Schedule
Download the schedule as a pdf file.
| EVENT | DETAILS |
|---|---|
| Sunday, 27 September 2015 | |
| 562 Ketch Harbour Rd, Portuguese Cove: 9:30-11:00 Meet, Greet and Music | Welcome our American guests and kick off the festival at Heather’s Home in Portuguese Cove: Introductions, mini concert, mingle over lunch. (Attendance by invitation to Gold Supporters.) |
| 11:15-1:15 Callers -- Transitions | Workshop for callers on teaching and understanding transitions from call to call. |
| First Baptist Church, 1300 Oxford Street, Halifax: 2:30-5:00 Contra Roots and Relatives | Workshop for dancers on traditional squares, classic contras, and some circle dances. |
| 3:00-5:00 Musicians -- Medleys | Workshop for musicians on medley creation and smooth transitions between tunes. |
| 5:00-7:00 Potluck (for those attending afternoon and evening events) | |
| 7:30-8:00 New Dancer Intro | We encourage new contra dancers to arrive early in order to learn some basic contra calls and concepts. |
| 8-10:30 Contra and Cousins Dance A variety-filled evening with selections from the wider world of contra-related dances. | Explore contra's place within the broader folk dance scene: as well as learning classic contras, you'll get to sample related dance forms like traditional squares, mixers, round waltzes, and even a polka or two! |
| Monday, 28 September 2015 | |
| Dartmouth High School: 10:00-11:00 Workshop for Music Students | Workshop on playing contra music for Dartmouth High School music students. |
| Prospect Community Centre 2141 Prospect Road, Hatchet Lake: 3:00-5:00 Musicians -- Playing Contras | Workshop on playing contra music for all interested musicians. Learn about the structure and tempo needed for contra dancing. Also share some favourite contra tunes and medleys. |
| 5-7 Prospect Community Centre Dinner Travel down to rugged and beautiful Prospect for a short hike at High Head, and a seafood supper. | About 12 km beyond the Community Centre, there is a 4 km linear trail along the rocky shore of Prospect. Follow NS-333 to Prospect Bay Road and drive. Turn right on Seligs Road, left on Jamils Road and Right on Hages Lane. Follow it to the end and park there. The trail continues ahead through the woods. It takes just a few minutes to reach a great viewing area. Wear appropriate hiking shoes. |
| 7:30-8:00 New Dancer Intro | We encourage new contra dancers to arrive early in order to learn some basic contra calls and concepts. |
| 8:00-10:30 Shore Side Contra Dance Community contra dance with open band. | We finish off our trip to Prospect with a community contra dance including an opportunity for local musicians to play along with the CDSS staff. |
| Tuesday, 29 September 2015 | |
| Sacred Heart Junior High 5820 Spring Garden Road, Halifax: 10:30-11:45 Sacred Heart Contra Dance | Sacred Heart School is a coeducational independent Catholic day school. Contra dancing for the Junior High Girls. |
| Le Marchant Elementary School 6141 Watt Street, Halifax: 1:00-2:30 Le Marchant Contra Dance | Le Marchant - St. Thomas Elementary is a central Halifax public school with some French immersion classes. |
| All Nations Christian Reformed Church, 2535 Robie Street, Halifax: 3:00-5:00 Callers - Stage and Mic | Workshop for callers on stage presence and microphone craft. |
| Dartmouth High School 95 Victoria Road, Dartmouth: 7:30-10:00 Dartmouth High Contra Dance Fund Raiser | Join us at Dartmouth High for a fun-filled community dance -- all proceeds go towards the school's Fine Arts programs. (Contra Fest package-holders enter for free.) |
| Wednesday, 30 September 2015 | |
| Wolfville 1:00-2:00 School ? | |
| Wolfville Curling Rink, 19 Elm Avenue: 3:00-5:00 Musicians -- Tunes and Use | Workshop for musicians on good contra dance tunes, creating medleys and contra dance structure. |
| 3:00-5:00 Callers -- New Dancers and ? | Workshop for callers on calling to new dancers -- teaching and appropriate choreography. |
| Wolfville Farmers’ Market, 24 Elm Ave.: 4:00-7:00 Farmers’ Market Supper | All are welcome to a $10 community supper at the market before the dance. Here is a chance to check out the local food and artisan crafts. |
| 7:30-8:00 New Dancer Intro | We encourage new contra dancers to arrive early in order to learn some basic contra calls and concepts. |
| 8:00-10:30 Valley Harvest Contra Dance Join us in the beautiful Annapolis Valley for a Contra Dance at the Wolfville Farmers' Market. | Contras are spreading into the Annapolis Valley as evidenced by an enthusiastic new group in Wolfville. ‘Share the Joy’ at their Community Contra Dance. |
| Thursday, 1 October 2015 | |
| Shambhala School, 5450 Russell Street, Halifax: 11:00-12:30 Contras at Shambhala School | Shambhala is a non-denominational private school with creative curriculum, integrating academics and art. Contra dancing for grades 3 - 8. |
| All Nations Christian Reformed Church, 2535 Robie Street, Halifax: 2:00-4:00 Callers -- Music styles 4:00-5:00 Jam Session | Workshop for callers on contrasting music styles and how we dance them. Musicians welcome to participate as well. Followed by a short Jam Session. |
| 5:30-6:30 Communal Supper | Casual question and discussion time. |
| 7:30-8:00 New Dancer Intro | We encourage new contra dancers to arrive early in order to learn some basic contra calls and concepts. |
| 8:00-10:30 MUC-ky Dance MUC=Modern Urban Contra -- a high energy evening of contemporary dances, and some electronic music! | Contra culture continues to evolve, and tonight we will enjoy contemporary 'zesty' dances, which maximize the activity levels of dancers, and 'techno' dances, which flow to electronic dance beats. |
| Friday, 2 October 2015 | |
| All Nations Christian Reformed Church, 2535 Robie Street, Halifax: 10:00-12:00 Callers -- Difficulty | Workshop for callers on understanding and managing degrees of difficulty. The discussion will assume some calling experience, but all callers are welcome to attend. |
| 2:00-4:00 New Callers Practice with New Musicians | Time for new callers and new musicians to practice skills learned and together. |
| 7:30-8:00 New Dancer Intro | We encourage new contra dancers to arrive early in order to learn some basic contra calls and concepts. |
| 8:00-10:30 Dress Up and Dance Medley Wear your most creative contra attire for this multi-caller event. | This night will feature the Nova Scotian callers who have been learning from our American guests. We will also welcome experienced local callers from the Irish, Scottish, English Country, and Cape Breton scenes. To add to the fun, we encourage everyone to dress ‘creatively’ in whatever fashion you like—be it a full-on costume, a fancy outfit, or a colourful shirt! |
| Saturday, 3 October 2015 | |
| St. Andrew’s United Church 6036 Coburg Road, Halifax: 10:00-12:00 Fine-Tuning Fundamentals | Workshop for dancers on styling, leading and following, giving weight, transitions, and injury-free dancing. |
| 10:00-12:00 Musicians -- Components | Workshop for musicians that will explore the components of good contra dance music. |
| 2:00-4:00 More Challenging Contras (2 rooms -- newer and experienced) | Workshop for dancers focusing on exploring some more challenging choreography. There will be two rooms to accommodate various experience levels. |
| 5:00-6:30 Potluck Supper | |
| 7:30-8:00 New Dancer Intro | We encourage new contra dancers to arrive early in order to learn some basic contra calls and concepts. |
| 8:00-10:30 Grand Finale Contra Dance Open Band - all musicians welcome A huge community dance at St. Andrew's hall with an open band will wrap up the festival with a bang! | This is our final evening to enjoy the talent and passion of our visiting CDSS staff. Whoop it up! Open Band - local musicians welcome to play along with the staff. |
- Wear comfortable clothing, layers are best.
- Wear comfortable shoes.
- Bring a bottle of water,
- No experience necessary,
- All dances are taught by our visiting American Contra Callers.