendan Hearn, 1st place winner of the Neo-Trad Band Competition at The Clifftop Appalachian String Band Music Festival, and
· The “devious rimshot drive of drummer Jerome Morris.”
Together, they'll bring joyous, dynamic, interpretations of traditional Appalachian and Irish tunes to help you whirl away the night.
Emily Johnson-Erday is an award-winning songwriter, an actor-musician, and composer. A bano and guitar playing Theater Kid raised in the old-time music community, she's excited to explore the intersection of American folk music and musical theater. Emily was just named a finalist in the 2023 FreshGrass Banjo Awards, to compete in September at MASS MOCA.
Will Mentor is a contra and square dance caller from Northern Vermont known for his clear teaching, upbeat wit, and relaxed stage presence. He has been calling dances and teaching new dancers for over 20 years
Lisa Greenleaf has been calling for many years throughout the USA and internationally for dances, weekends, and weeklong camps. Her specialties include traditional and contemporary contras, fun squares, challenging dances of all shapes and sizes, and callers’ training. Lisa likes to emphasize community and communication in her workshops, guiding participants to get the most out of their dancing or calling experience. She has a keen interest in understanding group dynamics as well as the power of positive leadership.