Contra Dance, Fourth Saturday!

The Sacramento Country Dance Society, building community through lively dances, live music, and friendly people, proudly presents:

Caller: Dane Wallinga
Music: The Sactown Revellers (Kathrine Gardner, Cynthia Llano, and Allen Barnes)
Sound: David Wright
Date: Saturday, September 27th, 2025 (Fourth Saturday)
Time: 7:00–10:00 pm, with newcomer’s orientation at 6:30 pm
Location: Coloma Community Center, 4623 T St, Sacramento, CA
Cost: $15 for adults; $10 for college students with ID; $5 for dancers under 18; $30 maximum for families (cash or check); If cost is the only thing preventing you from being there, please talk to the greeters at the door.


Dane Wallinga has quickly become a Bay Area go-to caller, giving dancers a thoughtful program of interesting, fun dances, called with a relaxed style. He has choreographed a number of dances himself.


Rockin’ vintage tunes for your contra dancing pleasure! Kathrine Gardner discovered her life’s purpose playing some of the first Sacramento contras with Cynthia Llano and David Faulkner in the mid 1980s, then went on to further develop her talents playing in the Bay Area and elsewhere before returning to Sacramento. Local Cynthia Llano, renowned for her musicianship and great backup playing on guitar, mandolin and old-time piano, is a member of the Faulkner Family band (with her husband David Faulkner and their son Joaquin), who play for the third-Fridays dance at the Coloma Grange. Talib Huff calls that dance. Allen Barnes of Davis is a multi-instrumentalist and singer who has played a wide variety of traditional folk music styles for over 50 years. In the 1980s he played with the Possum Trot String Band, whose approach to Southern old time music inspired many, including Kathrine. His mandolin accompaniment in the Revelers kicks up the excitement level for the dancers.


Newcomer’s orientation is offered at 6:40 pm, perfect for people who have not contra danced before, or who could use a refresher. Experienced dancers are invited to partner with newcomers during the orientation and early dances to help integrate them into the community. No partners are needed, so come by yourself or with friends or with family. Events are accessible to people with disabilities. Potluck snacks are available at the break, and we encourage you to bring something to share.

Food and Drink

Hydration is important while dancing. Dancers are encouraged to bring their own water bottles.

Please bring snacks to share with the community. Dancers may eat in the area near the food table or outside. Please don’t spill food or water on the dance floor.

Contact: For more information, and lost and found, contact Laura Leonelli, 916-549-7093, or email sactocds@gmail.com. Our schedule of future dances is always available at https://sactocds.org/calendar/. You may join our email list on groups.io at https://groups.io/g/SactoCDS/. Please enter your name when joining.

Note: The location of the SCDS dance calendar has changed. If you subscribed to the calendar before January 1, 2023, please unsubscribe from that one and re-subscribe to the new one. On the Calendar page at https://sactocds.org/calendar/, you can subscribe to the calendar so the events show up in your personal Google calendar. Click the plus sign in the lower right hand corner. For iCal users, the link is https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/sactocds%40gmail.com/public/basic.ics

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