Name: Contrabridge April with WillPower and calling from Sally Vernon
Start: 2025-04-26T19:30:00+01:00
End: 2025-04-26T23:00:00+01:00
Location: Stoneyard Centre, 43 St Andrew's St, Cambridge , CB2 3AR

Contrabridge April with WillPower and calling from Sally Vernon

Head to https://contrabridge.org/ to join our mailing list or add our calendar.
𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼!
Welcome to Contrabridge contra dance in Cambridge on Saturday 26th April
• Intro lesson from 7:30pm
• Dancing runs from 8:00pm to 11pm
• Calling will be gender-free
𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲?
The Stoneyard Centre is located at 43 St Andrew's St, Cambridge, CB2 3AR. The venue is just off St Andrew's Street, down a short passage next to St Andrew’s Street Baptist Church. The hall is upstairs, at the back of the building. If you arrive late, you may need to ring the bell and wait for someone to come down and let you in.
Entry to the Stoneyard Centre building is flat, via a heavy door, from St Andrew's Street. There is a lift to the hall on the first floor. An accessible toilet is available on the ground floor. We're happy to discuss your access needs!
Maps:
* https://goo.gl/maps/Z9vkwYCU2Y6MPVP16
* https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/225571644
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵?
Tickets are available on the door. The prices are £15 for supporters, £10 for standard and £7 for students or those who otherwise can't afford full price. Nobody turned away for lack of funds. You can pay with contactless or cash.
𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗱
The combined power of Wills Allen and Chamberlain (both of Club Débris & Brown Boots Boogie Band) WillPower’s fiddle and piano duo will delight your ears and ignite your feet.
𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿
Sally Vernon has been calling for a wide variety of folk styles since her time as a student at Cambridge (longer ago than she likes to admit!) She aims to bring her favourite parts of contra to the evening - the fun of connecting with many people on the dance floor, the joy of moving in time to music, and the surprise of discovering deep patterns from simple moves. Keen to share her love of contra with as many people as possible, she strives to make a welcoming friendly environment that is comfortable for new people - while also enjoying finding things that are new to challenge comfortable people!
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮?
Contra dance is community folk dance similar to ceilidh or barn dance, and we will dance to live music! No partner is necessary, and new dancers are especially welcome. Anyone may ask anyone to dance, and everybody is supportive and friendly in enjoying the dance together. You don't need prior experience, mistakes are welcome, and the aim is to have lots of fun!
The caller will teach each dance, then prompt when you dance to the music. You will dance with a partner and another pair of dancers and progress to a new pair each time through the tune, moving up and down the line so you dance with everybody.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝗜 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 / 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝗜 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗿?
Bring a water bottle (we have a tap for refills) and wear comfy shoes (preferably not too grippy, no high heels). Avoid perfumes and scents. Swirly skirts are a lot of fun to wear for contra (for people of all genders). No need to bring a partner. Drinking alcohol and smoking are not permitted in our venues.
𝗖𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆
Contra dancing is an activity that involves hand-to-hand or arm-to-arm contact and a ‘ballroom hold’ swing. Being physically close to multiple other dancers in an indoor space carries risk of spreading COVID-19.
We ask that all attendees at our dances consider the following risk mitigations:
• not coming to this dance with unexplained respiratory symptoms.
• not coming to this dance if you are feeling unwell for any unexplained reason
• not coming to this dance if you know or suspect you have COVID-19 (or any other illness that may be spread by folk dancing).
• not coming to this dance if government guidelines say you should stay at home.
• testing before dancing - LFTs are easily available for £2 from most supermarkets and pharmacies
• being fully vaccinated - COVID-19 vaccines and boosters reduce the risk of severe illness and may limit spread.
As organisers we will mitigate risk by:
• keeping the room as well ventilated as possible.
• providing facilities for contactless payment (but will also accept cash).
Face coverings have been shown to reduce COVID-19 infections in indoor spaces. However, they are currently not recommended by the WHO for vigorous physical activity. Please respect others’ choices about wearing masks.
𝗜𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲?
Yes, there are further dances throughout 2025! Join our mailing list, add our calendar and follow our Facebook page to keep in touch.
If you have any questions about the dance, what to expect, what to wear, or anything, feel free to reach out to our Facebook page, or ask any of the organisers on the night.