Contra dance to be held Oct. 27 in Wolfeboro

WOLFEBORO — The Community Contra Dance Series, hosted by Global Awareness Local Action, continues Saturday, Oct. 27 at the Wolfeboro Town Hall’s great hall. Dances run from 7-10 p.m., with the first half hour dedicated to a brief overview of the basic steps of New England contra dance, and neither experience nor a partner is required. 

Dances are open to all ages and abilities, as well as participants who simploy want to watch, and enjoy live music. 

Instruction and the evening's calls will be from long-time contra caller Shari Shakti, accompanied by the band Binding Energy.

Shakti attended her first contra dance in Dover in 2007, and has been fully engaged in it ever since. She now lives in Maine, and began calling with mentorship from Dugan & Dela Murphy. Since then, Shakti has called a variety of dances in a range of sizes. She has called dances in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. She has also participated in a Downeast Friends of the Folk Arts fundraiser dance, HenryFest in Yarmouth, Maine, Portland, Maine's Congress Square Park, and will call as a part of Beantown Stomp in March 2019 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 

The band Binding Energy features Dr. Paul Lizotte on fiddle, Jim DiCarlo on Irish whistle and wooden flute, and Brad Robinson on guitar. 

Dance admission is $8 for adults, $5 for children under 18, and free for children under five. Anyone experiencing financial hardship or large families are welcome to pay as able. To protect the newly refinished wood floor in the great hall, participants are encouraged to bring an extra pair of shoes for dancing without black soles. 

GALA is also looking to fill several volunteer shifts for the dances this year. Attendees and community members are also encouraged to bring a snack to share for the snack table, preferably a healthy options with little or no processed sugar, such as nuts, crackers and cheese, fruit, or chips and salsa. 

For more information about this event, or to sign up to volunteer, visit www.galacommunity.org, call 603-569-1500, or email josh@galacommunity.org.