"Serving the South Bay area, strengthening individuals, families and communities through service, education, and community events."
Olympia Contra Dance
What is Contra Dancing?
Contra is community-oriented social folk dancing to live music. It's lively, joyful, welcoming, modern, traditional, and fun! No partner or experience is needed to have a great time, so we hope to see you on the dance floor!
The Details
When:
Our dances are typically held on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month.
- Lesson: for new dancers: 7:00 pm.
- Dance: 7:30 pm to 10:00 pm
Ways to stay connected and learn about upcoming dances:
Cost: Sliding scale $10-25 (NOTAFLOF). We prefer cash (so we can easily pass it along to the performers), but also accept checks and online payment forms using your smart phone.
Contra Dance Payment
Role terms: Our callers typically use non-gendered role terms (larks and robins) to identify the two dance roles. There are many resources describing these role terms; here is one collection of Q&As on role terms gathered by another dance organization.
Health: Well-fitting masks are encouraged and provided, but not required. We strongly encourage dancers to do all that they can to take care of their own health and the health of those around them. For those who can, this could mean staying up to date on all available vaccinations (Influenza, COVID, etc.), wearing masks, and staying home when sick. Full COVID protocols here.
Where: Dances are held at the South Bay Grange at 3918 Sleater Kinney Rd NE, Olympia, WA 98506. There is a gravel parking lot just to the south of the building along Sleater Kinney and you are welcome to use the school parking lot across the street.
What to bring: Bring a water bottle & wear comfortable clothes - keeping in mind that you may get a little hot or even sweaty. To protect the floor please wear clean, soft-soled shoes (no taps, spike heels, etc).
Community: contra dancing is not just about dancing to great music, it's also about being part of a safe, supportive, and inclusive community. Check out our community standards and
code of conduct. Use our
feedback form to share any suggestions or requests, or to let us know if something happened that made you feel uncomfortable.
Who: Since dancing restarting in 2021, these contra dances have been hosted by a committee of the South Bay Grange and countless volunteers. Questions or concerns: email us SBGrangeEvents@gmail.com or use our feedback form.
Upcoming Dances
May 10, 2025: Olympia Volunteer String Band with Victoria Fox calling. This special community band is led by Jesse Partridge. This event is a fundraiser for the South Bay Grange and the Olympia contra dance.
May 24th, 2025: No Olympia dance - Contra dancing (and so much more) at the 54rd Annual Northwest Folklife Festival May 23-26. This event is FREE to the public.
May 31, 2025: Raven and Goose with Craig Wolfe calling. This special 5th Saturday dance features Corwin Zekley (fiddle) and Grace Fellows (piano), visiting from California. Plus a special workshop for intermediate contra dancers from 6-7pm. These are designed for dancers who know common contra moves (e.g. balance and swing, robin's chain, hey for four, etc.) and want to take their dancing to the next level. Regular intro lesson still at 7pm.
June 14, 2025: "2/3 of a Baby Corn" with Kelsey Hartman calling. The band is Hayden Stern (fiddle) and Rosie O'Neil (guitar).
June 28, 2025: Riffraff with TBD calling. The band is Evo Toney and Jesse Partridge.
July 26, 2025: Riffraff with TBD calling. The band is Evo Toney, Lindon Toney, and Jesse Partridge.
August 23, 2024: Riffraff with TBD calling. The band is Evo Toney and Jesse Partridge.
Add our upcoming dances to your Google Calendar (you must be logged into a Google account)
Past Dances
2025 contra dances 2024 contra dances 2023 contra dances 2022 contra dances 2021 contra dances
COVID exposure tracking results
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