Come and celebrate what could be the Year of the Fiddle Contra Dance at the Big Yellow Merville Hall this Saturday.
Time to slip on your patent leather dancing shoes and join in with the other dancers forming those long contra lines up and down the freshly cleaned and polished hardwood dance floor.
The Comox Valley’s youthful Funtime Fiddlers will keep the music flowing while bonne vivante, June Cannon, calls the moves.
Contra dancing is a style of folk dance in which the dancers form a set of two parallel lines which run the length of the hall.
Many of the basic moves in Contra dancing are similar to those in square dancing (swings, promenades, dos-à-dos, allemandes). The difference is that the dancers progress up or down the line eventually dancing with every other couple in the line.
Each dance is taught by the caller before it is danced, with the caller prompting the dancers as needed. Contra dances are very easy to learn because the pattern of moves of each Contra dance is oft repeated. Contra Dance is family friendly and is very active.
The fiddlers will have another dance style inbetween the Contras.
You’ll be able to waltz, jig, two-step and polka or sashay over to the canteen for a little refreshment. It’s an old style Saturday night with a modern twist.
There will be a Contra Dance workshop right before the dance. From 6:45 to 7:15 p.m., Cannon will introduce the dancers to new moves as well as teach the basic moves.
This workshop is free of charge.
At 7:30pm, the Funtime Fiddlers start the music and the dancing begins.
Single dancers are welcome as they can pair up with anyone during the Contras and our Contra sets last about 15 to 20 minutes per dance.
With subdued lighting and cozily arranged tables, the fiddle club creates a friendly, welcoming atmosphere.
So on Saturday, start the year long celebrations at the Big Yellow Merville Dance Hall, on the Old Island Highway, just past the Merville Store.
Doors open at 6:45 p.m., dance starts at 7:30.
Cost is $10 /adults, $5 /youth and you can come as a family for $22.