Dance Weekend Planner

What's a Dance Gypsy?


JanJam 2010 saw at least
23 dance gypsies from St Louis.

If you're a dance gypsy, you know that traveling to a dance weekend is one of the best ways to hear the country’s top bands, meet dancers from a dozen states, enjoy some of the best callers, learn some new moves, and have fun with your St. Louis dance friends. (If you’re not sure what a Dance Gypsy is, click here for our test: " You Might be a Dance Gypsy if…"

If the list on this page doesn't give you enough places to dance, see the lists at the bottom of the page.

Upcoming Dance Weekends

Feb 12-14
2010

Knoxville, TN — Knoxville Dance Weekend, with Notorious, Clearbranch, and the 1,2,3's, calling by Sue Rosen. Here's the flyer.

495 miles
(~8-9 hours)
Feb 12-14
2010

Houston, TX Bayou Bedlam with the Latter Day Lizards, calling by Eric Weberg

850 miles
(~13.5 hours)
Feb 18-21
2010

Buena Vista, CO - Stellar Days & Nights, with Goldcrest (Daron Douglas, Dave Wiesler, and Paul Oorts) and by Second Nature (Karina Wilson and Della O'Keefe), calling by Mary Devlin and Gaye Fifer.

930 miles
(~16 hrs)
Feb 19-21
2010

Lawrence, KS Midwinter Meltdown with Peghead, Three Bean Salad, Fox on the Run and Round Robbins, calling by Jill Allen, Jim Thaxter, Jerome Grisanti and others. Download a flyer here.

280 miles
(~5 hours)
Feb 26-28
2010

Here's a video from the
Feb 28, 2009 Chance Dance in Cape Girardeau.
See it larger on YouTube.

Cape Girardeau, MO - Chance Dance with the White Mules and Chicory. Open calling. Here's a flyer.

120 miles
(~2 hours)
Feb 26-28
2010

Ann Arbor, MI Dawn Dance Weekend, music by Groovemongers with Mark Hellenberg and Bare Necessities. Calling by Adina Gordon and Helene Cornelius.

525 miles
(~8-9 hours)

Mar 12-14
2010

Columbia, MO Spring Breakdown, with Bob McQuillen and Old New England, calling by Susan Kevra

120 miles
(~2¼ hours)
Mar 19-20
2010
Memphis, TN Memfest with Footloose String Band, calling by Vicki Herndon. 280 miles
(~5 hours)
Mar 26-28
2010

Cincinnati, OH Pig Town Fling with Atlantic Crossing and Pig Town Alley, calling by Diane Silver.

370 miles
(~6 hours)
Apr 9-10
2010

Chicago, IL - U. Chicago Dance Weekend, with Elixir, calling by Nils Fredland

300 miles
(~5 hours)
Apr 16-18
2010

Oberlin, OH Dandelion Romp, with Night Watch and Magic Foot, calling byCarol Ormand and David Millstone

550 miles
(~9 hours)
Apr 23-25
2010

Berea, KY Hands Four Spring Dance Weekend with Great Bear Trio, calling by Cary Ravitz and Sarah VanNorstrand

380 miles
(~6 hours)
Apr 30-May 2
2010
Bloomington, IN Swing Into Spring
at Camp Ransburg, with Jim, John and Eloise followed by open bands. Open calling. A springtime Sugar Hill.
240 miles
(~4.5 hours)
Apr 30 -May 2
2010
Beckwith, WV Whitewater Whirl with the Figments and the Contrarians, calling by Gaye Fifer and Shawn Brenneman.

580 mi (~10 hours)

May 14-16
2010

Fairfield, Iowa Fairfield Frolic
with Peter Barnes and Dave Langford (of the Latter Day Lizards) calling by Will Mentor. Sign up early. The weekend has a limit of 100 dancers.

230 mi
(~4.5 hours)
May 14-16
2010

Louisville, KY Potato Run with The Cosmic Otters and caller TBA

240 mi
(~4 hours)
May 22-23
2010

Columbus, OH - Mayapple Stomp Weekend (camping on Lake Logan) Open band, open calling

480 mi
(~8 hours)
more info
May 28-31
2010
St. Louis, MO Kimmswick Dance Weekend. Many bands, open calling NOTE: this is Memorial Day Weekend 50 miles
(~1 hour)
Jun 11-13
2010

Lexington, KY Dance Trance, with Crowfoot, calling by Barb Ramlow and Darlene Underwood.

350 miles
(~6 hours)
Jul 2-4
2010

Delafield, WI - IndepenDance Daze, with Stringdancer and the Great Bear Trio, calling by Nils Fredland and Jo Mortland

380 mi
( ~6.5 hours)
Jul 9-11
2010
Athens OH - Big Fun with Hotpoint Stringband, Great Big Taters, ReelBop, calling by Bev Bernbaum and Charley Harvey. 500 mi
(8.5 hours)
Jul 16-18
2010
Coshocton, OH River Rendezvous, with Notorious and Contrazz, calling by Sue Rosen, Gaye Fifer and Carol Kopp!

Registration opens Thursday, March 25 and sells out really fast (mail in, or register at Pigtown Fling March 26-27).
500 miles
(~10 hours)
Jul 18-24
2010

Cumberland, KY Dance Week
Great inter-generational dance week.

400 miles
(~7 hours)
Aug 27-29
2010

Bloomington, IN Sugar Hill
open band, open calling, camping available

240 miles
(~4.5 hours)
Past Weekends
Feb 20-21
2009

Lawrence, KS CDSS Annual Meeting Dance Weekend, with Fox on the Run (Greg and Jill Allen, and Mark Franzke) and Squirrel Heads and Gravy (Bob and Melissa Atchison, Cathy Barton, Dave Para). Local and CDSS Board Member callers.

280 miles
(~5 hours)
Apr 10-11
2009
St Louis, MO - intown weekend with Susan Kevra and Russ Barenberg. Susan's calling an English Country Dance on Friday at at Brentwood CCC, an ECD workshop on Saturday at Focal Point and the contra dance on Saturday at the Monday Club. Russ is giving a class in guitar flatpicking at the Folk School on Saturday. 0 miles
(~0 hours)
Apr 17-19
2009
Flint Hills Barn Dance Camp, with Fox on the Run, Peghead and Matfield Green Radio Show, calling by John Turner, Jill Allen, Lucy Smith, Lisa Harris, Derrick Doty, and Ken Gall 380 miles
(~6 hours)
more info
Jun 12-14
2009

Oklahoma City, OK Flamingo Fling 2009 with the Great Bear Trio and Nils Fredland calling.

490 miles
(~7.5 hours)
Sep 4-6
2009

St Louis, MO High Tea & Whiskey with Reel Women and the Jigelos and the Tu'Penny Uprights, calling by Joseph Pimentel. Labor Day weekend contra/English mix

0 miles
(~0 hours)
Sep 18-20
2009

Dodgeville, WI Squirrel Moon with
the Groovemongers, calling by Tom Hinds. Download a flyer.

395 miles
(~7.5 hours)
Oct 16-18 2009

Earthshine Contra - Arcadia Valley Mountain Music Festival Camping and contra dancing in Ironton, MO with your hosts Mary Lou and Jim. See their new web site here.

100 miles
(~2 hours)

Oct 16-17 2009

Champaign-Urbana, IL Illinois All-Weekend Barn Dance.Two nights, two barns!

  1. Friday, October 16, 8-11 pm, Anderson's Barn
  2. Saturday, October 17, 4-Midnight, Kalyx Center, Monticello

Fri 195 miles (~3.5 hours)

Sat 170 miles
(~3 hours)

Oct 16-18 2009 Chicago Contradance Leadership Weekend with Lisa Greenleaf, Jeremiah McLane, Pete Sutherland, and Mark Roberts.

Saturday night dance and Sunday afternoon dance, and a house concert on the Friday night in addition to masterclasses for dance leaders and musicians. Funded in part by CDSS.
300 miles
(~5 hours)
Oct 23-25
2009

Springfield, MO SoleFest, with Avant Gardeners , calling by Doug Singleton

200 mi
(~3.5 hours)
Oct 23-25
2009

Charlottesville, VA - Charlottesville Fall Dance Festival, with Wild Asparagus, calling TBA. (If you fly in and out of DC, you can easily catch the Sunday night Glen Echo Dance.  Every dancer should make the pilgrimage to Glen Echo at least once.)

760 miles
(~12 hours)

Oct 31-Nov 1
2009


Indianapolis, IN Gypsy Moon Ball, with Hu$hMoney & Third Fiddle (Ben Smith on fiddle, Miriam Larson on flute, and Eric Schedler on piano and accordion), calling by Gaye Fifer and Meg Dedolph

Look for a pre-Gypsy Moon Ball dance on October 30 in Bloomington.

260 miles
(~4.5 hours)

235 miles
(~4 hours)

Oct 31-Nov 1
2009
Austin, TXFire Ant Frolic, with the The Avant Gardeners, calling by Seth Tepfer.

815 miles
(~13 hours)

Oct 30-Nov 1
2009
Nashville, TN Music City Masquerade,
with Green Mountain, calling by John Krumm

320 miles
(~6 hours)
Nov 13-15
2009

Pittsburgh, PA Fall Dance Weekend, with Crowfoot and Toppish, calling by Rick Mohr and Shawn Brenneman.

615 miles
(~11.5 hours)
Nov 20-22
2009

Lawrence, KS Pilgrim's Progression, with Notorious, calling by Shawn Brenneman.

280 miles
(~5 hours)
Nov 20-22
2009

Louisville KY Fleur de Lis Fling with Hot Club of Derbytown , and Red Mountain (formerly Red Mountain White Trash), calling by Jerome Grisanti and Steve Bennett.

275 miles
(~5 hours)

Nov 27-29
2009
Chicago, IL Breaking Up Thanksgiving 335 miles
(~5.5 hours)
Dec 4-6
2009

Columbus, OH Winter Warm Up
with Airdance and Hot Club of Derbytown calling by Seth Tepfer and Kate Power.

440 miles
(~7-8 hours)
Dec 26-31
2009

Morgantown, WV — 'Contradancers Delight' Holiday, with Lift Ticket and Crowfoot, calling by Beth Molaro and Nils Fredland. 630 miles
(~10 hours)
Jan 8-9
2010

Champaign-Urbana, IL Chambana Jan Jam with Lynn Chirps Smith and Friends, Pat and Possum (Charlie Walden and Pat Plunkett), and U4, calling by Ron Buchanon, Dot Kent, and Diane Silver.

190 miles
(~3.5 hours)
Jan 22-23
2010

Lexington, KY and Berea, KY Swing Shift with The Avant Gardeners, calling by Keith Cornett Eustis.

350 miles
(~6 hours)
380 miles
(~6 hours)

Dance Gypsy Resources

A good list of dance weekends can be found on Charlie Seelig's Contradance Links for Festivals, Camps, and Weekends.

The Dance Gypsy keeps a list of dance weekends all over the country.