Bellingham Country Dance Society

05/27/2026

Hello Dear Dancers!

This Saturday will be a dance night with a special focus on Waltzes, as well as some complicated Contras!

For something completely different, this will be an “inside out” contra evening with contras at the end of the first half and at the end of the night, with waltzes for rest of the time!

There will be an Intro to Waltz session (1-2-3, 4-5-6 / leading and following) and then at 7:30, we will start with a basic circle waltz mixer followed by a couples waltz. After that, we will “walk through” a few more waltz moves and have 2 or 3 waltzes to practice. At the midpoint of the evening we will do an “intermediate-advanced contra” followed by a short break. The second half of the evening will bring more waltz moves, including the rotating waltz steps, and end with another intermediate-advanced contra.

The music for the night will be provided by Raven & Goose. Raven & Goose are Corwin Zekley and Grace Fellow, who both have broad musical training and lots of experience. They can play a range of music on the fiddle and piano, but especially lively traditional tunes made to get you dancing. You can find out more about this nationally touring duo here: https://www.corwin.us/ravenandgoose

Spread the word, and bring your friends!

Fairhaven Library Auditorium (enter through side door).
1117 12th St., Fairhaven
Saturday, May 30th, 2026
Time: 7:00 - 10:00 pm

Intro to Waltz: 7:00 - 7:30pm
Entry: $12-$15; $8 students (by donation)
Calling: Robins and Larks / Leads and Follows

Future Dances (typically 2nd, 4th, and 5th Saturdays September-June):

• June 13 - Glen Echo in Everson: Open Band Orchestra + Open Calling [Robins/Larks]

Volunteer?
Join the team that makes it happen! Help set up by coming a bit early and/or stay a bit later for tear down. We also need help with flyers, social media, administrative tasks, and more! If interested, please email: [email protected]

Note: In addition to having fun...
• Please bring your own water bottle and name tag
• Please avoid wearing fragrances
• Please bring clean, soft-soled shoes to protect the floor

More info: At some point, we'll have the Fall 2027 dance line up to share.

Additional information on the BCDS website at:
https://bellinghamcountrydance.org

05/18/2026

Folklife!!! Fisher Pavilion/Warren's Roadhouse starting Friday.

05/06/2026

Blueberry Jam, with Sky Leuba on piano, Liam Weydert playing guitar, and Todd Citron playing whistle, flute, and bodhrán. As well, the incomparable Laure Mé Smith will be collaborating with the band to bring you a lovely evening of dancing.

Calling terms will be ladies and gents.

Dance Details
Location: Fairhaven Library Auditorium (enter through side door). 1117 12th St., Fairhaven

Day: Saturday, May 9th, 2026
Time: 7:00 - 10:00 pm
Beginner Lesson: 7:00 - 7:30pm
Entry: $12-$15; $8 students (by donation)

Future Dances (typically 2nd, 4th, and 5th Saturdays):

• May 30 - Raven & Goose + Judy Zeidel (caller and waltz teacher) [Robins/Larks]
• June 13 - Glen Echo in Everson: Open Band Orchestra + Open Calling [Robins/Larks]

Welcome! The Bellingham Country Dance Society presents an ongoing series of participatory old-time country dances, mostly New England contra dance with some square and circle dancing thrown in. See the dance schedule here. The upcoming dances for the near future will use the calling terms decided by...

04/08/2026

Bellingham Contra Dance
Saturday, April 11, 2026
Calling: Robins and Larks
Location: 1117 12th St. Fairhaven Library (enter through side door)
Time: 7:00 - 10:00 pm
Beginner lesson: 7:00 - 7:30 pm
Entry: $12-15; students $8

Band: Longtime partners in crime, Ryan McKasson and Colin Cotter have had a creative collaboration spanning many years, bands, gigs, productions, late nights, adventures, and more. The two met over 20 years ago at Alasdair Fraser’s Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddling School (where they are both now faculty members), and they have since traveled all over the country making music together and sharing a creative spark.

Caller: The caller on Saturday will be Morna Leonard (a resident of Bow, WA). Morna's interesting dances and clear calling will ensure a great evening of dancing. Come on out and dance with other dancers and you'll all be in the know!

>>>>>Spread the word, and bring your friends!

03/22/2026

Some of your BCDS board members will be available 6:45pm before the 3/28 Fairhaven dance to say hello and welcome your feedback.

03/22/2026

March 28: Alex MacLeod calling larks and robins with Heliotrope at the Fairhaven Library!

https://bellinghamcountrydance.org/calendar

03/10/2026

Bellingham Contra Dance

Location: 1117 12th St. Fairhaven Library (enter through side door)

Day: Saturday, March 14th, 2026
Time: 7:00 - 10:00 pm
Beginner lesson: 7:00 - 7:30 pm
Entry: $12-15; students $8

>>>>>Spread the word, and bring your friends!

Welcome! The Bellingham Country Dance Society presents an ongoing series of participatory old-time country dances, mostly New England contra dance with some square and circle dancing thrown in. See the dance schedule here. Photo by Asaiah Montoya – Fairhaven Library Dance Dances are at the histori...

02/11/2026

Hello! Coming up this weekend, with great breadth and great scope, it’s Heliotrope!

Valetine's Day is a time to appreciate flowers, just like Heliotrope! We should also reflect on the sweet things in life, such as bon bons and music! And whenever we contradance, especially on February 14th, we share the love of dancing with fellow humans in community! To cap it off, it’s a day to celebrate hearts and the color red, so please consider raiment and garb that feature these things. Just a red cap would be grand, or you could go all out and dress up as the Queen of Hearts!

Heliotrope (the band, not the flower) will be playing some special tunes for the evening and their shirts will deviate from their usual purple color to give right of way to RED!

Did you notice that our caller Callie actually has the word ‘call’ in her name? That’s cool, and so is she.

Bellingham Contra Dance

Location: 1117 12th St. Fairhaven Library (enter through side door)

Day: Saturday February 14th, 2026
Time: 7:00 - 10.00 pm
Beginner lesson: 7:00 - 7:30 pm

Entry: $12-15; students $8

>>>>>Spread the word, and bring your friends!

Building community one dance at a time.

02/06/2026

Mount Vernon Saturday!

Winter School is a rare opportunity to learn from some of the best players and the most creative instructors of Celtic music, while spending time in community with fellow musicians and music appreciators.

01/19/2026

Bellingham Contra Dance

Location: Christ The King at 1419 N Forest St.

Day: Saturday January 24th

Dance Workshop:
6:00 - 7:00 pm
"Swing and Swing Variations + Mad Robin"

Beginner class: 7:00 - 7:30 pm

Dance: 7:30 - 10:00 pm

Entry: Basics + Dance; $12-15, $8 students
Workshop + Dance $20; $10 students
Workshop $10; $8 students

>>>>>Spread the word, and bring your friends!

Welcome! The Bellingham Country Dance Society presents an ongoing series of participatory old-time country dances, mostly New England contra dance with some square and circle dancing thrown in. See the dance schedule here. Photo by Asaiah Montoya – Fairhaven Library Dance Dances are at the histori...