Address
Contra College 2013
c/o Les Addison
123 Jasmine Avenue
East Palo Alto, CA 94043
Email Address
info@ContraCollege.com
Phone Number
510 599 2219
Sponsored By
Bay Area Country Dance Society
In Collaboration With
North Bay Country Dance Society
Traditional Dancers of the Golden State
Traditional Dancers of Santa Cruz
Many evenings of contra dance include two or three couple dances—usually two waltzes and a hambo, though some dances only have waltzes. Because these dances are not called, and involve footwork, they can be harder for contra dancers to pick up— though many people are familiar with waltzing from other dance experiences. Contra College includes a Waltz Workshop on Saturday and a Hambo Workshop on Sunday. Contra dancers who are not participating in Contra College can also take either of these dance workshops for $5 each.
Have you watched the other dancers waltzing and wished you could join in? Susan Petrick is a masterful teacher, who in one workshop will help you to learn the basics of this timeless dance so that you, too, can feel comfortable swooping around the dance floor.
Hambo is a lively and challenging Scandinavian dance. It is hard to just “pick up” because the men’s and women’s parts do not mirror each other; they are interlocking turns that take a little training to master. At many local contra dances, a hambo is played right after the break. Here is your opportunity to learn this dance and be ready to start participating!
By profession Susan Petrick is a cognitive psychologist who does software usability research for Google in the Bay area. She has been calling for twelve years, and is gaining national prominence in the contra dance world. She strives to program interesting, varied dances with great flow, and to teach them clearly and concisely. She has enjoyed working with wonderful bands, traveling and calling throughout the country in addition to up and down the West Coast.
Susan has been on the staff of Contra College since its inception. This year, she will be leading a Callers Workshop on Friday night in which she will teach how to program an evening of contra dance, how to teach a dance clearly and concisely, and make even complex dances accessible to all. She will be returning as waltz instructor late Saturday afternoon and a hambo instructor on late Sunday afternoon. Ms. Petrick will make sure that dancers can enjoy the entire evening at a contra dance. The waltz and hambo workshops are included in Contra College, but also may be taken separately.
| 4:00PM | - | 5:30PM | Waltz Workshop |
| 5:00PM | - | 6:30PM | Hambo Workshop |
Admission to the dance workshops is managed at the venue thirty minutes prior to the workshop. Each workshop costs $5.00 and is paid for at the door. If you have further questions, please contact the manager using the information found within the left area of this page.
The supporting organizations and Conta College have identified a number of policies that are in place to make our dance events fun and safe. For further information, please review the information on the policy page.