Montpelier Contra Dance

04/21/2026

The Grange is looking for help moving and sorting chairs this Thursday!

CHAIRS! CHAIRS! CHAIRS! In with the new and out with the old (after sorting them)
Starting at 6:30 pm on Thursday, 23APR2026 we will need helpers to sort the old metal chairs and move the culls. The better ones will go to the Lower Level; the flimsy ones go out on the Accessible Entry Porch to be picked up by ReSource/.
CAN YOU HELP? Remember, many hands make fast work!

02/24/2026

Our friends at UVM Contra and Folk Dance Society are fundraising from February 3 - March 1 through the university! This entirely student-run organization hosts regular, affordable dances open to all on the UVM campus, are they’re hoping to run an overnight Dawn Dance during the 2026-2027 academic year. Funds will help pay UVM Contra's wonderful callers and bands (including young and local artists), and hopefully help turn dreams of dancing from dusk ’til dawn into reality! Donations of any size towards the $2500 goal help, as the university gives extra funds to organizations with the most individual donors. For dance schedules or to sign up for UVM Contra’s email list, go to https://contra.w3.uvm.edu/ or see on Instagram!

02/16/2026

Reminder: Challenging Contra Feb 21, 4:30 followed by a potluck and then evening contra dance. More info: https://www.montpeliercontradance.org/challenging
Montpelier Contra Dance with Steve Zakon-Anderson

SCHEDULE There will be two dances on Saturday, February 21, 2026: 4:30 - 6 pm: challenging contra dance 6 - 7:45 pm: potluck dinner 7:45 - 8 pm: newcomers lesson 8 - 11 pm: regular evening dance CHALLENGING AFTERNOON The afternoon 4:30 - 6 pm dance will include challenging contras and shorter

02/02/2026

NOTICE: one dancer has reported testing positive for COVID
Today, we found out that one contra dancer who was at the dance on Saturday 1/31 has tested positive for COVID-19, on the evening of Sunday Feb. 1, after some mild symptoms began. They report that they were wearing a mask for the whole dance.
Following our policy of transparency and sharing information, we are sending out this email notification to all the people who have signed up for email newsletters, and also all those who signed up for "COVID notifications only"; we will also post this info on Facebook, on the Contra dance page on the Grange website, and on the MontpelierContraDance.org website.
We suggest that everyone who attended the dance on Saturday evening monitor their health, and should consider using a self-test. And of course, contact your health care provider with any concerns.
We also thank this dancer for self-reporting to us, so that we can keep the dance community informed. We believe that transparency is vital for taking care of each other as we continue to deal with this virus and its impacts. We will pass on any other reports of positive tests.
We send our best wishes for an easy and full recovery to the person who reported this positive test, and we hope they will be back to dance with us after full recovery.

UPCOMING DANCES

02/01/2026

Jan 30, 2026 - thanks Liz Nelson, Dance Caller for the video (and calling!!)

01/01/2026

Did you leave your boots, jacket, dancing sneakers, water bottle . . . at the Capital City Grange Hall - in Berlin since 1952?

09/12/2025

Notification: COVID positive tests following 9/6 contra dance

Today (9/12) we found out that two contra dancers who were at the dance last Saturday have tested positive for COVID-19 by Wednesday 9/10.
Following our policy of transparency and sharing information, we are sending out this email notification to all the people who have signed up for email newsletters, and also all those who signed up for "COVID notifications only"; we will also post this info on Facebook, on the Contra dance page on the Grange website, and on the MontpelierContraDance.org website.
We suggest that everyone who attended the dance on Saturday evening monitor their health, and to consider using a self-test. And of course, contact your health care provider with any concerns.
We also thank these dancers for self-reporting to us, so that we can keep the dance community informed. We believe that transparency is vital for taking care of each other as we continue to deal with this virus and its impacts. We will pass on any other reports of positive tests. .
We send our best wishes for an easy and full recovery to the people who reported this positive test, and we hope they will be back to dance with us after full recovery.

UPCOMING DANCES

02/15/2025

DANCE CANCELED: February 15. We've been watching the weather forecasts, and talking to the band, caller and sound-tech we had on the schedule. The final consensus is that we would rather not risk people being out on the roads, especially later at night after the dance.

01/23/2025

NOTICE: A dancer has reported testing positive for COVID
We have just been notified by a dancer who was part of the contra dance last Saturday evening, Jan. 18, that they have tested positive yesterday, Jan. 21. This raises the possibility that they were contagious on Saturday, or that they were exposed that day. They did report that they were wearing a facemask during the dance.
Following our policy of transparency and sharing information, we are sending out this email notification to all the people who have signed up for email newsletters and also all those who signed up for "COVID notifications only". We will also post this info on Facebook and on the Contra dance page on the Grange website.
We suggest that everyone who attended the dance on Saturday evening monitor their health, and to consider using a self-test. And of course, contact your health care provider with any concerns.
We thank the dancer for self-reporting to us, so that we can keep the dance community informed. We believe that transparency is vital for taking care of each other as we continue to deal with this virus and its impacts. We will pass on any other reports of positive tests. So far, this is the only one. We recorded 203 dancers for the Saturday dance, FYI.
We send our best wishes for an easy and full recovery to the person who reported this positive test, and we hope they will be back to dance with us after full recovery.

Photo credit: J Blake

12/01/2024