Family Dances at the Keene Public Library

Our next Family Dance will be Friday May, 2012 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in Heberton Hall. Kathy Torrey will call the dance. She'll be join by Randy Miller on the fiddle.

The Keene Public Library hosts a monthly free family dance for children and audults of all ages and abilities. Family Dances started at the Keene Public Library in the summer of 2003.  Now the dances are held the first Friday of each month from November through May.  Over the years, the series has become an important library program that helps to develop early literacy skills and is fun too.  Folk dancing helps to encourage the basic concepts of rhythm, repetition, sequencing, patterning, predictability, anticipation, musical cues, auditory discrimination, and counting.  These are all important early learning skills.  Traditional dance also is a great way to introduce children to the world’s rich diversity, to teach the enjoyment of dance, music, and rhythm and to begin a livelong habit of the social enjoyment and physical activity of dancing.

All Family Dances are sponsored by the Friends of the Keene Public Library, the Trustees of the Keene Public Library Endowment Fund, the Keene Sentinel, and Parent Express. Check our online calendar to see who will be performing at our next dance!

 Recommended Library Materials on Contra and other Folk Dances:  

Chimes of Dunkirk: great dances for children. This CD and book was produced by New England Dancing Masters Productions

Choose your partners!: contra dance & square dance music of New Hampshire. This great CD Smithsonian Folkways features Rodney Miller, Bob McQuillen, Dudley Laufmann and others

Dance by Andrée Grau

Dance! : no matter what kind of dance you like to do, this book is for you by Apryl Lundsten

Down in the valley: more great singing games for children. Another great CD and book was produced by New England Dancing Masters Productions

Folk dance by Sherry Bonnice

Hi! ho! The rattlin' bog, and other folk songs for group singing, compiled by John Lanstaff

Jump Jim Joe: great singing games for children. This CD and book was produced by New England Dancing Masters Productions

Recommended websites: 

Contra Dance Links - Find a contra dance in just about any state.

Country Dance and Song Society - This Massachuetts based origanzation publish books, booklets, recordings, and a quarterly newsletter. 

Dance Gypsy - A great site for finding a local dance, caller, or musicians.

Folk Show with Kate McNally - Tune into New Hampshire Public Radio (WEVN, Keene 90.7) for the Folk Show every Sunday from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Monadnock Folklore Society - Promotes folk dancing and music in the region. Includes concert and event listings, scholarship information, and related links.

New England Dancing Masters - This organization has authored the standard source for family and community dance callers.

What Is Contra Dance?

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