Due to uncertainty about Covid dangers Cascade Contras will not be held in 2021, and has been rescheduled for October 21-23, 2022
Join us at beautiful Sky Camp in the Cascade Mountains near Eugene, Oregon. Enjoy 14 hours of world-class Contra dancing, and waltzing too! Gourmet meals will be provided all weekend! Admission will be first come, first served. Everyone will be admitted upon receipt of payment until camp is full. The Eugene Folklore Society values equality and mutual respect. We appreciate the diversity of gender, age, race, ethnicity, national origin, range of abilities, sexual orientation, gender identity. and gender expression. We actively cultivate a climate of purposeful inclusion of all. Gender neutral calling will be used for all dances at Cascade Contras Weekend!
Questions about camp? Send an email to the Cascade Contras Committee.
Registration for Cascade Contras will open the summer of 2022 (specific date TBD). Each individual camper will need to register separately . The camp fee schedule is set to cover our costs while encouraging younger dancers to participate,
The FAUX PAWS – With saxophone, banjo, fiddles, mandolin, foot percussion, guitar, and voices, The Faux Paws pack a vast amount of music and heart into a small package.
Folk powerhouse brothers Andrew and Noah VanNorstrand bring a deep, energetic groove to traditional and original old time, Irish, and Quebecois tunes. During their seventeen years leading popular contra dance band Great Bear, the brothers have traveled the world and recorded nine albums of original music. Noah’s jaw-dropping fiddle playing technique includes combining rhythmic “chopping” on the fiddle with foot percussion, while Andrew’s fiddle and guitar playing brings both sweetness and structure to the mix. The brothers are joined by Chris Miller on saxophone and banjo. Rhythm and Roots regulars will recognize Miller from his Grammy-nominated Cajun/zydeco band the Revelers, but the Faux Paws allows him to stretch out musically in many different directions. Having played together as a trio for nine years now, Andrew, Noah, and Chris have developed elastic, genre-transcending arrangements of traditional music, bringing in influences of rock and pop to their eclectic folk music base. A typical set shifts from intricately arranged compositions to completely spontaneous bursts of improvisation, but the music is always infectious, taking the audience along for a wild ride.
The Latter Day Lizards
The Lizards are a New England based trio of musicians who ignite flames under dancing feet! With a widely ranging and hopelessly eclectic repertoire from Irish and Scottish traditional jigs and reels to Balkan, blues and swing tunes the Latter Day Lizards bring excellent musicianship, playfulness, drama and unrelentingly infectious rhythm to their dance performances. With Kate Barnes on piano, guitar and flute, Bill Tomczak on clarinet, sax and drum and Dave Langford on guitar and fiddle, they blend swing, rock-and-roll and jazz influences with traditional foot-stomping dance music to make an innovative, spontaneous and rhythmically inflammatory sound.
And in a special treat for Cascade Contras The Lizards will be joined by Corey DiMario on double bass! Corey will surly give The Lizard’s sound some wonderful depth.
The members of the Lizards come from diverse backgrounds within the traditional dance world and have been hired for dance events, festivals and concerts from California to the British Isles. Kate Barnes has been playing piano, flute and assorted other instruments for dancers for many years, and has been invited to most major contra, square, English and vintage dance events throughout the United States. She currently works with the bands The Lizards, Bare Necessities, and Yankee Ingenuity. Bill Tomczak has been playing clarinet for folk dance of one kind or another since 1979. He has recorded with BLT, Wild Asparagus and Yankee Ingenuity and appears on the recordings Cascade of Tears and Gypsy Wine with Mary Lea and friends.
Susan Michaels is a fun and funny caller who specializes in contra dances that flow. Hailing from Vashon Island, Washington, Susan has been calling contras and squares for more than 30 years. She’s called from coast to coast and has taught and called at many dance camps including Lady of the Lake, Chehalis, Pinewoods, and Dare to Be Square East and West. Susan believes it is her “calling” to facilitate the pleasure of the dancers and create joy.
Michael Karcher has been having the time of his life calling dances and weekends around the North America since 2011. He has trained with Lisa Greenleaf and Niles Fredland and has honed a warm and concise style of teaching and calling, to the delight of dancers across the continent.
“Cascade Contras represents the Gold Standard for dance camp meals!”
Cascade Contras is known for providing fresh, organic, delicious food to feed hungry dancers. Full meals will include breakfast, lunch and dinner on Saturday, and breakfast and lunch on Sunday. Snacks will be served during breaks from dancing on Friday and Saturday nights. We strive to provide scrumptious meals with locally sourced produce while meeting the needs of vegetarians, vegans and omnivores alike. However, with a large camp we may not be able to accommodate every dietary preferences. We will strive to list the contents of dishes but if you are especially sensitive, it might be helpful to know that all foods are prepared in the same kitchen. If you need to supplement the meals with some of your own food to accommodate a medical condition or severe limitations please contact us before camp.
Sky Camp is a modern 100-acre group camp located on Fall Creek Lake, nestled in the Cascade mountains 25 miles outside Eugene, Oregon. The camp includes a main lodge with a big deck looking over the lake, a huge great room for dancing and meals, and six chalets providing lodging. Rolling green lawns stretch from the decks right to the lake’s edge, providing plenty of tenting space and views of often spectacular sunsets! The surrounding forest provides easy trails wonderful for a walk during breaks in dancing.
Sky Camp offers the best of Oregon with beautiful scenery and comfortable lodging with plenty of space and fresh air to relax and have a great time!
Friday, October 15: Camper check-in opens at 6:00 and dancing to one of our terrific bands and callers will begin at 7:45, followed by a brief snack at 9:00. Then our second band and caller will take the stage and our lead us in more Contras, with the occasional waltz too, till the midnight hour approaches!
Saturday, October 16: After a hot breakfast buffet in the main hall we’ll have fun and challenging Contra sessions and optional workshops throughout the day, with a break for a delicious lunch! At 4 pm we’ll have a rest break after dancing all day. Our caterer Beth Gibans will serve a gourmet dinner, then a short concert, followed by a full evening dancing to both bands and callers till near midnight!
Sunday, October 17: Breakfast will be followed by waltzing to the camp band (bring your instrument), more Contras and a workshop or two, lunch and a brief concert, then even MORE Contras until 3:00! After packing everyone chips in on camp clean-up. Camp offically ends at 3:30.
The final detailed schedule for 2021 Cascade Contras will be posted here in September (there may be slight revisions) so please check back here prior to camp.
