Welcome!
We are a contra dance community who loves getting together for evenings of great music, great dancing, and great fun. Contra dance is a traditional dance style similar to square dancing. We dance to live music, and a caller leads us through the steps of each dance. The music comes from the Scots-Irish and French Canadian traditions, but is often played with a modern twist.

If you are not familiar with contra dancing, we invite you to watch these videos to get a sense of the dance, the music, and the community.

Everyone is welcome! Singles, couples, families, LGBTQ friendly. We welcome new dancers of all ages and backgrounds, quite literally with open arms!

If you can walk, you can contra dance! No experience required. We always offer a free Basics Class from 7:00 to 7:30 pm, and each dance is taught before it is danced. We change partners between each dance, and you will find that experienced dancers seek out new ones to help them along.

When:
Coming out from the COVID pandemic, we cautiously-gradually went mostly back to our traditional pattern: dances on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month from September through mid June, plus an Island Dance Special in July.

COVID precautions:
We have been trying to adjust participation requirements (vaccination and masking) responsibly, according to recommendations from health care providers, and the diverse opinions and needs of our members, musicians, and callers. Nothing is carved in stone, we will revisit the issue as necessary. Currently, some of our dances still require the use of masks (N-95 or equivalent preferred). Please check the "Entry" column of the dance schedule to see which dances require masks and which are mask-optional. You may either pre-register and pay for the dance via the page of the specific dance you attend (the preferred way), or walk in and pay at the door.

Where:
St. Barnabas Anglican Church Hall, 175 Hampton Avenue, near Chester subway station (detailed directions). There is municipal parking and street parking nearby. If you are driving from farther away, you may be interested in MTO traveller information (road closures, traffic cameras, etc).
There is half a flight of steps inside the front door, but if steps are a problem for you, we do have an elevator—you'll need to alert someone at the front desk to operate the elevator for you. The venue has two single-stall all-gender washrooms (no urinals, one of the two is wheelchair accessible) as well as men's and women's washrooms.

Cost:
Admission is sliding scale: Pick your own price somewhere between $7 and $35. Children (16 and under) enter free. At our current attendance rates, it costs $22 per person to put on a dance. Giving generously if you are able is a great way to support our dance; bringing friends is another!
We don't expect you to pay on your first visit, ... try it out FREE!

Shoes, clothing, fragrances, conduct:
St. Barnabas has asked us to respect their shoe policy, which is that no street shoes are worn in the dance hall. Please bring a clean pair of shoes to change into. Any comfortable shoes are fine. More details here.

Dress casually and comfortably, keeping in mind that contra dancing is quite a workout. Skirts, shorts, and jeans are all common. Wearing layers is recommended - we may have windows open even in winter to keep cool!

Toronto Contra Dance is a scent-free zone. Please avoid fragrances - many of our dancers are allergic to them. We are also a drug-free, alcohol-free, and nut-free event space. For other guidelines please see our Code of conduct

Re-usable cups:
We provide water throughout our events. Please help us reduce our environmental impact by bringing your own cup or water bottle.