Join our celebration of
music and dance!

A Community Contra and Square Dance

Saturday, July 18, 2026, 6:30–10 PM
Melrose Unitarian Universalist Church, 70 West Emerson St, Melrose MA
Cammy Kaynor, Mark Proctor, and John Hicks (teaching and music)
No admission. Voluntary donations welcome
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This is a new dance event to celebrate community, for all abilities and all ages,
put on by the MUUC Fellowship Committee

A traditional New England Contradance replete with squares, waltzes, circle dances, and longways formations. The band has fiddle, guitar, and percussion and Cammy Kaynor will teach carefully and prompt the dancing. Newcomers receive extra instruction in the basics at 6:30, but feel free to join at any time even if you are brand new. People wishing to learn the music can bring instruments and join the band. Anyone just wanting to experience the thing, come laugh and point, enjoy the energy of the music, and chat with friends because a traditional New England Contradance is a community gathering, at which dancing happens.

English Country Dancing (1st and 3rd Sunday afternoons)

Sunday, July 19, 2026, 3–5 PM
Baystate Cohousing, 368 Pleasant St., Malden MA
Voluntary donations to help support the event are welcome.
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We will continue on 1st and 3rd Sundays in the months ahead.

For anyone local interested in trying out some English Country Dancing, there is a group of people at Bay State Cohousing in Malden MA who have generously decided to host a series of dances in their dining hall. These dances form the main basis for the New England square and contradances that we do today.

The gathering is made up mainly of newcomers to English so we do easy, well-taught, dances (mostly from the 17th century). As well as dancing, people wishing to play music for this event are welcome to follow along as best they can (sheet music is available).

There is no admission, but we gratefully accept donations from those who can afford to help these events continue.
There is parking on Pleasant street across from the Beebe school. The Orange Line T stop is an easy walking distance (~2 blocks away).

There is nothing fancy or polished about this event. It is a fun community gathering to try out some of the music and figures the settlers brought to New England in the 17th century. We invite any who wish to give it a whirl, to join us on 1st and 3rd Sunday afternoons.

English Dances we have done at Bay State Cohousing to date: 

Picking Up Sticks
Prince William
Rufty Tufty
Saint Margaret’s Hill
Sellenger’s Round
Siege of Limmerick
Upon a Summer’s Day
Well Hall
Zephyrs and Flora

Cape Ann Community Contra Dance

Saturday, July 25, 2026, 7–9:30 PM
MAGMA Gloucester, 5 Pleasant St, Gloucester, MA
Rose Sheehan (calling)
Cammy Kaynor and John Hicks (music)
Suggested Contribution: $15-$25, under 16 years-FREE. No one turned away for lack of funds.
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