North Berkshire Contra Dance

The North Berkshire Contra Dance will hold its monthly community contra dance with live music by warmly acclaimed fiddler George Wilson and pianist Selma Kaplan. calling (teaching) by Julian Blechner.

Julian Blechner will call in an easy and gentle teaching style will help everyone relax and enjoy dancing.

George Wilson’s dynamic fiddling, strongly influenced by Cape Breton and French Canadian styles, has been popular with contra dancers and concert-goers since the late 1970s. Selma Kaplan is an accomplished pianist, composer, and arranger, and one of the most requested dance musicians on the East Coast.

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Earlier on the same day, NBCD musicians are also hosting a pre-dance calling workshop in the Williamstown Public Library from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Anyone is welcome to come to see how it works, and help out as a dancer on the floor, or bring a dance you’d like to workshop calling in a friendly group setting.

The music is live, all the dances are taught, and anyone is welcome, with or without a partner — most people change partners for each dance of the evening. Contra dancing is the contemporary face of a living tradition. Both the dance and its music can be traced to roots in 17th century England, France, and Scotland, but have been vigorously mixed and remixed in New England and nearby regions since.

Admission is pay-as-you-can, and barter (like help with cleanup) is also welcome. Covid Policy: For this first post-holiday dance in a season of rising respiratory illness, NBCD will require masks on the dance floor. Because contradance isn’t made to social distance — whoever your partner, you’ll wind up dancing with everyone in the room.