Caller: Bowen Lee
Music: Las Semillas (David Wright, Sue Jones, and Marilyn Cooper)
Sound: Ken Britten
Date: Saturday, January 27th, 2024 (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: $12 for adults; $8 for college students with ID; $5 for dancers under 18; $25 maximum for families (cash or check); If cost is the only thing preventing you being being there, please talk to the greeters at the door.

Bowen Lee has been dancing most of her life, with folkdance, ballet, tap, jazz, and African dance in her repertoire. And she just likes to party down. She’s been a Zumba instructor, children’s dance teacher, and tai chi instructor. She became a contraholic about ten years ago, and started calling just as the pandemic shut the dance hall down. But she’s calling dances now to connect dancers with great music in a community that celebrates the joy of contra. 

Alas, your humble webmaster has failed you here. Las Semillas is a new band of experienced talents, and we have no photo. David Wright and Sue Jones are well known to us all, from their membership in Magic Reelism and Persons in Black, as well as decades of service to SCDS and as sound technicians. Marilyn Cooper has played for Contra in Houston and Austin, TX, and on our own stage in the Community Band. You will not be disappointed!!

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.

The SCDS Board has voted to modify Covid requirements. The new policy is as follows:

Covid vaccination and boosters are highly recommended but not required for attending Contra dances. Good quality, well-fitting masks are recommended but not required on the dance floor and other indoor spaces.

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, 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. 

The Second Saturday Contra Dance has been canceled this month, for the MLK Holiday. Please join us on the 27th!

Caller: Kelsey Hartman
Music: Magic Reelism (David Wright, Susan Jones, Cheryl McKinney, and Del Eckels)

Sound: Amanda Schmidt
Date: Sunday, December 31st, 2023 (special dance)
Time: 8:00 PM to Midnight
Location: Coloma Community Center, 4623 T St, Sacramento, CA
Cost: $15 for adults; $8 for college students with ID; $5 for dancers under 18; $25 maximum for families (cash or check); If cost is the only thing preventing you being there, please talk to the greeters at the door.

Kelsey is a “contraholic,” and can often be found any given weekend dancing or calling a contra dance. Her inspiration for calling comes from Nils Fredland, whose callers’ workshop at American Week (BACDS) in 2012 spurred her down the caller’s path. When calling, she considers herself a conduit between the dancers and the band, helping to channel the  joy of the musicians’ music through flowing, interesting dances.

Magic Reelism plays Celtic, old-time, French-Canadian, northern, and original tunes for dances around Sacramento and the Bay Area. David Wright on fiddle and mandolin, Sue Jones on concertina and recorders, Cheryl McKinney on piano, and Del Eckels on percussion bring energy, drive and creativity to the dance! They play for contradances and for special events like weddings and private parties.

For more information and some recordings, see https://www.facebook.com/MagicReelism.

This is a special dance! Please bring appetizers or desserts, to make it more festive! 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.

The SCDS Board has voted to modify Covid requirements. The new policy is as follows:

Covid vaccination and boosters are highly recommended but not required for attending Contra dances. Good quality, well-fitting masks are recommended but not required on the dance floor and other indoor spaces.

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, 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. 

Yes, it’s true. The Contra we’d expect on December the 23rd has been canceled, so don’t show up at Coloma that night. But, a mere eight days later is the New Year’s Eve dance, one of the biggest events in our calendar! It will be great. Look for the announcement on Boxing Day!

Caller: Susan Petrick
Music: Sactown Revelers (Kathrine Gardner, Cynthia Llano, Allen Barnes)
Date: Saturday, December 9th, 2023 (second 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: $12 for adults; $8 for college students with ID; $5 for dancers under 18; $25 maximum for families (cash or check); If cost is the only thing preventing you being there, please talk to the greeters at the door.

Susan started teaching and calling for contra dances in 2000, and teaching couple dances, including waltz, cross-step waltz, and hambo, shortly thereafter. She tours throughout the country calling for dance weekends and festivals. Susan lives in Mountain View and has become a regional treasure with national prominence. She is well-known for her clear teaching, efficient guidance, and expert pacing, making even complex dances accessible to all.

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 expressive and driving fiddle talents playing in the Bay Area and elsewhere with such noted groups as the Contra Bandits 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.

The SCDS Board has voted to modify Covid requirements. The new policy is as follows:

Covid vaccination and boosters are highly recommended but not required for attending Contra dances. Good quality, well-fitting masks are recommended but not required on the dance floor and other indoor spaces.

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, 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.