BRATTLEBORO — Gotta dance? The Brattleboro Music Center's Celtic Mega Band will provide the music for a Contra Dance, set for Sunday, June 12, according to a news release.
The event will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. (a beginners' session is set for 6:45 p.m.) at the Stone Church, 210 Main St., and no experience or partner is needed.
Contra dance is a social dance with deep roots in New England history. The dance form can be traced to English, Scottish, and Irish folk dances as well as the French dance styles of the 17th century. The dances typically feature dancing in long lines of paired dancers moving to energetic live music. In each dance, couples progress up and down the lines, dancing with each other couple in the line.
Easy walking steps are all that is required and bringing a partner isn't necessary, the release says, “just a smile and willingness to learn.” Caller Nils Fredland will teach each dance and prompt dancers throughout the evening.
The BMC Celtic Mega Band is made up of 30 BMC students, ranging in age from 10 to 60-plus. They meet every Wednesday throughout the school year with instructors Becky Tracy and Keith Murphy (cornerstones of the band Nightingale, with Becky also a 12-year veteran of the popular Western Massachusetts band Wild Asparagus), learning and perfecting tunes from Ireland, Quebec, New England, and a peppering of other styles.
Having developed harmonies and beautiful medleys of tunes, the band's June 12 performance is the culmination and celebration of a great year of music making. All dances will be taught, and the evening will include something for everyone, no matter their experience or energy level.