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​Boston Gender Free Contra Dance for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer Folks and Friends!

  • For 2024 we have 5 dances scheduled. Dates are in the calendar and visible below
  • Live music
  • All dances taught
  • Beginners encouraged - come early!
  • No partner necessary
  • Any sexual orientation and gender expression is welcome
  • Wearing of N95/KN95/KF94 or equivalent commercially produced mask masks is not required; most ;people are not wearing masks We expect people to be vaccinated - but are not checking cards.
  • Put your name and email on the contact tracing list - and if you turn out to have a positive Covid test during a few days after please send email to Robert Coren ([email protected])
  • For role identification we use Larks (L for the person on the left) and Robins (R for the person on the right)
  • These Dances are Fragrance Free - please do not wear perfume, cologne, or other scented products, as some of our dancers are chemically sensitive, and experience discomfort when exposed to these materials.
  • Dances normally run 7:30 to 10:30pm. The fee is sliding scale: $5 - $15. We do pass a bucket for our live music fund, and you can ask the person at the door about sponsoring future dances. The November dance - the Harvest Ball - has higher rates.
Boston Gender Free Contra Dance
First Church in Jamaica Plain (by the monument)
6 Eliot St
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

Parking

Videos

Links

For First Time Dancers

  • Come early, say 7:15, and introduce yourself. We don’t  run an organized beginners session; someone may show you some moves and terms just to help you be a bit more comfortable. Nevertheless contra dancing is easy for people with two left feet. Dances become progressively more difficult as the evening progresses, so again, come early.
  • Please bring clean, comfortable, soft-soled shoes to change into after you arrive. Gritty shoes harm our aging floor, and create airborne dust as the finish is worn down.
  • Dress light. This is aerobic exercise. Experienced dancers may wear skirts, shorts and bring changes of tee shirts. Do not wear sweaters except for between-dance warming up.
  • Don't wear scented products. Some of our dancers are chemically sensitive, and can become ill when exposed to these things.
If you don't know what Contra Dancing is here is a web page with lots of information and some videos.  (The dances and instruction are not Gender Free.)

Help Us

We run our dances with volunteer help: you! The Organizers do the hard parts but we need volunteers for easy jobs every dance:
  • Hall setup (2 positions)—6:30 to 7:15—plus get into the dance free
  • Greeter and Door sitter (1 position)—7:15 to break—plus get into your next dance free
  • Announcer (1 position)—just before break
We also need people to stay around at the end to tear down and clean up. If you want to learn how to operate the sound board, contact a steering committee member.

Send a Message to the Organizers

Organizers

Arthur Prokosch, Chris Ricciotti, Jeff Dusenberry, John Gintell,  Lisa Lunt, Peter Rivard, Robert Coren, Taiward Wider, 

Caller and Musician Programmer: Lisa Lunt
John: (617) 512-5554  
Lisa:  (401) 390-1203

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For Organizers Only

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