Fall Dance Weekend 2016 is November 11-13, 2016. The weekend will again be at St Nicholas Cathedral in Oakland.
Bands:
Coffee Zombies
Turnip the Beet
Callers:
Gaye Fifer
Michael Hamilton
You can download an FDW save the date flyer! Feel free to print them out and distribute to anyone who might be interested!
We’d love for all of you to attend as many dances as possible. A full dance hall is great for everyone — the band, the caller, experienced dancers and brand-new beginners all benefit from a bunch of nice long lines full of people like you.
With that in mind, we are delighted to announce the Pittsburgh Contra Dance Season Pass! Sign up for a season pass and gain unfettered access to every weekly Friday contra dance in our spring season, January 1 through May 27. As a season pass holder, you’ll also receive two guest tickets (to help you spread the joy of contra), and (as soon as we can get them printed) a personalized “Seasoned Dancer” name-button.
You can sign up for the season pass on our website, or you can sign up at the Friday night dances.
There will be a family dance before the normal Friday contra on Friday December 11, 2015. The doors open at 5:45, dancing starts at 6. There will be a potluck at 7pm, and everyone is welcome to stay for the adult dance at 8pm (play space available for the children, parents share in childcare). The cost is $5 per person or $10 per family. We hope to see you there!
We will be having a community meeting to brainstorm and guide the selection of bands and callers for the 2016 Fall Dance Weekend. Everyone is welcome! The meeting will be Monday December 7, at 7pm. The location is the Panera Bread at 3401 Boulevard of the Allies, Pittsburgh, PA 15213.
We invite everyone to submit their ideas in advance so that we can compile a list before the meeting. We will make this list available so that people can do research about bands and callers they haven’t heard before. Please take a moment to give us your ideas on the form here.
Thank you to everyone who attended the recent Fall Dance Weekend. To those who couldn’t make it, we missed you and hope to see you next year!
We think the weekend was a great success. There were lots of moving parts, especially with the new venue. Thank you to everyone in the community who put in time and effort helping with snacks, decorations, publicity, venue set-up and clean-up, and everything else!
If you attended the weekend we want to know what you thought. You can fill out an online feedback form here.
We look forward to dancing with all of you at the weekly dances.
All are welcome at the family dance before the contra on Friday October 9! The dance will be at the Swisshelm Park Community Center (the same location as the contra) at 6pm. There will be a potluck at 7pm, and those who wish to are welcome to stay for the contra starting at 8.
The cost for the family dance is $5 per person, or $10 for the entire family.
Playspace will be available during the adult dance for parents who want to stay and share in the child care duties. No extra cost.
A big thank you to all who contributed towards our new sound system! We raised over $3,000 to get new sound equipment so that our bands and callers have the sound they deserve! Want to join the sound volunteer team that helps make our dance possible at the Friday night dances? Contact us here. We plan to run at least training workshop with the new system, so everyone can have a chance to learn in a low-stress environment.
The sound equipment we use at our dances is nearly 30 years old, and it’s time for an upgrade. A new mixer will be easier to operate, substantially easier to move around and set up, and more reliable. New speakers will provide substantially richer sound to everyone dancing, making the bands sound even more amazing. New monitors will allow the bands to more accurately and pleasantly hear their own sound and enjoy performing for us.
We are running a fundraiser to raise the money necessary to replace these components of the sound system, as well as a few odds and ends that bands frequently request that we can’t currently supply. We are hoping to raise $3000 for this project. If you would like to contribute using a credit card, click on the buttons below to donate securely through Stripe. You can also donate at the dances during the month of May.
Online registration (and paper registration!) is open for the 2015 Fall Dance Weekend. Information about the weekend, and the details about how to register are available on the Fall Dance Weekend page. Register by October 16 for the early bird rate!
This year we are in a new, bigger location in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood. Twice the space, and proximity to public transit, restaurants, hotels, museums and more. We hope to see you at the weekend November 6-8, dancing to the music of Maivish and the Free Raisins and the calling of Rick Mohr and Mary Wesley!
Do you want to help make the Pittsburgh contra dance happen? Not sure how to get involved? We are actively looking for volunteers to help with a wide variety of roles. No matter how much of a time commitment you are able to make, we can use your help. Some examples of volunteer jobs available:
and more. Some of these tasks require some training. For many of them we are looking for back-up people who know the job and can cover for others when needed. We have many members of the community who are doing or have done these tasks who will be happy to help you learn.
If you want to volunteer and don’t currently know what you can do, contact Bronwyn who will put you in touch with the right people for whatever tasks seem best to you.