Country Dancing in Kalamazoo

Country Dancing in Kalamazoo sponsors great American and English traditional dancing to live music. Local callers are at some dances, out-of-town callers at others. All dances are taught. New dancers (singles and couples) are always welcome and should come early; dances get more challenging during the evening. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes for energetic dancing. No smoking, no alcohol. A snack or beverage to share during the break is always welcome. Upcoming events. Membership letter: Microsoft Word document, Adobe pdf document. Membership and volunteer forms: Microsoft Word document, Adobe pdf document. Schedule of Saturday dances: Microsoft Word document, Adobe pdf document. Schedule of Wednesday and Sunday dances: Microsoft Word document, Adobe pdf document. Flyer for Sunday dances: Microsoft Word document, Adobe pdf document. The Board of Country Dancing in Kalamazoo. Links to Other Country Dancing and Folk Life in Southern Michigan. Gallery of photographs of dancing at the Oshtemo Grange.

Calendar of Dances for 2008–2009

September 2008

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
	1	2	3	4	5	6
7 Dance Just for Fun waltz, contra, English, squares, etc. callers Jan Coray, Mike Clark, and others recorded music	8	9	10	11	12	13 Contra and Square Dance caller Mike Clark Brook Farm String Band
14	15	16	17 English Country Dance caller Jan Coray Thorn Among the Roses	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27 Contra and Square Dance open microphone Brook Farm String Band
28	29	30

October 2008

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
			1	2	3	4
5 Dance Just for Fun waltz, Carolina shag, contra, etc. callers Danika Murray, Roger Williams, and others recorded music	6	7	8	9	10	11 Contra and Square Dance caller Danika Murray Scalar Scalawags
12	13	14	15 English Country Dance caller Roger Williams Thorn Among the Roses	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25 Contra and Square Dance Callers' workshop 1:30pm to 4:30pm caller Dot Kent New Bad Habits
26	27	28	29	30	31

November 2008

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
						1
2 Dance Just for Fun Waltz, Irish sets, English, etc. callers Jan Coray, Mike Clark, and others recorded music	3	4	5	6	7	8 Contra and Square Dance caller Mike Clark Dr. Grangelove
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19 English Country Dance caller Jan Coray Thorn Among the Roses	20	21	22 Advanced Contra and Square Dance caller Becky Hill Fiddle Fire
23	24	25	26	27	28	29
30

December 2008

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
	1	2	3	4	5	6
7 Dance Just for Fun waltz, contra, English, squares, etc. callers Danika Murray, Roger Williams, and others recorded music	8	9	10	11	12	13 potluck dinner at 5:30pm Contras and Square Dance caller Glen Morningstar Brook Farm String Band
14	15	16	17 English Country Dance callers Roger Williams and Jan Coray Thorn Among the Roses	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27
28	29	30	31

January 2009

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
				1	2	3
4 Dance Just for Fun waltz, contra, English, squares, etc. callers Jan Coray, Mike Clark, and others recorded music	5	6	7	8	9	10 Contra and Square Dance caller Mike Clark Fiddle Fire cancelled due to bad weather
11	12	13	14	15	16	17
18	19	20	21 English Country Dance caller Roger Williams Thorn Among the Roses	22	23	24 Contra and Square Dance open microphone Brook Farm String Band
25	26	27	28	29	30	31

February 2009

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
1 Dance Just for Fun waltz, Scandinavian, contra, etc. callers Jan Coray, Danika Murray, and others recorded music	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14 Contra and Square Dance caller Danika Murray Cosmic Otters
15	16	17	18 English Country Dance Jan Coray Thorn Among the Roses	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28 Contra and Square Dance caller Barry Dupen Rhythm Billies

March 2009

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
1 no dance	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14 Contra and Square Dance caller Bob Stein Top Drawer String Band
15	16	17	18 English Country Dance caller Roger Williams Thorn Among the Roses	19	20	21 Joy of Dancing conta and square dance beginners' workshop at 7:00pm dance begins around 7:30pm caller Mike Clark and others Fiddle Fire
22	23	24	25	26	27	28 Advanced Contra and Square Dance caller Jo Mortland Nutshell
29	30	31

April 2009

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
			1	2	3	4
5 Dance Just for Fun waltz, Latin, contra, etc. callers Eric McDaniel and Roger Williams recorded music	6	7	8	9	10	11 Contra and Square Dance Danika Murray Triskelion
12	13	14	15 English Country Dance caller Roger Williams Thorn Among the Roses	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25 Contra and Square Dance open microphone Brook Farm String Band
26	27	28	29	30

May 2009

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
					1	2
3 Dance Just for Fun waltz, contra, English, squares, etc. callers Danika Murray, Roger Williams, and others recorded music	4	5	6	7	8	9 potluck dinner at 5:30pm annual meeting at 6:30pm Contra and Square Dance caller Mike Clark Brook Farm String Band
10	11	12	13	14	15	16
17	18	19	20 English Country Dance caller Roger Williams Thorn Among the Roses	21	22	23
24	25	26	27	28	29	30
31

June 2009

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
	1	2	3	4	5	6
7	8	9	10	11	12	13 Contra and Square Dance caller Laurie Pietravalle Scalar Scalawags
14	15	16	17 English Country Dance caller Ray Bantle music by Debbie Jackson and Earl Gaddis	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27 English Country Dance (2:00pm to 4:30pm) caller Susan Taylor Fiddle Fire Contra and Square Dance caller Susan Taylor Fiddle Fire
28 Advanced Contra and Square Dance caller Susan Taylor Fiddle Fire	29	30

Check back in August 2009 for the schedule of dances for the 2009–2010 season.

• September 13, October 11, October 25, November 8, December 13 (pot-luck dinner at 5:30), January 10, February 14, February 28, March 14, April 11, May 9 (pot-luck dinner at 5:30), June 13, June 27 ($6 students, $8 members, $10 others)
• 7:30pm to 10:30pm
• Dance skills workshop at 7:00pm
• Oshtemo Grange, corner of 3rd Street and H Avenue, west of Kalamazoo (exit 38B off US-131, west 3.5 miles on M-43, Big Rock Drive to 3rd Street, north 1.5 miles to H Avenue).
  
• Admission is $4 for students, $6 for members, $8 for others.
• For more information, call Mike at 269-372-7613.

• September 27, January 24, April 25
• 7:30pm to 10:30pm
• Dance skills workshop at 7:00pm.
• Oshtemo Grange, corner of 3rd Street and H Avenue, west of Kalamazoo (exit 38B off US-131, west 3.5 miles on M-43, Big Rock Drive to 3rd Street, north 1.5 miles to H Avenue).
  
• Admission is $4 for students, $6 for members, $8 for others.
• A great opportunity for novice callers and a great opportunity for dance fun for all.
• Call Jan at 616-396-2060 by the preceding Wednesday to get on the caller roster.

• November 22, March 28, June 28 (2pm to 5pm, $6 students, $8 members, $10 others)
• 7:30pm to 10:30pm
• Oshtemo Grange, corner of 3rd Street and H Avenue, west of Kalamazoo (exit 38B off US-131, west 3.5 miles on M-43, Big Rock Drive to 3rd Street, north 1.5 miles to H Avenue).
  
• For dancers who dance with ease in time to the music, know all the basic figures (including heys, contra corners, grand square, etc.) and formations, and easily position and orient themselves moving from one figure to the next. If you often don't know which direction to face or have to hurry to catch up, you will find these dances too difficult to be enjoyable. Children over the age of eight who are skilled and experienced dancers are welcome. Children who usually require adult guidance will find these dances too difficult. One walkthrough for each dance. Figures will NOT be taught. No skills workshop before the dance.
• Admission is $4 for students, $6 for members, $8 for others.
• For more information, call Mike at 269-372-7613.

• September 17, October 15, November 19, December 17, January 21, February 18, March 18, April 15, May 20, June 17 (end of season dance: 7:30pm to 10:30pm; $4 for students, $6 for members, $8 for others), June 27 (2:00pm to 4:30pm; $4 for students, $6 for members, $8 for others)
• 7:30pm to 9:30pm
• Oshtemo Grange, corner of 3rd Street and H Avenue, west of Kalamazoo (exit 38B off US-131, west 3.5 miles on M-43, Big Rock Drive to 3rd Street, north 1.5 miles to H Avenue).
  
• Admission is $3 for students, $4 for others.
• For more information, call Roger at 269-375-4867.

• September 7, October 5, November 2, December 7, January 4, Februray 1, March 1, April 5, May 3
• 2:00pm to 5:00pm.
• Oshtemo Grange, corner of 3rd Street and H Avenue, west of Kalamazoo (exit 38B off US-131, west 3.5 miles on M-43, Big Rock Drive to 3rd Street, north 1.5 miles to H Avenue).
  
• Admission is $4 for students, $5 for others.
• An afternoon of variety in couples dances and set dances. Learn style and skill in a fun, relaxed, supportive atmosphere. It's a workshop and a party!
• For more information, call Roger at 269-375-4867.

The Board of Country Dancing in Kalamazoo

Drew Bolton, Assistant Treasurer
Sherry Brodock, Secretary
George Broomell, Vice President
Linda Dove
Luis Gamez
Mike Clark, Treasurer
Jan Coray
Cal Lamoreaux
Becky Lawson
Danika Murray, President
Sherry Opalka
Barry Taylor
Alashar Waltz
Roger Williams

Links to Other Country Dancing and Folk Life around Southern Michigan

K'zoo Folklife Organization of Kalamazoo.
Allegan Woods Folk Arts Cooperative near Holland.
Dance schedule of the Grand River Folk Arts Society of Grand Rapids.
Looking Glass Music and Arts Association of Lansing.
Ten Pound Fiddle of Lansing.
Ann Arbor Council for Traditional Music and Dance (AACTMAD).
Michigan Dance Heritage.
Goshen Community Contra Dancing of Goshen, Indiana.
Oakland County Traditional Dance Society.
Ted Crane's Dance Database.
Cal Lamoreaux's page of events in the Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids area.
Charlie Seelig's page of dances in the Great Lakes region.
Kiran Wagle's page of contra dance information.