End of Month Bush Dances

From Monaro Folk Society

Bush dancing is Australian traditional social dancing. It's fun and friendly and new people are always welcome. All dances are taught and called, and there is no need to bring a partner. All the dances are to live music by local and interstate bands.

We have a Saturday night dance on the last Saturday of most months, usually at St Johns Church Hall, Constitution Avenue, Reid - but please check as venues do vary occasionally. See Events Diary for dances in the next few months. Frequent exceptions are January (no dance because of school holidays) and April (not always a dance because of the ANZAC Day holiday). Also, the September dance is traditionally the Colonial Ball held at the Albert Hall, and the December dance is held on New Year's Eve at the Yarralumla Woolshed.

The dances start at 8:00pm and finish at 11:30pm (except New Year's Eve), with a supper break around 10pm.

What dances do we do?

There is lots of variety in the dances. We do longways sets (such as Strip the Willow and Thady You Gander), quadrilles (such as Cumberland Square 8 and The Lancers), couples dances (such as Pride of Erin and Brown Jug Polka), around the room dances (such as The Dashing White Sergeant and Margaret's Waltz), fun dances (such as The Troika and The Drongo) and many others.

What should I wear?

This is one question that is answered at this dance FAQ (yes, it's a contra dance FAQ, but the info is equally applicable to bush dancing). I'll just add that you should wear flat, comfortable shoes and please, no hand cream, perfume or after shave.

The music

We dance to live music, provided by local and interstate bush dance bands. We use a variety of different bands, but we guarantee that the music will be lively and fun to dance to.

Cost

Regular Saturday dances cost $12 for members and concession holders, and $16 for other adults. Under-18s have free entry. Special dances and Balls may have different pricing, check the Events Diary.

Please bring a contribution to the supper. Tea, coffee, cordial and water are available, costing $1 for a "bottomless" cup which you can refill throughout the whole night.

Hope to see you there