This page is devoted to listing contra dances in the south central region of the United States along with bands, musicians, callers, and organizations that are based in the region. URLs and e-mail addresses are listed when available. New entries, additional information, and changes in information are always welcome. Links to other pages in the www.contradancelinks.com web site are listed at the bottom of the page.

New links are simply new to me, not necessarily new to the World Wide Web. Change in URL means that a link has changed its WWW address or URL.

Regional

• Bryan Walls provides an overall schedule for Tennessee, Alabama, and several other states. Another page that he is responsible for provides additional information.
• FolkFire, a Folk and Ethnic, Dance and Music Resource for St. Louis and the Central States includes listings for dances in the area and nearby states.
• The Childgrove Country Dancers provide a map and list of contra and square dancing in a wide area around St. Louis.

Alabama

• The Birmingham Friends of Old-Time Music and Dance holds New England contra dances, Western square dances, Appalachian circle dances in Birmingham on the 2nd Saturday of each month. In addition, they also host The Old-Time Music and Dance Weekend at Camp Saddlerock in Mentone in mid-August.
• North Alabama Country Dance Society holds dances in Huntsville on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th (Blue Moon) Saturdays of each month. They also host a Blue Moon Weekend, in mid-to-late May.
• There's a series of dances on the 4th Saturday of the month in Tuscaloosa.

Arkansas

• The Fayetteville Traditional Dance Society generally holds dances on the 3rd Saturday of the month. There is the occasional special dance such as the Valentine's Day dance. Daniel H. Luecking supports the site.
• The Arkansas Country Dance Society (ACDS) sponsors contra dances, old time squares, and English country dances in North Little Rock on 1st, 3rd, and 5th Fridays. In addition they sponsor or participate in several special events such as the Mountain View Dance Festival in early-mid September. Stephanie Maloney handles the Web duties.

Louisiana

• The Florida Parishes Old-Time Association is centrally operated out of Hammond, Louisiana and supports barn dance efforts by coordinating communication and providing educational information. For the most recent activity announcements please visit the e-group message archives.

Mississippi

• No listings at present.

Missouri

• Martha Edwards and Greg Rohde provide information about the Cape Girardeau dances which are held (generally) on the 1st Saturday and some 3rd Saturdays of the month.
• The Mid-Missouri Traditional Dancers hold contra dances on the 1st and 3rd and 5th Fridays of the month in Columbia, for the most part from mid-September to mid-June. They host the Spring Breakdown in the spring in March and family dances from time to time. Marcie McGuire supports the page.
• The CrossCurrents Contra Dance Committee hosts dances in Kansas City on the 4th Saturday of each month.
• The Folk School of St. Louis holds occasional barn dances in Maplewood as part of their many activities.
• A new dance series has started in Maryville on the 2nd Sunday of each month.
• The Webb City Farmers Market has information about the 4th Saturday dance series in Neosho at Crowder College.
• The Traditional Dance & Music Society dances continue on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month in Springfield. In addition to their monthly dances, they will be hosting the October Sole Fest in late October/early November.
• The Childgrove Country Dancers host contra and square dancing in St. Louis on the 1st and 2nd Saturdays and 1st, 3rd & 4th Sundays of the month plus waltzing on the 2nd (generally) Sunday of the month and calling parties on many Wednesdays of the month. Martha Edwards and Greg Rohde provide web support.
• They also hold the Kimmswick Dance Weekend each year, in the spring (usually Memorial Day Weekend). It is held at Cuivre River State Park near Troy.
• There is a new dance series in Webster focused on dancers for those in their twenties and teens, but everyone is welcome.
• The Childgrove Country Dancers sponsor the Hatchling Dances in Webster Groves on the 1st Saturday of the month and include a variety of callers at all states of development.

Tennessee

• The Athens Area Council for the Arts sponsors dances in Athens each month on the 1st Saturday of the month.
• A new dance series is starting in Chapel Hill on Thursday, April 22 from 7:00pm to 9:00pm at theÊChapel Hill United Methodist Church, 316 N. Horton Highway in the Family Life Center, which is at the back or the east side of the church and then on the 3rd Thursday of the month thereafter. (e-mail only) New entry (March 24, 2010)
• The Chattanooga Traditional Dance Society presents contra dancing on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month plus an occasional dance on other dates. They also have information about a separate series of dances on 1st Fridays.
• The Historic Jonesborough Dance Society holds dances on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month.
• The Knoxville Country Dancers sponsor weekly dances on Mondays and host a Knoxville Dance Weekend in mid-February.
• The Memphis Contra Dancers host dances on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Fridays of each month. Ernest Kelly hosts the page. [beginning in August 2010, the schedule changes to second, fourth and fifth Fridays] Change in schedule (June 22, 2010)
• The Nashville Country Dancers have a contra dance every Friday night except for those preempted by a Saturday dance, a holiday or a special event. There is English Country Dancing available every Monday night. In addition, the group sponsors a Playford Ball in March, and the Fall Dance Weekend in October.
• The Sewanee Contra Dancers on the Mountain occur on various dates, generally on a Friday later in the month.
• The Flat Creek Contra Dance is held on 2nd Tuesdays (2nd and 4th Tuesdays during the fall) near Shelbyville with Chrissy Davis-Camp calling and a large number of pickers playing. Alternate site.

Texas

• A small part of the menu of activities of The Austin Friends of Traditional Music is contra dancing on the 3rd Saturday of each month and they sponsor the Fire Ant Frolic in October. Adrienne Inglis maintains the page.
• The Austin Friends of Traditional Music also have information about the 1st Friday contra dance series in Austin with local bands and callers.
• The Austin Barn Dancers host dances on Wednesday nights along with the Dance in the Park in March.
• For complete coverage of the scene in Austin, try Welcome to Contra Dancing in Austin!
• On 1st Saturdays, there is a dance in Bryan/College Station. Stan provides the information.
• The Coastal Bend Traditional Dance Society holds dances in Corpus Christi on the 1st Saturday of the month at the Unity by the Sea Church, 901 Brawner Parkway. New entry (June 14, 2010)
• The North Texas Traditional Dance Society promotes contra dancing in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and hosts dances, mostly contra, with a healthy smattering of English Country, Square, and folk mixers thrown in. They dance every 1st, 3rd, and 5th Saturday of the month. They also hold a festival called When In Doubt, Swing in early April and a weekend at the end of the year called Fiddler's Dream.
• The Houston Traditional Dance Society hosts contra dances on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month. William F. Simmons maintains the site. In addition, they sponsor the Bayou Bedlam in mid-February.
• The folks in San Antonio have a new domain and they continue to dance on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month. Linda Moran handles the web duties.

Bands and Musicians

• While the page is fairly cobwebby, Sharon Rempert gives descriptions and contact information for bands, musicians, and callers in Texas.
• Steve Horn has a page on Dallas Area Contrabands.  
• All Strung Out is unique combination of musicians (Jimmy Drury on piano and Bruce Kanagaki on fiddle) has resulted in a wonderful sound for San Antonio. (e-mail only)
• Ed Baggot is a fiddler in Huntsville, Alabama.
• Bambi in the Headlights is a new band out of Dallas, Texas.
• Cathy Barton and Dave Para play a range of music from the lively dance tunes they have collected in their home region to old ballads to new songs. They are based in Missouri.
• Blunn Creek traditional New England contra dance tunes and modern creations throughout Texas. Sharon Rempert gives the info.
• While the initial focus of Boru, a San Antonio, Texas band, was music in the Irish tradition, the set list now draws from a much more varied body of musical traditions. Change in URL (January 2, 2010)
• Cactus Canyon is San Antonio's local long-standing contra band, formed in 1985. They've played mostly for contra dances, but have also played for the annual Victorian Gala (and other Fiesta events), the San Antonio Folklife Festival, and for various other public events as well as for the occasional wedding. Change from URL to e-mail (January 2, 2010)
• The Cantrells feature Al and Emily Cantrell and play bluegrass, western, western swing, Irish fiddle tunes, original contradance tunes, jazz standards, and even an occasional Broadway "hit." They are based in Tennessee. MySpace page.
• From St. Louis, Missouri, the band, Chicks with Guns features Barbara Weathers, Billy Mathews, and Tom Hall. Change from URL to e-mail (January 2, 2010)
• While Clan White Thorn plays mostly at Civil War (United States) dances, it does play at the occasional contra dance.
• Matt Combs plays fiddle and mandolin with the Nashville Mandolin Ensemble, groups such as Sub-ID and has taught at the Blair School of Music and Mark O'Connor's Fiddle Camp. He is based in Nashville, Tennessee. MySpace page.
• The Cumberland Tenderfoots play for dances and other events in Nashville, Tennessee.
• The Fiery Gizzard Old Time String Band is based in South Pittsburg, Tennessee occasionally plays at dances along with other events.
• Flying Jenny, from Birmingham, Alabama includes Jim & Joyce Cauthen and Duncan Blair and plays old-time string band music. The site is maintained by Jim and Joyce Cauthen. MySpace page.
• The Free Range Chickens is a Dallas based old time band featuring Ray Quigley on fiddle, Jim Cadorette on mandolin and fiddle, Tevis Kriechbaum on clawhammer banjo, and David Kesterson on guitar.
• Paul and Win Grace can be found performing in a variety of settings all over the United States and Canada, including contra dances, and are based in Missouri.
• Leela and Ellie Grace play mandolin, guitar, fiddle, and banjo and have taught percussive dance styles that include Appalachian clogging, Irish Step Dancing, and Rhythm Tap. They occasionally play at a contra dance and are based in Missouri. MySpace page.
• Steve Horn has a page on Happensdance or you look at Sharon Rempert's information about the band.
• Hazel and the Delta Ramblers play on a regular basis across Louisiana.
• Thom Howard plays guitar with a variety of musicians at dances in Missouri.
• The Ill-Mo Boys, consisting of Geoff Seitz on fiddle, Curtis Buckannon on mandolin, and Jim Nelson on guitar play, as you might guess, in Missouri, Illinois, and nearby venues.
• Jalapeño Honey formed in the Fall of 2005 to fill a need in Bryan-College Station, Texas for a local community band for Contra Dance. Traditional jigs, reels, and hornpipes from the Scots-Irish tradition on both sides of the Atlantic form its basic repertoire.
• The Kaleidoscope String Band is a nod to the diversity of their music and musicians, since they're often joined on the spot by various other musicians. They play for contradances (and other events), mainly in the southeastern US and are based in Alabama. Change of URL (January 2, 2010)
• The Kaubells (pronounced "Cowbells") are a 2-person husband and wife (Matt Kaufmann plays the piano, and Holly Bell plays the fiddle) band playing a mix of original and traditional tunes.
• Missouri fiddle player Dave Landreth has a page about old-time tunes, his CD and his other endeavors. MySpace page. Change of URL (January 2, 2010)
• Kim and Jim Lansford play old-time music, including music for dances and are based in the Ozarks of Missouri. The Old-Time Herald has a lengthy article about and their careers and music.
• The Lone Star Ceili Band is one of Texas' custodians of traditional Irish music and dance. Change of URL (January 2, 2010)
• The Lost & Nameless Orchestra is based in Austin, Texas.
• Sharon Rempert has a page on The M & M Band featuring fiddler Mimi Rogers from Dallas and pianist Marilyn Cooper from Houston.
• Missouri Compromise is a 6 piece band focusing on Civil War Era appropriate music, ready, willing and able to perform in period dress, (or at least an increasingly reasonable facsimile thereof). It is available for Civil War Reenactment Balls, and other events reflecting that period, as well as Contra Dances. From North East Missouri /West Central Illinois. Contact Dale or Sarah McUmber-House at 573-985-4141. See our 'alter-ego', Ralugerri.
• Mockingingbird is a high energy band that will make the dancers go crazy from Austin to all over Texas and beyond.
• The Mumbillies play at dances in and around Tennessee.
• As might be expected, the Nashville Ceili Band plays in and around Nashville, Tennessee. (e-mail only)
• Nashville Weather started as a contra dance band years ago and still plays at contra dances from time to time. They are based in Tennessee. Site has problems (March 14, 2009)
• New Bad Habits with Dave Landreth, Chirps Smith, Tim Foss, Andrew Gribble and Dot Kent, play old-time, the music that combines the traditions of immigrants bringing their music to America for more than two centuries; music intended to accompany ethnic as well as uniquely American dances. The members hail from Wisconsin, Illinois and Missouri. Change of URL (January 2, 2010)
• Nine Mile Burn plays Celtic Music in a new tradition and is based in Kansas City, Missouri.
• The Old 78's are Curly Miller and Carole Anne Rose who play an unusual style of Old Time fiddle and clawhammer banjo, Hillbilly Fiddle Rags, Classic Banjo duets, Irish, Scottish, Celtic, World and historic music. The group is based in Arkansas.
• Perfect 5th features Willie Simmons on guitar, bass, and piano; Keith Holmes on piano, accordion, and clarinet; Gail Huggett on hammered dulcimer and piano; Cheryl Cleary on whistle, flute, recorder, and percussion and Teresa Henrichs on fiddle and viola and is based in Houston, Texas.
• Permanent Wave is a contra dance band located in the Houston, Texas area.
• Elsie Peterson is a musician in Alabama (e-mail only).
• The Pine Needle Runners are an "Old-Time String Band" and feature Jon Polacheck (guitar), Susan Spruance (bass), Jacqui Wooley (fiddle), Angie Wooten (banjo), Terry Wooten (guitar), and Tim Wooten (fiddle, harmonica). Sharon Rempert's supplies the needed data.
• Ralugerri is a 6 piece band focusing on Irish Traditional and Celtic music. It is available for Contra Dances and other events from North East Missouri/West Central Illinois. Contact Dale or Sarah McUmber-House at 573-985-4141. See our 'alter-ego', Missouri Compromise.
• Bart Ramsey & Neti Vann play a great collection of contra-versial jigs, reels and waltzes. Bart's contra-puntal piano rhythm will add bounce to your dance steps, and Neti's violin keeps the energy going in the New Orleans, Louisiana area.
• Red Mountain plays traditional string band music in Alabama. The site is maintained by Jim and Joyce Cauthen.
• The Reel McCoy, featuring Joel Kaserman, Ritchie Schuman, Bethann Miller, Harry Johnson, Cheryl Parker and Julia Wallis, frequently plays at the dances in Memphis, Tennessee. Change in URL (January 2, 2010)
• Reel Women are basically dance musicians, and have considered refusing to play when people won't get up and dance, and are comprised of Martha Edwards and Kristin Graham and are based in Missouri.
• Geoffrey J. Seitz is a violinmaker and fiddle player in Missouri.
• The Shout Lulu String Band plays old-time music from the Ozark Mountains in northwest Arkansas.
• Squirrelheads in Gravy plays delicious old-time music in Texas with Jack Izen, Ray Quigley, Neia Lively Izen, Greg Breiland and Joe Izen stirring the pot.
• Martha Edwards provides information about Stringdancer, a band based in Missouri.
• Threadneedle St plays Celtic music in the Fort Worth, Texas area at pubs, festivals and dances.
• Tuberville is Elaine and Mark Davis, Leon Ashley Peek, Brian Horn and Steve Horn and is based in Texas.
• The Vigortones include Jim Nelson, Chirps Smith, and David Landreth. The web site Old Time Music has information about the band. They are based in Missouri (?).
• Vulcan's Britches, from Birmingham, Alabama, plays what they call old-time music, meaning the traditional music style of the southern Appalachians, first recorded in the late 1920's and early '30's. They feature Kurt Kinbacher (guitar and banjo), Allen Peterson (fiddle), Terry McGinn (fiddle), Bobby Weathers (upright bass), and Carter Laney (banjo and guitar).
• The Young Family String Band plays contras throughout Texas, as well as festivals and other gigs around the state and beyond. Change from URL to e-mail (January 2, 2010)

Callers

• While it is a bit cobwebby, Sharon Rempert gives descriptions and contact information for bands, musicians, and callers in Texas.
• Marc Airhart has called at various dances in Texas since 1998. Check with San Antonio dancers for more info. (e-mail only)
• Reuven AnafShalom calls in the environs of Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia. (e-mail only)
• Joe Barziza calls at the dance in Dallas, Texas and other locales. (e-mail only (take out the (at)))
• Lissa Bengston started calling in Tulsa in the early 1990's and is now based in San Antonio, Texas. Change from URL to e-mail (January 2, 2010)
• Nick Boulet calls in Knoxville, Tennessee, and other locations.
• Donna Calhoun lives and calls in the Knoxville, Tennessee area.
• Chrissy Davis-Camp calls from Nashville, Tennessee (e-mail only; change the at to @ and dot to .).
• Harry Delugach calls from Huntsville, Alabama.
• Eddie Doss calls in and around Nashville. (e-mail only)
• Jane Ewing is from the Huntsville, Alabama, area and calls there and in other locales across the South and sometimes in other parts of the United States. (e-mail only)
• Kat Difoxfire teaches and calls Irish set and ceili dancing, and American Contra dancing. She has been leading the Central Missouri Celtic Arts Association set/ceili dance club. (e-mail only)
• Grant Goodyear calls in Walhalla, South Carolina and in Texas on a regular basis. Slight change in URL (January 2, 2010)
• Jerome Grisanti moved to Marhyville, Missouri in 2006 and has been calling in the Kansas City and Lawrence area dances and before that in the Louisville region, including Lexington and Cincinnati, and has ventured as far as Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Georgia and North Carolina to call dances since 2002.
• Jim Hawkins calls in Springfield and around the Missouri area. (e-mail only)
• The Mike Head calls in the Houston, Texas area. (e-mail for the caller)
• Vicki Herndon calls on a regular basis at the dances in Tennessee and throughout the southeastern United States. Added URL (July 26, 2010)
• Jef Hodge calls in Alabama. (e-mail only)
• Keith Holmes is a Houston-based caller whose calling style is enjoyed by contra dancers throughout Texas. Check the San Antonio dancers for more information.
• Steve Horn is a caller in the Dallas, Texas area. (e-mail only)
• Susan Kevra is contra, square and English dance caller, musician and singer currently residing in Nashville, Tennessee.
• Tim Klein is a caller from Knoxville, Tennessee. (e-mail only).
• Toby Koosman calls from Knoxville, Tennessee. (e-mail only)
• Joanna Laney of Birmingham, Alabama calls on a regular basis in that area. (e-mail only)
• Rich MacMath calls at various venues in Texas. Sharon Rempert provides the data.
• Paula McFarling calls on a regular basis in Columbia, Missouri along with calling in St. Louis and Kansas City. (e-mail only)
• Mac McKeever calls at the St. Louis, Missouri dance and at other venues. (e-mail only)
• Linda Mrosko has been calling contra dances all over Texas (and Oklahoma) for over 15 years.
• Sharon Rempert provides information about Dana Nicolay, a caller from Texas.
• Joseph J. Pimentel, Jr. calls at dances all across the country and is based in Texas.
• Martha Quigley is caller from the Dallas, Texas area. (e-mail only (take out the (at)))
• Dale Rempert calls in Texas including Austin and Houston. (e-mail for the caller)
• Chuck Roth calls in Austin, Texas, San Antonio and other locations. (e-mail only)
• Ann Sarmiento resides in Austin, Texas and draws on ten years of dancing experience to fuel her passion of sharing the dance with others. (e-mail only)
• Barb Smith is a contra dance and vintage dance caller in Houston, Texas. (e-mail only)
• Ted Steele calls on a regular basis in St. Louis, Missouri and other locales. (e-mail only)
• Sandy Strand started contra dancing in 1983 with the Lawrence, Kansas Barn Dance Association and started calling contras since 1994 in the environs of Kansas and Missouri. She now is based in Washington State. (e-mail only (take out the AT))
• Jim Thaxter calls in Kansas City and Columbia, Missouri and other area dances.
• Jim Thompson has called for dances in Texas for over a decade.
• Keith Tuxhorn calls in the Austin, Texas area. (e-mail only)
• Eric Vidacovich lives in Richmond, Texas and calls in the Houston area. (e-mail only)
• Diann Weatherly calls from Birmingham, Alabama. (e-mail only)

Organizations

• FolkFire, a Folk and Ethnic, Dance and Music Resource for St. Louis and the Central States includes listings for dances in the area and nearby states.
• Jubilee Community Arts is a regional, community cultural center, dedicated to preserving and nurturing the evolving traditional arts and cultural communities of the Southern Appalachian region near Knoxville.
• CrossCurrents is a non-profit corporation in Kansas City, Missouri which is dedicated to people creating their own culture, even if it means preferring crude vigor to polished banality. They produce concerts, plays, and community events.
• The Austin Friends of Traditional Music is dedicated to encouraging the performance, appreciation, preservation, and sharing of all genres of traditional / folk / ethnic / international music and dance. From Old-Time, Celtic, Bluegrass, and traditional Jazz to Latin American, Zydeco, Cajun, and Gospel, AFTM has provides the Austin community with a sampling of musical and dance expressions from folk cultures the world over.

This page is part of the Contrdancelinks.com web site. For more information about contra dancing, visit these other site pages:

http://www.contradancelinks.com/south.html
Produced by Charlie Seelig
Last updated on July 26, 2010