The Annapolis Traditional Dance Society

Upcoming Dances

Saturday, January 21

We'll be swingin' every which way to the music of the New Hip Trio and the calling of Kim Forry. The "hipsters" are top-flight dance musicians from the D.C. area - Joe DeZarn on fiddle, Liz Donaldson on piano, and Ralph Gordon on upright bass.

Saturday, February 18

Leah Weiss (fiddle) and Gary Wright (guitar), with bassist Ahren Buchheister, will bring their rootsy feel to our dance. David Giusti will be our caller.

Saturday, March 17

We'll get it all together with Some Assembly! That's Mary Flora, flute; Joe Klausner, fiddle; Donna Boylan, piano; and Paul Miller, guitar/percussion. ATDS stalwart Perry Shafran will be our caller.

Saturday, March 31 - Special Event

For this fifth Saturday, we're proud to announce our first ever English Country Dance. "ECD" as danced in America today is more or less like the dances you might see in a Jane Austen movie. It's one of the root styles of contra dancing. While some of the moves are the same, English dance is a little less energetic and features a wider variety of formations and steps, and wonderful music that walks the line between folk and Baroque.
Our band for this event will be Hot Toddy (Edith Coakley Stowe, violin; Anna Rain, recorder; Melissa Running, piano). Tom Spilsbury will be our caller. We hope our regular dancers will give English dancing a try (and we know there are local English dancers waiting to come out of the woodwork for this).

Saturday, April 21

Our feet will be flying with the sweet old-time sounds of The Stray Birds. This up-and-coming trio from Lancaster, PA features Maya de Vitry and Oliver Craven on fiddles, banjos and guitars, and Charles Joseph Muench on upright bass. The esteemed Hot Square Babe Janine Smith will be our caller.
The Stray Birds are also fine singers and songwriters, and they'll appear in concert on Friday the 20th at the 333 Coffeehouse, just up the street from our dance venue.

Contra Dances - General Information

• Our contra dances are held the third Saturday of each month from 7 to 10 PM.
• Dances are held at the Annapolis Friends Meeting House, at 351 DuBois Rd in Annapolis. Parking is free. The hall is climate controlled and cooled with extra fans in summer. (Directions)
• No experience is required. A free beginners' workshop is held at 6:30 PM. If you're new to contra dance, try to come early even if you can't make the workshop. The evening starts off with easier dances and more instruction.
• You don't have to bring a partner.
• Wear comfortable clothing, and bring shoes with soft, non-marking soles. "Street" shoes should be cleaned before dancing (we have brushes, but it's best to bring clean shoes and change before you begin). No high heels, please (they can damage the floor, and they're terrible for contra dancing anyway).
• Our contra dance evenings usually also include a few square dances.
• Snacks are provided (honor system donation box)... or bring something to share!
• Admission Prices:
  

  	Members	Non-members
  Adults (13+)	$8	$10
  Student/senior	$6	$8
  Family	$25	$30
  Children (6-12)	$5
  Little Kids (under 6)	Free

  Member prices apply to members of ATDS and affiliated organizations including FSGW (Washington) and BFMS (Baltimore). (More about membership)
  First-time dancers receive a Next Dance Free coupon.

Directions

The Annapolis Friends (Quaker) Meeting House is located close to Rt. 50 and minutes away from downtown Annapolis. From US 50/301, take Exit 24 (Rt. 70/Rowe Blvd), and take the exit away from downtown (towards Bestgate Rd.). The first stoplight after Rt. 50 is N. Bestgate Rd. Turn right. Go for a short distance and turn left on DuBois Rd. There will be a sign for the Meeting House where you turn. Take DuBois until it ends, and turn left into the gravel parking lot.

Click here for a map showing the Meeting House and surrounding area.

About ATDS

The Annapolis Traditional Dance Society is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) Maryland corporation. ATDS has been around since 1988 and is affiliated with the Country Dance and Song Society.

Activities: ATDS holds a monthly contra and square dance, occasional swing dances, and also sponsors dancers' and callers' workshops. We sponsor the annual Almost Heaven Dance Weekend. We support and promote a variety of dance forms including waltz, swing and couples dancing, clogging, and Cajun. All of our events are open to the public, and do not require any proven level of expertise. We sponsor or co-sponsor special dance events, so contact us if you have an event you want to organize.

Membership: You don't have to be an ATDS member to attend our events, but members receive a discount on admissions, and similar discounts on dances held by affiliated organizations including the Folklore Society of Greater Washington and the Baltimore Folk Music Society. Annual membership in ATDS costs $12 for an individual, $25 for a family. Ready to join? Here's a membership form.

Volunteer! ATDS is a non-profit organization run by volunteers. Why not get involved? If you'd like to be a part of putting together an exciting dance series, please join us! We need volunteers for the following:

• Dance hall set-up
• Gate committee
• Dance managers
• Sound crew

If you have an interest in one of these volunteer positions, email Jan Scopel.

Contact Us

For general information:

annapolis.contra.dance "at" gmail "dot" com

To support ATDS with a tax-deductible donation:

annapolis.contra.dance "at" gmail "dot" com
or by mail to: ATDS, c/o Jan Scopel, 101 Old Crossing Lane, Annapolis, MD 21401. (Please make checks payable to "Annapolis Traditional Dance Society.")

Band and Caller Contact:

Ann Fallon, (410)-268-0231, aefallon "at" verizon "dot" net

Website:

http://www.contradancers.com/atds