Albany Contradances are held every second and fifth Friday of the month, September through June, in the large ballroom of the Albany Elks Lodge, located at 25 S Allen St, Albany, NY.
Dancing starts at 8pm, with a beginner lesson at 7:45pm. Now is a great time to be a beginner! Please share this event with anybody who may be interested, regardless of experience level!
Contra dancing has its roots in English country dancing, and may feel familiar to square dancing.
As we’re living in a world with covid-19, we will have a number of precautionary measures in place:
In partnership with the DFO, we would like to remind all attendees that consent is vital to a safe and inclusive dance experience. Be polite when asking for dances, gracious if rejected, and always ask before trying to dip, lift, or twirl your partner. If someone at the dance causes you to feel uncomfortable, please speak with an organizer, who will be wearing a name badge. More information can be found at https://www.danceflurry.org/about-us/culture-of-consent/
We have decided to make our events more inclusive by asking our callers to use the gender neutral role terms Larks and Robins. Thank you for being a flexible, loving community!
In our ever-continuing work to welcome more people to the dance floor, we are implementing a sliding pay scale. Please plan to pay what you comfortably can, from $8 for those that need extra communal support to $25 for those who are able to give our newly reborn dance a financial boost.
If you can volunteer your time before, during, or after the dance, we would love to help you help us! Please fill out this form to share your availability and interest, and we’ll be in touch.
Contact us with any questions at albanycontras@danceflurry.org
We are so excited to dance with you again!
Here is a complete list of our planned dates for the coming months — remember that there is a 5th Friday dance this month!