Join us for a Contra Dance at Woodlawn Elementary School in Lawrence, Kansas.
Doors 6:30
Lesson 7:00
Dance begins 7:30
Open to both beginners and newcomers without experience. Those new to contra should attend the free lesson at 6:45. All ages welcome!
Our dances are social, inclusive, fun, and beginner friendly. No experience? No partner? No problem!
We strongly recommend that newcomers and beginners arrive at 6:45 for the lesson. The lesson is fun and an invaluable experience - you will enjoy the rest of the dance much more after the lesson.
All dances are taught and prompted, and feature live music.
You’ll hear our callers use gender free terms like Larks and Robins. Larks dance on the left side of a pair of dancers; Robins dance on the right side.
Contra dancing is fun and vigorous! Wear comfortable clothes and clean shoes. Be aware of damaging grit, especially in boots, please, no black marking heels.
Flexible admission rates for in-person dances:
Adult admission pay what you can between $8 to $15+ to help support our dances.
Adults just listening (not dancing) $5
Students $5
Children under 16 $free
Don’t miss another dance opportunity! Sign up on our email list to get twice a month reminders of all upcoming events using this link:
Lawrence Barn Dance Association
On our website, check out our tips for beginners, complete with videos of lessons.
Band: Coreopsis
The band Coreopsis, hailing from Lawrence, Kansas, took root in 2018. The three musicians: Whitney Baker (accordion), Lauralyn Bodle (fiddle), and Noah Musser (guitar, percussion), bring together intriguing and often complex melodies with irresistibly danceable rhythms. The band's repertoire incorporates influences from a wide swath of traditional music, including American old-time, Celtic jigs, French-Canadian reels, as well as a healthy dose of original compositions.
Caller: Jill Allen
Soon after receiving a B.E. in Dance Performance at the University of Kansas, Jill Allen came upon her first local country dance in the early 1980’s, unaware of how deeply it would change her life. It was love at first step and she never looked back. Her tap dancing became clogging and soon she learned to call for dances, with a hunger to teach every style she learned. With experience in dance education, Jill was a natural boss on the dance floor. Jill also organized dances for many years, and played piano for dances with the band “Fox on the Run” for 15 years.
Her calling has been described as fun, easy to follow, and musical, with no time wasted getting a group of all ages and abilities up and dancing to the music. She is full-service caller with over thirty years of experience, well versed in Contras, Squares, English Country, Family Dances, Clogging, and couple dances.
Photography:
Our photographer, of Denis Nicholson Photography, may be on site at this dance. He will post photos after the event and will have prints available through his web site. These are fun reminders of a magical evening and make great gifts and holiday surprises for the dancer in your life!
Also check out other Music events in Lawrence, Entertainment events in Lawrence.
