Country Dance*New York to Host FALL FLING CONTRA DANCE, 9/21

Country Dance*New York will present a lively contra dance on Saturday, September 21, from 8:00 pm to 10:45 pm at P.S. 199 (270 West 70th Street, between Amsterdam Avenue and West End Avenue, Manhattan). No previous experience is required and it is not necessary to come with a partner. From 7:30 pm to 8:00 pm there is a beginners' workshop, and the caller walks everyone through the patterns of each dance. Dynamic and spirited music will be performed by the popular dance band made up of three pairs of brothers, Giant Robot Dance.

Giant Robot Dance brings together six talented young musicians from Vermont, Washington, DC, and New York for a high energy, super psychedelic contra dance experience. Three sets of musical brothers - Andrew and Noah VanNorstrand, Andrew and Aaron Marcus, Michael and Alex Ferguson - join together for a wild night of blaring accordion, shredding electric guitar, bludgeoning drums and honking trombone solos, plus a sprinkling of very tasteful piano melodies and delicate violin accents. The band is comprised of Andrew VanNorstrand, guitar, fiddle; Noah VanNorstrand, drums; Andrew Marcus, accordion; Aaron Marcus, piano, banjo, concertina; Michael Ferguson, trombone; and Alex Ferguson, trombone. The band's new CD, Spontaneous Animation, was released in July 2013. Adina Gordon, a highly regarded contra dance caller from Burlington, VT, will lead the proceedings. Adina has called dances in 37 U.S. states as well as in Canada and Israel. Dancers frequently remark on her energy and joy which is highly evident and contagious.

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. 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.

General Information: Admission is $18 general public, and $15 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.

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