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An amazing October

- Ken Gagne

Thanks to everyone who made our latest dance a success! With calling by Rachel Shapiro and music by Cedar Stanistreet, Max Newman, and Julie Metcalf of Agnostic Fiddle Insurgency, Worcester's October contra dance was great fun for all those who attended, with several first-timers joining our ranks. Perhaps because nearby WPI was on their fall break, the crowd wasn't quite as big as usual, but everyone who showed up had a good time, with many staying until the end and helping to clean up — many hands make for light work!

We'll see you next on November 10!

A magnificent May

- Jeffrey Forgeng

Just when I thought the Worcester dance couldn't get any more AWESOME! Andrew Grover and Max Newman totally rocked the house — it was hard to believe that sound came from just two people! Dave Eisenstadter gave us a perfect mix of dances. And the halftime participatory demo of Worcester-style tango from Krista Baker and Sarah Brooks was just one more indicator that this is THE place to be for dynamic and creative dancing. Thanks to everyone for such an excellent evening!

An awesome April dance

- Jeffrey Forgeng

Are my feet ever going to be sore tomorrow — and it was totally worth it! Caribou and Reed totally rocked the house, I don't think I've ever whooped so much at a contra before. And so far this year we've had 100 dancers at every Worcester dance: the energy was tremendous, and I'm only sorry I have to wait a month till the next one.

A marvelous March

- Jeffrey Forgeng

If you are ever in need of a remedy for jetlag, I recommend the music of Dueling Whiskey Factory. My body was still on Barcelona time when I showed up to this past Saturday's dance, so they had me dancing flat out until what my body thought was 5 AM. Rachel Shapiro's calling was excellent, particularly in providing strong (and reassuring) guidance for a larger-than-usual turnout of new dancers, and particularly of kids, which is always great to see. Also, props to the new dancers — by the end of the evening, you were doing some pretty challenging stuff. And it was nice to see a contingent from Heifer Project in Rutland, one of the gems of Central Massachusetts!

Bill Fischer's spiral dance

- Ken Gagne

Ever wonder what a Worcester contra dance looks like but haven't had the opportunity to check it out yourself? Thanks to Ken Bennett of the Northboro contra dance, you can see what you missed this past Saturday with this video of Worcester's February dance. With Bill Fischer calls to music by Riverbend and Friends, this circle dance is not a typical contra, performed as it is in a circle instead of a line. But it's still great fun and a nice change from the usual routines!

Watching contra is never as fun as dancing it. We hope to see you at the next dance on March 10, with Rachel Shapiro calling to music by Dueling Whiskey Factory!

A fantastic February

- Jeffrey Forgeng

Thanks to all for an awesome dance this past Saturday! Bill Fischer was an excellent (and superfun) caller as always, and Riverbend and Friends played their best dance for us to date — the music was totally rocking. Also kudos to our new dancers, who leapt in with both feet and really distinguished themselves. I've been attending contras for many years in multiple states (not to say multiple countries!), including some pretty big-name venues, and this past weekend was absolutely as much fun as I've ever had at a dance.

Thanks to everyone in the Central Mass contra community for making the Worcester contra dance such a great event!

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