Name: English Country Dancing in Sacramento
Start: 2026-03-15T13:30:00-07:00
End: 2026-03-15T17:00:00-07:00
Location: 1400 27th St, Sacramento, CA 95816-6317, United States

Caller: Alan Winston
Music: Quite Carried Away
Sound: Sue Jones and David Wright
Date: Sunday, March 15, 2026 (Third Sunday)
Time: Lesson 1:30 pm Dance 2:00-5:00 pm
Location: Young Ladies' Institute (YLI), 1400 27th St., Sacramento
Cost: $15 for adults; $10 for college students with ID; $5 for dancers under 18; $30 maximum for families (cash or check)
Caller, choreographer, and community leader, Alan Winston started with Regency dance in 1978 and has been dancing contra since 1985. He’s been calling Regency, English, Early American, and Victorian dance since 1985, and started calling contras in 2006. He’s called for balls, camps, and special events from Southern California to the Bay Area to Oregon, Washington, and Victoria BC. He co-founded the Bay Area English Regency Society and has been the house caller since 1985.
His clear, cheerful, and witty instruction have served dancers well at a variety of venues including science fiction and romance writer conventions, Pie Ranch, weddings, a residential Victorian weekend, Playford Balls on both coasts, Williamsburg, VA, the San Francisco Free Folk Festival, the New England Folk Festival (NEFFA), and as a staff member at BACDS Family Week, the Heather and Rose gender-free English/Scottish weekend in Oregon, and the Queer Contra weekend in Aptos. It is Alan’s great joy to share the joy of community through country dance.
Six musicians and friends under the direction of David Wright and Sue Jones. Just give them English Country Dance music to play, and they’re Quite Carried Away!
The members of QCA are: Martin Lodahl (viola da gamba), Susan Jones (English concertina), Jane Kostka (whistle), David Wright (violin and mandolin), Arlene Jamar (piano), and Dick Holdstock (octave mandolin and tenor banjo).
Quite Carried Away is the home band for the English Country Dances.
As usual, beginners are welcome. If you are bringing, or know of any, first-timers, please urge them to come at 1:30 for the introductory workshop that precedes the dance. No partners are needed, so come by yourself or with friends or with family. Events at the YLI are somewhat accessible to people with disabilities, but not perfectly. Ask for help within.
It’s always nice when folks bring snacks to share–please bring items that don’t require plates or utensils. Please bring your own water bottles.
Our schedule of future dances is always available at https://sactocds.wpcomstaging.com/calendar/. You may join our email list on groups.io at https://groups.io/g/SactoCDS/. Please enter your name when joining.
Food and Drink
Hydration is important while dancing. Dancers are encouraged to bring their own water bottles.
Please bring snacks to share with the community. Dancers may eat in the area near the food table or outside. Please don’t spill food or water on the dance floor.