Footnotes

By Lindsey Grayzel This winter, I’ve had the good fortune of being able to travel to a number of regional contra dance camps. The combination of top musical talent and a hall filled with die-hard dancers induces nothing short of euphoria for me. Everyone is moving to the beat, flourishes abound, and the eye contact …

Join us for four days of great dancing at Northwest Passage Dance Camp, Aug. 30 to Sept. 2 By Sharon Gavin  It’s March, and spring will soon be here, which means that registration for Northwest Passage 2024—PCDC’s much-loved long-weekend of English Country dancing, singing, and music and dance workshops—will also be here soon-ish! Held at …

By Dave Hamlin The 2024 Portland Roadhouse will feature five fine bands and five great callers from along the I-5 corridor. Here’s the lineup: When and where: The 2024 Portland Roadhouse takes place from noon to 6:25 pm on Sunday, March 10, at the Milwaukie Community Club, 10666 SE 42nd Ave., Milwaukie, OR, 97222. Doors …

By Sharon Allen Monthly tune teaching sessions are still going strong after more than two decades! On the second Thursday of each month, a dozen or so musicians gather to learn two or three new tunes by ear, with lots and lots of repetition. Any melody player is welcome, regardless of instrument or level of …

By Kathy Story, PCDC Board President Many thanks to our community for stepping up and contributing to our Making Magic Again end-of-year campaign. Like many nonprofit organizations, PCDC had continuing expenses during the COVID pandemic shutdown, but no revenue. Generous folks donated over $2,100, which will help ensure the continuation of our dance events and …

From Versailles to Victoria: A Calling Career by Kathy Story, PCDC Board President I enjoy English Country Dancing and at a recent PCDC ECD dance, I learned that David Macemon will be the caller at the Seattle English ball in February. I’ve never been to a ball and I wanted to learn more, so I …

By David Macemon, ECD caller and committee member We can all admit it, we LOVE to dance. It could be contra, English, or both—and lots of other styles. And what is more fun than sharing our love of dancing with others? This can be a challenge when our enthusiasm for dancing meets new dancers who …

by Kathy Story I love to swing during a contra dance! My favorite dances have both a partner and a neighbor swing. I love to swing fast. And when I’m dancing the Robin role, I love to spin out of it with a big flourish. But I know not everyone enjoys all that, so I …

By Sue Songer The 2024 Portland Megaband is back to pre-pandemic strength, powered by 75 musicians who are already working on the music. Fiddles (30 or so), whistles, flutes and winds, plectra, percussion, and, of course, the horn section will be working as a tight unit to provide tons of energy–energy that will go through …

By Kelly Tabor, Contra Committee Chair I am your Contra Committee Chair, and I have a confession: The first PCDC board meeting I ever attended was this past summer. I was driving down I-84 with a board member attending via Zoom in my passenger seat. PCDC’s fiscal year had just ended and our treasurer was …