Reel Thing To Provide Music For Monthly Contra Dance

DANBURY — The Reel Thing will be playing the music for a contra dance on Saturday, February 25, at Western CT State University. The event will take place in The Bill Williams Gymnasium on Osborne Street, next to Berkshire Hall, on the university’s midtown campus.

Dance lessons will be offered at 7 pm, and the dancing will begin at 7:30.

The Reel Thing is a western Connecticut-based musical group which specializes in contra dances; live, costumed, authentic 18th Century colonial dances and concerts; traditional dance workshops for children and adults; and family or community “barn” dances.  

The band is made up of experienced, professional musicians who have a passion for folk music, dancing and performing.

The four-member band consists of Bill Campbell of Newtown, who performs on guitar and bass guitar; Julie Sorcek, Bethel, on flute, piccolo, saxophone and bodhran; Fran Hendrickson, from Danbury (and formerly of Newtown), on piano, keyboard and accordion; and Gwen Glasser, New Fairfield, on fiddle, guitar and piano.

The tunes played for contra dancing are largely Celtic and French Canadian jigs, reels and waltzes.

Admission is $8 per person, or $5 for WCSU students. There is ample parking, and participants are asked to bring their own clean, soft-soled shoes in order not to damage the gym floor.

The caller for the dance on February 25 will be Christine Hale.

The February 25 event is part of a new series of monthly dances that are being planned at the university.

Dances are also in the works for March 25, April 22, May 20 and June 24; for the June event, an air-conditioned facility will be secured.

Singles and couples are welcome, and new dancers are always welcome.

For additional information call 262-8411 (between noon and 8 pm only) or visit Conntras.org/Danbury.