In addition to the State Fair, August features visiting guest callers Kristin Seibert and Brian Hamshar, and carloads of Indy dancers heading to Sugar Hill dance weekend just outside Bloomington. Start your laundry early, because if you’re like some of us, you’re going to sweat through just about everything you own!

We’re getting excited about a two dance week in August. In addition to 8/13 at our regular place & time, we contra at the Indiana State Fair 7 – 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, August 15th. That day AAA members get free admission, so bring your card if you can! (We have a very small supply of passes to share with dancers.)

Please note the Dance Stage is now on the North of the fairgrounds near Gate 12!

Terry Dignon & Thomas Smith, “Curlytones,” are coming from Bloomington. Frank Buschelmann is coming from Cincinnati. Where are you coming from?

We’d love to see you, wearing clean shoes that you carried in, having just had a sip of water from your water bottle, lined up on the dance floor at 7:40 pm, Tuesday July 16th, when our caller Bob Duffy will start the walk through.

Every Indy Contra dance features live music played by live people. It makes a huge difference in the experience. Most nights we dance to bands whose members play together regularly, but on the first Tuesday of odd months (like July) we dance to an “open band” made up of anybody who wants to join in for the evening.

We welcome any skill level and any instrument.

Please arrive by 7:15 so we can get chairs, music stands, and other stuff all ready for playing 7:45-9:45. We have several copies of the Portland contra tune book, but bring yours if you have one.

John Teskey will call.

Things are just heating up. Hoosier Hill Boys with Ryan Smith on June 25th. Come now. Next week will just be even hotter.

Ice cream party after the dance! Come or contact us for directions.

June 18th we have Indiana Old Time Ambassadors (IOTA) with Ken Gall.

John Teskey calls. Join us!

Get ready for July 30, when we have Dot Dot Dash visiting!

Yes, that’s almost two months, but here’s why you want to mark your calendars now:

Bill Anderson (fiddle), John Hildreth (guitar), Joel Keebler (bass), Matt Livingston (mandolin) from Virginia & North Carolina will be joined by Kevin Anderson (drums), from Dayton Ohio.

Ken Gall will call to them.

httpv://youtu.be/fJIMWF-H_mw

Great! We always welcome musicians of pretty much any experience level to play with the open band (first Tuesday of odd numbered months). Fiddle, banjo, spoons, drums, Sousaphone!

This is music and dance by and for amateurs, for fun; we don’t expect professional skills (though pros are welcome too) and it’s not a contest! You’re just going to play a 64 beat tune over and over, at a consistent tempo appropriate for a moderately brisk walk, for about 10 minutes.

Shy? Don’t worry. We won’t put you right behind a microphone, and you can play as quietly as you want.

Please arrive around 7:15 on Open Band night (the next one is July 2nd) and we’ll get you set up on the stage, and go over how we handle tune selection and changes, how the caller will communicate with the band, and other mechanics.

Band members must still wear clean shoes or socks when walking across the church gym floor.

Questions? Email our schedulers (Dianna and Vickie) at indycontra.schedule@gmail.com.