Our next "1st Saturday" FFOTM Flagstaff Contra Dance 

Saturday, July 3rd, 2010 - 7:30 to 11:00 pm
Ashurst/Old Main Hall at NAU

Hands Four from Tucson
will provide the tunes and
Elio (formerly Laila) Lewis will call

The next Cottonwood Civic Center Contra Dance - Saturday, July 17th, 2010

Ghost Town Chill Down Contra Dance Weekend in Jerome, AZ - July 30 through August 1, 2010

News - Dances Around The Region -  FFOTM Dance Angels -  Free Pass For Your 1st Dance - Join Our Contra Dance Band

FFOTM hosts a great contra dance on the first Saturday evening (usually) of the month from 7:30 until 11:00.  Join us on the hardwood floors of the lovely Ashurst/Old Main Hall on the campus of Northern Arizona University.  Contra dancing is a fine way to spend a Saturday evening!

The dances are fun and the break time offers the beautiful trees and green grass of the Old Main campus.  There is instruction given before each dance, and basic contra dance moves are taught at 7:30.  Come alone or bring a friend.

View the NAU North Campus Map
(Buildings 10 and 11 on the map.)

Contra Dancers in Ashurst Hall in Flagstaff

Everyone is Welcome !

Suggested Donation is $5.00 for NAU Students and FFOTM Members. $8.00 for non-members.

We honor the "Rissa Pass" for first-time Contra Dancers.

View More Photos Here

First Saturday Contra Dance News
by Kari Usher

Thank-you for filling out the comment slips. Your input is very important to growing this dance community.

Have you considered coming to the Peaks on the 3rd Thursday of the month? We are gathering there to work with the band, give callers a chance to work out new dances and dancers a chance to have a different view of how this all works and to dance. So mark your calendars and we will look forward to seeing you on the dance floor.

July 3rd
Hands Four, from Tucson and surrounding areas will play and Elio (formerly Laila) Lewis will call.

August 7th
Peg Hesley will call to Just Desserts

September 4th
ClusterFolk from Phoenix will be our band.

October 9th
**That is the second Saturday** so we can go to the Prescott Folk Festival the first weekend in October. Just Desserts is our band.

November 6th
Dave Firestine and Jerry Ray Weinert will create the music and Kari Usher will do the calling – This is our Halloween costume event.

December 4th
Deb Comly will do the calling for our Holiday dance. Just Desserts will play the tunes.

We have some fun things coming up. 

We'd love to see you and your friends and get caught up with how you are getting along with your seasonal plans and adventures. 

See you on the dance floor !
  • Dances are at Ashurst Hall on the NAU campus. 
  • Ashurst Hall is in Old Main Hall. 
  • The lesson/refresher time is at 7:30pm and we dance until 11pm. 
  • Suggested donation of $5 FFOTM/students and $8 for the public. 
  • No partner needed, live music is provided.
  • Bring a smile and wear comfortable clothes.

We would love your input. We have a dance committee meeting every other month, if you would like to get more involved in helping keep this activity strong and growing. Call Kris for more info 526-3020. See you on the dance floor. 

 

shoes that love to dance

Contra Dances Around the Region

Cottonwood, AZ
We Dance Contra Dance at the Cottonwood Civic Center Third Saturday of each month, Except for May ! Cottonwood dances are held at the Cottonwood Civic Center (also known as the Clubhouse) 805 N. Main Street in Old Town Cottonwood. From I-17, Exit #287 to Cottonwood on Hwy 260, left on Hwy 89A to the Civic Center. Dances are preceded by a potluck dinner from 5:30 to 6:30 at the hall, with a pre-dance lesson from 6:30 - 7:00 and dance from 7:00 - 10:00. $5 per dancer. Call Deb at 774-5936 or email azwedance@gmail.com to learn more .

Prescott, AZ
Folk Happens! Contra Dance
First Fridays at the Prescott Armory, 824 E. Gurley St. Instruction 7:30 pm, dance 8-11 pm. $5, $4 for members of AZ dance organizations and students. Call (928) 445-8823 or visit them online to get all the information on May Madness!

Phoenix, AZ 
Phoenix Friends of Old Time Music
Phoenix contra dances are held on the second Saturday of each month at the Kenilworth School, 1210 N. 5th Ave. (near I-10 and 7th Ave.) The pre-dance lesson is at 7:00 with the dance from 7:30 - 10:30. $9 for public, $7 for members/students, and $3 for under 18 (includes childcare). Need more info? Call Carl at 602-268-7181, Ron or Linda at 480-893-3328, or go to http://www.pfotm.org

4th Wednesday Contra Dance Location: Irish Cultural Center, 1106 N. Central Avenue (adjacent to I-10 and Margaret T. Hance Park), in downtown Phoenix. Time: 7:30 – 10:00 pm (No dance lesson) Admission: $7.00 all dancers. For information: Call Joe or Peg at 602.564.6620 Email phoenixcontradancer@cox.net

Tucson, AZ
Tucson Friends of Traditional Music
First and Third Saturdays: First Church United Methodist, at 915 E. 4th St, just west of the UA campus between Park and Tyndall. All Dances 8-11 pm, instruction at 7:45 pm. Admission is $6 or $5 for TFTM members. Call (520) 408-6181 or visit them online for Dance in the Desert information!

Visiting New Mexico in the near future ?
There are Contra Dances in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taos.
View the New Mexico Folk Music and Dance Society online for the current schedule and the latest information.

Visiting Las Vegas, Nevada in the near future ?
The Southern Nevada Old-Time Contra Dancers is a collection of people who love to contra dance.
We sponsor dances twice a month in the Las Vegas, Nevada area.

Around the Country - Contra Dance Directory

-
FFOTM Dance Angels

Have you ever thought about what it takes to put on a regular monthly contra dance event? There's the hiring and scheduling of callers, bands and halls, making and distributing of posters and fliers, getting the word out about the event through public service announcements, storing and care of supplies and equipment, and organizing of volunteers.... to name just some of the tasks.  Many wings make light work, and we'd love your help!!

You are invited to join us at our regular Dance Angel potlucks!!!  All interested members of the dance community are encouraged to fluff their wings! We get together to discuss, plan and organize the monthly FFOTM dances at these fun and festive potluck get-togethers. Everyone is invited to come share the ideas and join the flock.

We meet on the first Wednesday evening after the FFOTM monthly dances of the even numbered months.....   Meeting time: 6:30 - 7:45pm. Call Kris 526-3020 to learn more.

 

-

The Just Desserts Contra Dance Band

The Just Desserts Band is the House band for the Flagstaff contra dances every other month.

Rehearsals are open to anyone who wants to play or listen to contra dance tunes. Any instrument and playing ability is welcome.

The name comes from the fact that the real reason we gather is for the purpose of eating and yakking afterward. 

We are continuing the third Thursday of the month Just Desserts practice at the Peaks Community Center. This is a way for dancers to get a little more dancing in, callers to work out new or different dances, and the Band to get out in public and work with callers and dancers. It starts about 7pm and we’d love to see you there. If you need more info about this call Deb & Mike at 774-5936.

  

A Free Pass For Your First Contra Dance!

Flagstaff Friends of Traditional Music
invites you to your first contra dance in honor of Rissa Miller.

Our dear friend, Rissa Miller, was passionate about getting new people to try contra dancing.  Her husband, Warren, sent us The Rissa Pass shortly after a wonderful celebration of her life with the hope to continue to serve that purpose.

Warren wrote: "You may print as many as you want, cut and fold them, and give them to people with an invitation to try contra dancing. The pass includes information about when dances take place in Prescott, Phoenix, Flagstaff, and Tucson, and web sites that give more information. If any dance community finds that the number of Rissa Passes presented becomes a problem, I will be glad to reimburse the dance groups for Rissa Passes used to attend dances. For people outside of Arizona, I urge you to try presenting the Rissa Pass in other parts of the country. I will make the same guarantee, but I suspect that many dance organizations will be happy to honor the Pass for first time contra dancers."

Join us for your first contra dance!  
Contact Kris for more information 526-3020