Country Dance*New York Presents the Winter Meltdown Contra Dance, 3/10

Country Dance*New York will present the Winter Meltdown contra dance on Saturday, March 10, 2012 from 9:00 pm to 11:45 pm at the Chinatown YMCA's Houston Street Center (273 Bowery, near Houston Street, Manhattan). No previous experience is required. From 8:30 pm to 9:00 pm there is a beginner's workshop, and the caller walks everyone through the patterns of each dance. Contra dancing is having a renaissance around the country, thanks to a thriving youth scene; high energy, acoustic music; and joyful, fast-paced, aerobic dancing. There is plenty of swinging your partner and lots of fun, flirting and eye contact. Some men wear kilts or skirts. Women dance with men, men dance with men, and women dance with women.

Live music will be provided by the popular dance band and caller combination from New England, Elixir, which blends calling, driving fiddle and guitar playing, and the rich texture and rhythmic excitement of a full horn section, deftly weaving brassy riffs and daring solos in and out of traditional Irish, French Canadian, and New England tunes. Elixir thrills dancers and concert audiences throughout the U.S. by performing music drawing on a wide range of styles and evoking a variety of moods. Elegant melodies evolve into raucous dixieland horn riffs. Transcendent harmonies, playful improvisations, and rock, swing and reggae-inspired rhythms weave in and out of traditional and original tunes. Since its start in 2005, Elixir has evolved a sound that combines musical innovation with strong danceability. In 2007 the band recorded a short four-track CD (out of print), and in 2008 released their first full-length recording entitled Super Tonic. Their new CD Rampant is now available. The band is comprised of Nils Fredland (calling, trombone, vocals), Ethan Hazard-Watkins (fiddle), Jesse Hazard-Watkins (trumpet, flugelhorn), Anna Patton (clarinet, vocals), and Owen Morrison (guitar, foot percussion). Nils Fredland, who has been calling dances with great skill and infectious energy since 2000, will lead the proceedings. Respected for his expertise as a teacher and caller, sensitive leadership, and generosity, Nils is one of the busiest and most sought-after callers in the business.

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 long lines of dancers facing their partners and moving briskly in patterns to live music, sometimes changing partners.

Admission is $16 general public, and $12 for full-time students with ID. First timers get a free pass to use to come another time. For more information visit the Country Dance*New York website, www.cdny.org or call The Dancephone at 212.459.4080. Attendees are asked to bring a separate pair of clean, soft-soled shoes for dancing.

Traveling to 273 Bowery (and Houston Street) via subway: Take the 6 train to Bleecker Street stop, the F train to Second Avenue stop, or the B or D train to Broadway and Lafayette Street.

For bios, photos and videos of the band, Elixir, click on this link: http://www.elixirmusic.com/

Photo Credit: Jeffrey Bary