Back again! We are having another wonderful evening of great music and dancing at the "Contra+Waltz", this time with a wonderful band from Seattle, KGB.

Our "Contra+Waltz" is an evening filled with many fun wonderful dances- half the dances are contras and line dances, and the rest are waltzes, polkas, one steps. Our special band for the night, KGB from Seattle, composed the music for one of Friday Night Waltz standard dances, our cross step waltz mixer, "A Clocked Stopped". We can't wait to dance to it with live music!

We are planning on having about 10 waltzes, a few of polkas, some latin and tango- all played by KGB. A great band. not to be missed! Listen to their music here.

Our last Contra+Waltz had over 230 dancers-one of the largest contra dances in California over the last few years. People were eager for another dance- here we are with a delightful band that has played superb dance music for nearly two decades. They get to the bay area every five years or so.
This is a must-go dance!

We are delighted to present KGB, a favorite contra band with a loyal and long time following. They will play about half contras and line dances and about half social couple dances with 10 waltzes, several Polkas,and other dances like a tango, Hambo, and Schottische. Not to be missed! KGB has not been in the Bay area for a really long time. KGB is the Seattle-based trio of Julie King, Claude Ginsburg and Dave Bartley, whose surname initials provide the group's name (KGB). They've been playing contradance music since 1993.

Richard Powers will be calling the contras. He started out calling contra many years ago in Cincinatti and is now returning to his roots. Richard will also be teaching two hours of social dances from 7 pm to 9 pm.

7pm class: pivoting schottische

8pm class: Cross step waltz with an introduction to cross step waltz mixer, which will be played live with KGB, who wrote the original music.

Tom Hill teaches his excellent Introductory waltz class from 7 to 9pm.

$20 for the evening. $10 for students with id. No partner necessary. All Ages. Casual comfortable attire. Sorry due to live band, no discount for dance only. Under 18 must be accompanied by parent or guardian.

We will have our traditional celebratory selection of cherry pies, double chocolate devine mousse, raspberry cheesecakes, lemon merengue pies, and a zingy selection of Mitchell's ice creams, including avocado, mango, ginger and green tea

Oakland Veterans Hall 200 Grand Avenue Oakland CA X Harrison.
A beautiful dance hall, with 3,500 square foot hardwood floor, extra room for socializing and meeting new people, easy access, great parking. We will have a security guard in the parking lot.

First Annual Oakland Free Dance Festival
Sponsored by Scott Gamble
Friday Night Waltz
held in association with the Bay Area National Dance Week
"...to increase awareness of dance and its contributions to our national culture."

Oakland Veterans Hall
200 Grand Avenue Oakland CA 94610 X Harrison
Saturday April 25 from 1pm to 8pm

All Classes free! 28 one hour introductory social dance classes including Argentine Tango, Balboa, Blues, Cha Cha, Charleston, Contra, East Coast Swing, English Country, Hustle, Folk dance, Irish ceilidh, Irish set dancing, Lindy, Mambo, Merengue, Night Club, One Step, Polka, Renaissance, Rumba, Salsa, Samba, Scottish country, Square dancing, Viennese Waltz, Waltz, West Coast Swing, Zydeco.

Test drive those dances you were always curious about.
Get to know the instructors.
Feel free to ask questions before and after the dances.
instructors will be available to answer questions
Pick up flyers for dances, dance classes, and other dance events.
Tell your dance friends you are going,
and invite them for a get together.
There is a large cafeteria downstairs.
Also, there is a very nice Whole Foods market 100 yards away
with a great sandwich and salad sit down lunch place.
Plenty of parking on site or across the street
at the Oakland Children's Fairlyand Park
next to Lake Merritt at Bellvue and Grand Avenue.

Co-sponsored by the Lake Merrit Dance Center
and the Oakland Veterans Hall
google map
4 classes running simultaneously for 7 hours.

At the Oakland Veterans Hall 200 Grand Avenue Oakland CA 94610 X harrison.


Lunchroom downstairs in the canteen.

also a parking lot across Grand Avenue in the Children's
Oakland Fairyland park

Nighttime dances from 9pm to 12 midnight. $8 for all dances. Main Ballroom- Waltz, Polka, one step, Dance Lounge - Blues: Hall I Salsa: Hall II Contradance: Hall III Swing. $10 for all dances: try one, try all.

Oakland Veterans Hall 200 Grand Avenue Oakland CA X Harrison.
6 dance floors, ranging from 900 square fee to 3,500 square feet.

Crepes Musette tonight. A wonderful band returns again for superb musicianship. Many requests for a repeat performance. You will not be disappointed.

$12 for dance and class, $9 for students. sorry no discount for dance only, as we have a live band tonight.

Oakland Veterans Hall 200 Grand Avenue Oakland CA X Harrison.
6 dance floors, ranging from 900 square fee to 3,500 square feet.

Our annual Hillbillies from Mars Contra+Waltz! Last time we had a packed house, with 230+ people. This time, more waltzes and polkas, per your request. About half the time is contras or line dances and half are couples dances like waltz, polka, or hambo.

Two hours of couples dances from 7 pm to 9 pm in the main ballroom

Two hours of Introductory waltz class from 7 to 9pm in the dance lounge.

$20 for the evening. $10 for students under 25 with id. No partner necessary. All Ages. Casual comfortable attire. Sorry due to live band, no discount for dance only. Under 18 must be accompanied by parent or guardian.

From their website, "The Hillbillies From Mars have been rocking the contradance scene in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1982. They combine their love and dedication to Celtic and American traditional fiddle music with a healthy dose of their own "folk roots" of rock 'n' roll, swing, Latin and African beats, forging a new tradition of dance music."

Paul Kotapish mandolin, guitar, percussion
Paul's versatility on the mandolin and guitar have made him a long-time favorite in the traditional music scene. His rock solid rhythms and harmonic textures form an integral part of the Hillbillies' sound. Paul has recorded and toured internationally with several bands, including Kevin Burke's Open House.

Ray Bierl fiddle, guitar, vocals
Ray's background in Appalachian and Cape Breton fiddle styles adds another dimension to the group's repertoire. His driving fiddle backup technique shifts squares and contradances into highgear. Ray is well known on the west coast as a folk singer, and his country and cowboy songs are often featured in the Hillbillies' performances

Kevin Carr fiddle, bagpipes, accordion, banjo, vocals, storytelling
Kevin's powerful fiddling forms the backbone of the Hillbillies' French Canadian and Irish repertoire. In addition, he adds musical texture through his virtuosity on the Irish bagpipes and diatonic accordion. Kevin is also an accomplished storyteller, and delights audiences young and old with tales from Celtic and Appalachian sources.

Daniel Steinberg keyboards, flute, percussion
Daniel's polyrhythmic piano/synthesizer backup and dynamic flute playing fill out the band's sound. The Hillbillies perform many of his original dance tunes and feature his innovative arrangements of traditional material. Daniel's workshops in French Country Dance and Instant Choir have received rave reviews at dance festivals around the country.

We will have our traditional celebratory selection of cherry pies, double chocolate devine mousse, raspberry cheesecakes, lemon merengue pies, and a zingy selection of Mitchell's ice creams, including avocado, mango, ginger and green tea

Oakland Veterans Hall 200 Grand Avenue Oakland CA X Harrison.
A beautiful dance hall, with 3,500 square foot hardwood floor, extra room for socializing and meeting new people, easy access, great parking. We will have a security guard in the parking lot.

Copyright © 2001-2008 Scott Gamble