Thursday Night Contra Dance in the Mt. Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia, PA 19119
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Normally third Saturdays (7:30pm) at Summit Church
Sliding scale -- pay what you can!
Local bands: $15-$5; *touring bands $20-$8.
Free admission for children 12 and under.
Contra
dances cancelled (including Third Saturdays)
through at least the end of April
(March 18) At our board meeting tonight (the first ever conducted entirely through Zoom!), the PATMAD board reluctantly affirmed that dances are cancelled through at least the end of April.
Amidst so much uncertainty, we anticipate that May dances are likely to be cancelled as well. We'll continue to reassess the situation monthly.
The board wishes to reassure everyone that the dance is on comfortable financial footing, and we very much look forward to dancing with all of you when this is over.
Contra dancing is an activity with a uniquely high level of physical closeness and contact with most of the other participants. In view of the coronavirus pandemic, and the fact that community transmission has been occuring in the United States among people not showing symptoms, we have decided with heavy hearts to cancel the contra dances (including the Medley Marathon) for the rest of March. We will assess the possibility of dancing again at the end of each month that we remain dark.
We recognize that this dance cancellation causes considerable problems with the vote we were conducting on role terms. Our vote subcommittee decided to reschedule the vote for the 5th and 6th weeks after the dance resumes, to allow sufficient time to notify the membership. The Board will announce this again with exact dates once dancing can safely resume. (More details)
More information about the COVID-19 outbreak:
World Health Organization: Coronavirus disease
(COVID-19) outbreak
Pennsylvania Department of Health: Coronavirus
As the Country Dance and Song Society remind us:
Our dance, song, and music traditions will not go away if we need to hit the pause button for a while. They’ve made it through population migrations, world wars, and the rise of digital entertainment. Dancing and singing together will continue with gusto after the initial virus has run its course. Be kind and understanding with the dancers, singers, musicians, callers, and organizers around you.
Sincerely,
The PATMAD board
March 8, 2020
(Continued in the 2020 calendar)
We normally dance every Thursday night (except Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve) in Mt. Airy at the Commodore Barry Club, 6815 Emlen Street, Philadelphia, PA 19119 (directions). The Third Saturday Contra Dance is at Summit Church, also in Mt. Airy. We thank the staff of Glenside Memorial Hall for supporting our dances for nearly 20 years.
Sliding Scale Admission
We offer admission to our Thursday night dance on a $15-$5 sliding
scale *($20-$8 for touring bands).
Some guidelines to help you decide how much to pay:
| Local bands | *Touring bands | |
| $15 | $20 | Dance supporter - you make it possible for others to come to our dance. Thank you! |
| $10 | $12 | Dance sustainer - you make our dance sustainable by paying enough to help us meet our costs. |
| $5 | $8 | Basic admission - on a tight budget? You too are a valued member of our community. We're happy you're coming to dance! |
No one is turned away for lack of funds. Ask us about work grants.
Larks and Ravens
As
part of our mission to make contra dancing accessible to anyone who
wants to dance, we are experimenting with non-gendered dance role
terms. On selected evenings, dances will be called using the terms
"Larks" (for the dancers generally on the left,
traditionally the "gents") and
"Ravens" (or sometimes "Robins", for
the dancers generally on the right, traditionally
the "ladies").
At every dance, whether Gents/Ladies or Larks/Ravens, we encourage you to dance whichever role(s) you like, and to dance with whoever is coming at you!
Role Terms Taskforce and Round Table Discussions
The Role Terms Taskforce is working to guide discussion and identify options for the future. The Taskforce has hosted round table discussions where community members could learn about, discuss and contribute to the decision about the role terms to be used at our dance. Two discussions took place on October 10 and 24 before the dance. The Taskforce has also sent out a community survey.
If you wish to express your views but were unable to attend either session, please and let us know when and how you would like to participate.
(Read more about the Role Terms Taskforce,
including a timeline, reasons why and why not to change, discussion
and dancers' comments, and the rescheduled
membership vote in March.)
Tell your friends!
If this is your first time, WELCOME!
"If you
can walk and count to 4, you can contra dance!"
Not your first time? Bring your friends and let them too discover the joy, energy, swirling awesomeness, and just plain fun of contra dancing!
As contra dancers, we need to always be recruiting in order to grow
our dance and have more fun. Now is the time to start talking to that
friend who you think would love to dance with us.
The best way to get people to try something new is to personally ask them: share your love for dancing, bring them early, teach them how to swing, et cetera. The more we grow our dance, the more fun we can all have. Who will you recruit? Will it be someone from work? Someone from your place of worship? Someone from your knitting group or Zumba class? A stranger on the street?
See you and your new dancer friends soon!
Want to Know More?
See Welcome Information for more about the volunteer-run Thursday Night Dance and general information about Contra Dancing. See also the article "Mt Airy Contra, Dancing with your Neighbor" (by Kae Kalwaic, with a video clip). See our contact page to get answers to your questions or to volunteer.
Weather-Related Cancellations
In case of inclement weather please check this website or our Facebook page.SPUDS
The Summit Pick Up Dance Society (SPUDS) is open to all musicians who wish to participate, and has musicians of different levels of ability among its members. Since it is a contra dance band, the tunes range from reels and jigs to waltzes. We play for the Thursday night dance about seven times a year and occasionally for other events. For more information on how you can take part, including jams and rehearsals, visit the SPUDS website or contact SPUDS Coordinators Kim Neubauer and Bill Quern.
Links
Third Saturday Contra Dance at Summit
Church in Mt. Airy
The Seven Day
Dance Guide for links to dances in the Philadelphia region
Ted Crane's
Dance Database
Contra
Dance Links
Germantown
Country Dancers
Mostly Waltz
ContraCopia
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PATMAD
The Thursday Night Contra Dance is sponsored by Philadelphia Area Traditional Music and Dance (PATMAD), a Pennsylvania non-profit corporation that is an affiliate of the Country Dance and Song Society. PATMAD also sponsors the Third Saturday Contra Dance, SPUDS, and Allons Danser. PATMAD's non-profit filings are available from foundationcenter.org.
PATMAD is committed to the safety and comfort of the people who attend the events it sponsors.
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