We’d normally be holding an English Country Dance at the YLI on November 16th, but that’s the same weekend as the Fall Frolick, a very highly-regarded dance weekend put on by the Bay Area Country Dance Society, and most of our usual callers and many of our experienced dancers will be there. We resist canceling, but this time it makes sense to do so. We’ll see you then on December 7th at the Masonic Lodge in Roseville for our annual Holiday Tea, with David Newitt calling to the music of Quite Carried Away! This dance will run an extra hour, as we’ll have a long break in the middle for tea, a light collation, chattage, talkery, and some special presentations!
The Sacramento Country Dance Society, building community through lively dances, live music, and friendly people, proudly presents:
Caller: Lise Dyckman Music: Quite Carried Away Sound: Sue Jones and David Wright Date: Sunday, November 2nd, 2025 Time: 2:00-5:00 pm Location: Masonic Lodge, 235 Vernon St., Roseville, CA Cost: $15 for adults; $10 for college students with ID; $5 for dancers under 18; $30 maximum for families (cash or check)
Lise Dyckman
Lise M. Dyckman has been teaching and calling English Country Dance (and Contra Dance) for decades, in Philadelphia, New York City, California’s Bay Area region and beyond, and is known for her clear and concise calling, musicality, humor, interest in dance history and attention to welcoming community.
Six musicians and friends under the direction of David Wright and Sue Jones. Just give them English Country Dance music to play, and they’re Quite Carried Away!
The members of QCA are (clockwise from upper right): Martin Lodahl (viola da gamba), Susan Jones (English concertina), Jane Kostka (whistle), David Wright (violin and mandolin), Arlene Jamar (piano), and Dick Holdstock (octave mandolin and tenor banjo).
Quite Carried Away is the home band for the English Country Dances.
As usual, beginners are welcome. If you are bringing, or know of any, first-timers, please urge them to come at 1:30 for the introductory workshop that precedes the dance. No partners are needed, so come by yourself or with friends or with family. Events at the Masonic Lodge are handicapped-accessible, through the elevator right inside the front door. Events at the YLI are somewhat accessible to people with disabilities, but not perfectly. Ask for help within.
It’s always nice when folks bring snacks to share–please bring items that don’t require plates or utensils. Please bring your own water bottles.
For more information, and lost and found, contact Laura Leonelli, 916-549-7093, or email info@sactocds.org. 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.
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.
The Sacramento Country Dance Society, building community through lively dances, live music, and friendly people, proudly presents:
Caller: Yvonne Couvillion Music: Quite Carried Away Sound: Sue Jones and David Wright Date: Sunday, October 19th (3rd Sunday, in Sacramento) Time: 2:00-5:00 pm Location: Young Ladies Institute (YLI), 1400 27th St, Sacramento, CA 95816 Cost: $15 for adults; $10 for college students with ID; $5 for dancers under 18; $30 maximum for families (cash or check)
Yvonne Couvillion began dancing (waltz, twist, and swing) at age 9 with her mother. She first performed dance in junior high school, and continued dancing in high school and college. She took a class in teaching International Folk Dance in graduate school, and began calling 30 years ago. She met her husband Andre at a contra dance in Bastrop, Texas 26 years ago. They now live in Sacramento where they regularly attend, teach and host a variety of dance events including English Country Dance.
Six musicians and friends under the direction of David Wright and Sue Jones. Just give them English Country Dance music to play, and they’re Quite Carried Away!
The members of QCA are (clockwise from upper right): Martin Lodahl (viola da gamba), Susan Jones (English concertina), Jane Kostka (whistle), David Wright (violin and mandolin), Arlene Jamar (piano), and Dick Holdstock (octave mandolin and tenor banjo).
Quite Carried Away is the home band for the English Country Dances.
As usual, beginners are welcome. If you are bringing, or know of any, first-timers, please urge them to come at 1:30 for the introductory workshop that precedes the dance. This is especially important for this dance, as we’re running a Bring a Friend for Free special. If they haven’t danced with us before, we’d like to give them a little taste. No partners are needed, so come by yourself or with friends or with family. While events at the Masonic Lodge are fully handicapped-accessible, events at the YLI are somewhat accessible to people with disabilities, but not perfectly. Ask for help within.
It’s always nice when folks bring snacks to share–please bring items that don’t require plates or utensils. Please bring your own water bottles.
For more information, and lost and found, contact Laura Leonelli, 916-549-7093, or email info@sactocds.org. 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.
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.
The Sacramento Country Dance Society, building community through lively dances, live music, and friendly people, proudly presents:
Caller: Gary Sandler Music: Quite Carried Away Sound: Sue Jones and David Wright Date: Sunday, October 5th, 2025 Time: 2:00-5:00 pm Location: Masonic Lodge, 235 Vernon St., Roseville, CA Cost: $15 for adults; $10 for college students with ID; $5 for dancers under 18; $30 maximum for families (cash or check)
Gary Sandler
Gary Sandler‘s first exposure to dance was when he learned ballroom style in college. Decades later, his son’s involvement in a youth dance program introduced him to International Folk Dance. Over the years, he’s learned a variety of dance styles and developed a particular love of English Country Dance. Gary likes helping dancers get more fun out of their dancing through safe and comfortable hand-holds, practical demonstrations, and clear direct instruction. Gary likes to vary the dance format for English Country Dances, shifting from lines to circles to squares. Through his local International Folk Dance group’s weekly dance, Gary calls and teaches Romanian, Israeli, Balkan, and Scottish dances in addition to English Country.
Six musicians and friends under the direction of David Wright and Sue Jones. Just give them English Country Dance music to play, and they’re Quite Carried Away!
The members of QCA are (clockwise from upper right): Martin Lodahl (viola da gamba), Susan Jones (English concertina), Jane Kostka (whistle), David Wright (violin and mandolin), Arlene Jamar (piano), and Dick Holdstock (octave mandolin and tenor banjo).
Quite Carried Away is the home band for the English Country Dances.
Back to the Masonic Lodge at last! The (anticipated) cooler weather makes this possible. And Bring a Friend for Free! If they haven’t danced with us before, we’d like to offer them a taste, either at this dance or the October 19th dance!
As usual, beginners are welcome. If you are bringing, or know of any, first-timers, please urge them to come at 1:30 for the introductory workshop that precedes the dance. No partners are needed, so come by yourself or with friends or with family. Events at the Masonic Lodge are handicapped-accessible, through the elevator right inside the front door. Events at the YLI are somewhat accessible to people with disabilities, but not perfectly. Ask for help within.
It’s always nice when folks bring snacks to share–please bring items that don’t require plates or utensils. Please bring your own water bottles.
For more information, and lost and found, contact Laura Leonelli, 916-549-7093, or email info@sactocds.org. 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.
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.
We’re sorry to announce that the scheduled caller, Bruce Hamilton, is ill with COVID. Gary Sandler and Yvonne Couvillion are now crafting a new program, so the dance will take place as announced in the previous post, but with different callers. Thank you Yvonne and Gary!!
The Sacramento Country Dance Society, building community through lively dances, live music, and friendly people, proudly presents:
Caller: Bruce Hamilton Music: Quite Carried Away Sound: Sue Jones and David Wright Date: Sunday, September 21st (3rd Sunday, in Sacramento) Time: 2:00-5:00 pm Location: Young Ladies Institute (YLI), 1400 27th St, Sacramento, CA 95816 Cost: $15 for adults; $10 for college students with ID; $5 for dancers under 18; $30 maximum for families (cash or check)
Bruce Hamilton is a well-respected, thoughtful, and energetic teacher of English and Scottish dancing with 45 years’ experience. He has launched dance classes, trained teachers, coached performing groups, and adjudicated festivals.
A retired research scientist, Bruce is always looking for new ways to understand and present ideas for the dancer. Whenever he presents workshops, he weaves many conceptual threads besides dance technique and choreography into his lessons. Musicality, sociability, and physiology are his current favorites. People often say they come away with a different way to experience and think about dance. Occasionally he holds a weekend teachers’ class that also draws high praise. He continues to run a bi-weekly English dance class in the Bay Area. In the recent past, he was the president of the Country Dance and Song Society. With invitations to teach at many festivals and dance camps each year, he has taught workshops all around the United States and in the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, and Australia.
Six musicians and friends under the direction of David Wright and Sue Jones. Just give them English Country Dance music to play, and they’re Quite Carried Away!
The members of QCA are (clockwise from upper right): Martin Lodahl (viola da gamba), Susan Jones (English concertina), Jane Kostka (whistle), David Wright (violin and mandolin), Arlene Jamar (piano), and Dick Holdstock (octave mandolin and tenor banjo).
Quite Carried Away is the home band for the English Country Dances.
As usual, beginners are welcome. If you are bringing, or know of any, first-timers, please urge them to come at 1:30 for the introductory workshop that precedes the dance. No partners are needed, so come by yourself or with friends or with family. While events at the Masonic Lodge are fully handicapped-accessible, events at the YLI are somewhat accessible to people with disabilities, but not perfectly. Ask for help within.
It’s always nice when folks bring snacks to share–please bring items that don’t require plates or utensils. Please bring your own water bottles.
For more information, and lost and found, contact Laura Leonelli, 916-549-7093, or email info@sactocds.org. 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.
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.
The Sacramento Country Dance Society, building community through lively dances, live music, and friendly people, proudly presents:
Caller: Yvonne Couvillion Music: Quite Carried Away Sound: Sue Jones and David Wright Date: Sunday, September 7th, 2025 Time: 2:00-5:00 pm Location: The Young Ladies’ Institute (YLI), 1400 27th St., Sacramento Cost: $15 for adults; $10 for college students with ID; $5 for dancers under 18; $30 maximum for families (cash or check)
Alan Winston
Yvonne began dancing (waltz, twist, and swing) at age 9 with her mother. She first performed dance in junior high school, and continued dancing in high school and college. She took a class in teaching International Folk Dance in graduate school, and began calling 30 years ago. She met her husband Andre at a contra dance in Bastrop, Texas 26 years ago. They now live in Sacramento where they regularly attend, teach and host a variety of dance events including English Country Dance.
Six musicians and friends under the direction of David Wright and Sue Jones. Just give them English Country Dance music to play, and they’re Quite Carried Away!
The members of QCA are (clockwise from upper right): Martin Lodahl (viola da gamba), Susan Jones (English concertina), Jane Kostka (whistle), David Wright (violin and mandolin), Arlene Jamar (piano), and Dick Holdstock (octave mandolin and tenor banjo).
Quite Carried Away is the home band for the English Country Dances.
Normally we dance in Roseville on first Sundays, but it’s likely to be hot and the YLI has better air conditioning.
As usual, beginners are welcome. If you are bringing, or know of any, first-timers, please urge them to come at 1:30 for the introductory workshop that precedes the dance. No partners are needed, so come by yourself or with friends or with family. Events at the Masonic Lodge are handicapped-accessible, through the elevator right inside the front door. Events at the YLI are somewhat accessible to people with disabilities, but not perfectly. Ask for help within.
It’s always nice when folks bring snacks to share–please bring items that don’t require plates or utensils. Please bring your own water bottles.
For more information, and lost and found, contact Laura Leonelli, 916-549-7093, or email info@sactocds.org. 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.
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.
Next weekend, though, will kick off the complex September schedule with an English Country Dance at the YLI in Sacramento on Sunday, September 7th, called by Yvonne Couvillion to the music of Quite Carried Away. First Sunday dances are normally in Roseville, but the YLI has better air conditioning.
Next, beginning on Friday September 12th, there’s the annual Echo Summit Dance Camp. For more information on that or to register, see https://registration.sactocds.org/.
Because that event will go all weekend, the usual Contra on September 13th is Canceled.
Next up will be the English Country Dance on September 21st at Sacramento’s YLI, called by Bruce Hamilton, to the music of Quite Carried Away.
Rounding out the month will be the Fourth Saturday Contra Dance on the 27th, called by Dane Wallinga to the music of the Sactown Revellers. Enjoy!
The Sacramento Country Dance Society, building community through lively dances, live music, and friendly people, proudly presents:
Caller: Bonnie Richardson Music: Quite Carried Away Sound: Sue Jones and David Wright Date: Sunday, August 17th (3rd Sunday, in Sacramento) Time: 2:00-5:00 pm Location: Young Ladies Institute (YLI), 1400 27th St, Sacramento, CA 95816 Cost: $15 for adults; $8 for college students with ID; $5 for dancers under 18; $25 maximum for families (cash or check)
Bonnie Richardson has been an avid English country dancer for over 20 years. She also enjoys contra, ballroom and is passionate about waltzing. She and Rebecca King founded the Napa English Country Dance in 2015. She has been teaching, calling and managing English dances 2-3 time a month in this small, but vibrant dance community ever since. After retiring as a Family Physican from Kaiser Permanente in 2018, Bonnie was able to attend far flung dances and camps and lend her organizational skills to promoting ECD. She currently serves on the Board of the North Bay Country Dance Society, the Fall Frolick Committee and the Mad Robin Ball Committee.
Six musicians and friends under the direction of David Wright and Sue Jones. Just give them English Country Dance music to play, and they’re Quite Carried Away!
The members of QCA are (clockwise from upper right): Martin Lodahl (viola da gamba), Susan Jones (English concertina), Jane Kostka (whistle), David Wright (violin and mandolin), Arlene Jamar (piano), and Dick Holdstock (octave mandolin and tenor banjo).
Quite Carried Away is the home band for the English Country Dances.
As usual, beginners are welcome. If you are bringing, or know of any, first-timers, please urge them to come at 1:30 for the introductory workshop that precedes the dance. No partners are needed, so come by yourself or with friends or with family. While events at the Masonic Lodge are fully handicapped-accessible, events at the YLI are somewhat accessible to people with disabilities, but not perfectly. Ask for help within.
It’s always nice when folks bring snacks to share–please bring items that don’t require plates or utensils. Please bring your own water bottles.
For more information, and lost and found, contact Laura Leonelli, 916-549-7093, or email info@sactocds.org. 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.
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.
The Sacramento Country Dance Society, building community through lively dances, live music, and friendly people, proudly presents:
Caller: Alan Winston Music: Quite Carried Away Sound: Sue Jones and David Wright Date: Sunday, August 3rd (1st Sunday, in Sacramento) Time:2:30-5:00 pm (we can’t get access early enough for our normal 2 PM start time) Location:Sierra 2, 2791 24th St., Sacramento, Room 10! Parking lot on 4th Avenue! Cost: $15 for adults; $8 for college students with ID; $5 for dancers under 18; $25 maximum for families (cash or check)
Alan Winston
Caller, choreographer, and community leader, Alan Winston started with Regency dance in 1978 and has been dancing contra since 1985. He’s been calling Regency, English, Early American, and Victorian dance since 1985, and started calling contras in 2006. He’s called for balls, camps, and special events from Southern California to the Bay Area to Oregon, Washington, and Victoria BC. He co-founded the Bay Area English Regency Society and has been the house caller since 1985.
His clear, cheerful, and witty instruction have served dancers well at a variety of venues including science fiction and romance writer conventions, Pie Ranch, weddings, a residential Victorian weekend, Playford Balls on both coasts, Williamsburg, VA, the San Francisco Free Folk Festival, the New England Folk Festival (NEFFA), and as a staff member at BACDS Family Week, the Heather and Rose gender-free English/Scottish weekend in Oregon, and the Queer Contra weekend in Aptos. It is Alan’s great joy to share the joy of community through country dance.
Six musicians and friends under the direction of David Wright and Sue Jones. Just give them English Country Dance music to play, and they’re Quite Carried Away!
The members of QCA are (clockwise from upper right): Martin Lodahl (viola da gamba), Susan Jones (English concertina), Jane Kostka (whistle), David Wright (violin and mandolin), Arlene Jamar (piano), and Dick Holdstock (octave mandolin and tenor banjo).
Quite Carried Away is the home band for the English Country Dances.
Once again we’re on the move, in search of an affordable venue where we don’t broil. The A/C should be good here, but the “affordable” part, not so much.
As usual, beginners are welcome. If you are bringing, or know of any, first-timers, please urge them to come at 2:00 for the introductory workshop that precedes the dance. No partners are needed, so come by yourself or with friends or with family. While events at the Masonic Lodge are fully handicapped-accessible, events at the YLI are somewhat accessible to people with disabilities, but not perfectly. Ask for help within.
It’s always nice when folks bring snacks to share–please bring items that don’t require plates or utensils. Please bring your own water bottles.
For more information, and lost and found, contact Laura Leonelli, 916-549-7093, or email info@sactocds.org. 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.
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.
