A DAY OF WALTZ & CONTRA DANCE

A DAY OF WALTZ & CONTRA DANCE

WITH FABULOUS LIVE MUSIC

SATURDAY, MARCH 29, 2025

PRESENTED BY COUNTRY DANCE*NEW YORK  

CALLER GAYE FIFER TEACHES ALL DANCES

 New York, NY – Country Dance*New York (CD*NY) is presenting A Day of Waltz & Contra Dance on Saturday, March 29, 2025, with live and lively music by four stellar musicians: Larry Unger, Minda Cowen, Dominique Gagné, and Marco Brehm. No previous experience is required, and it is not necessary to come with a partner. All dances will be taught.

The highly regarded caller and teacher Gaye Fifer will teach the afternoon waltz workshops and, in the evening, walk everyone through the patterns of each contra dance, making the dancing a pleasure for all. All the March 29 workshops and dances will be held at The Church of the Village, 201 West 13th Street, New York, NY.

Three waltz sessions are being offered followed by an evening contra dance:

2:30pm – 3:30pm Advanced waltz workshop with Gaye Fifer

3:30pm – 4:30pm Beginner’s waltz workshop with Gaye Fifer

4:45pm – 6:15pm Open waltzing for all to live music by Kaleidoscope: Larry Unger on guitar, jaw harp, and banjo; Dominique Gagné on flutes; Marco Brehm on bass; and Minda Cowen on fiddle.

Dinner Break

7:00pm – 7:30pm Contra dance introductory workshop

7:30pm – 10:30pm Contra dance with Gaye Fifer calling to live music from Kaleidoscope.

Admission: Waltz workshops: $8 for one or both workshops; Open waltzing: $15 general public, $11 for students with ID or CDNY members; Workshops plus open waltzing: $20 general public, $15 students or CDNY members; Contra dance (including contra introductory workshop): $20 general public, $15 students or CDNY members.

Kaleidoscope is an innovative quartet that performs an ever-changing swirl of dance music. Presenting everything from traditional New England and old-time American, Quebecois, and Celtic fiddle tunes, to jazz, blues, Latin, and the group’s own originals, Kaleidoscope is Minda Cowen on English and contra fiddle, renowned folk composer Larry Unger on guitar and banjo, Dominique Gagné on Latin and Brazilian jazz-influenced flute and piano, and Marco Brehm on swinging stand-up bass. Together they can move dancers across the floor or captivate an audience with their melodic and creative approach to folk traditions.

Gaye Fifer is an accomplished contra dance caller and waltz instructor from Pittsburgh, PA. An active dancer herself, she understands the subtleties of making contras and waltzes particularly satisfying for dancers. Her instructions are clear and concise, and her easy smile and delightful sense of humor help to make dances she presides over fun for all attendees. 

The waltz is a smooth, progressive ballroom and folk dance, in triple time, performed primarily in closed position. Shocking many dancers when it was first introduced, the waltz became fashionable in Vienna around the 1780s, spreading to many other countries in the following years. It became popular in Britain during the Regency period and according to the Oxford English Dictionary was considered “riotous and indecent” as late as 1825. Over time, new types of waltz have developed, including many folk and several ballroom dances. The contra waltz (freeform waltz) included in most contra dance evenings, uses both open and closed positions, and incorporates moves from other dances such as swing, modern jive, and salsa. Basically, the dancers progress around the room with a waltz step, but with no constraints on what moves they can use. Today, waltzes are extremely popular with dancers of all ages.

Contra dancing is having a renaissance around the country, thanks to a thriving youth scene; the dance’s lively, uplifting acoustic music; and its joyful, fast-paced, aerobic dancing. Contra dancing started in New England in the 1700s, but the modern version is a far cry from the Virginia Reel-type dancing done in schools years ago. The current dancing is done in lines of dancers facing their partners and moving briskly in patterns to live music, dancing with a partner and also with others they meet in the course of a dance.

Further information on the Manhattan CD*NY March 29 waltz and contra day can be found at www.cdny.org or https://www.facebook.com/events/9136286013119447.

Each first-timer to a CD*NY dance will get a free pass to come another time.