Beginning his violin playing at the age of six, Raffield trained classically through middle school. In his teens, he began branching out in various folk styles, playing fiddle, guitar, and bass. As a child in Pennsylvania, Dorwart enjoyed playing the saxophone, then moved on to electric bass as a teen, and finally into his favorite, drums, jamming with metal and punk bands.

Come join the friendly dancers of Sautee. If you have contra danced you know how much fun it can be. If not, come on out to try it. If you can walk you can contra dance. The caller will tell you the moves, so learning the dance is not necessary. No experience is needed. It is not necessary to bring a partner.

The evening begins with a 6:30 pm potluck dinner. Bring a dish to share and enjoy visiting with old friends or make new ones. Bringing snacks to share on the refreshment table during the dance is welcomed. The 8:00 dance, preceded by a free lesson at 7:30 pm., is held at the Sautee Nacoochee Cultural Center historic gym, at 283 Highway 255 N., ¼ mile off Highway 17 in Sautee, Georgia, (706) 878-3300. Cost is $10 for nonmembers, $8 for members of SNCA, $6 for students, and free for those under age 12. Visit www.sauteecontra.com or www.snca.org for more information.

On Saturday, December 28, SNCA will have a contra dance with music by the band Contralicious! and calling by Dean Snipes from Charlotte. Contralicious!, from Atlanta, is Dave Marcus on concertina, Géraud Barralon on bass and octave mandolin, and Robbin Marcus on piano and percussion.

Contralicious! adds two elements to the successful mixes the members have created with bands such as Reelplay, Ida Red, Over the Moon, Holy Coyote, and many others. Always playing a wide variety of music that is both lyrical and driving, the trio mixes in Dave Marcus’s jazzy, funky lead lines and Géraud Barralon’s deep experience in French bals music.

Over the last 20 years, Dave has popularized the concertina as a driving lead in the Southeastern contra dance music scene. One of our favorite callers said of his playing, “Wow. I just had no idea in the world that the concertina could be so funky.”  

Robbin Marcus grounds the trio with steady, playful rhythm lines on piano (and occasional percussion), moving the dancers with rock solid beat.

Géraud Barralon, from Ardèche in the Rhône-Alpes region of France, has a background in Django Reinhardt-style, rhythmic swing guitar and has performed for many swing dances in Lyon with a group, Djoukil. His most recent album, “La trace du Poète” (The Poet’s Trail) was released in 2019. As part of the French-Appalachian old-time band, the Ida Red Trio, Geraud is a frequent bass player for contra and square dances at home and abroad.  

Contralicious!’s repertoire is rooted in the New England contra dance tradition and includes original music as well as music from Quebec to Ireland and California to France. Dean Snipes will delight with his clear walk-throughs and smooth-flowing dances. Come on down and have a Contralicious! time with us.

Come join the friendly dancers of Sautee. If you have contra danced you know how much fun it can be. If not, come on out to try it. If you can walk you can contra dance. The caller will tell you the moves, so learning the dance is not necessary. No experience is needed. It is not necessary to bring a partner.

Bringing snacks to share is welcomed. The 8:00 dance, preceded by a free lesson at 7:30 pm., is held at the Sautee Nacoochee Cultural Center historic gym, at 283 Highway 255 N., ¼ mile off Highway 17 in Sautee, Georgia, (706) 878-3300. Cost is $10 for nonmembers, $8 for members of SNCA, $6 for students, and free for those under age 12. Visit www.Sauteecontra.com or www.snca.org for more information.

Dance off some holiday calories at the Sautee Contra Dance. On Saturday, November 30, SNCA will host a festive contra dance with music by the band Cattywampas and calling by Susan Davis, an experienced dance caller who has called in Sautee multiple times. Cattywampas is a four-person band much in demand throughout the Southeast community of contra dancing.  The four members have a long, active history as musicians in the regional contra dance scene.

Fiddler Tim Cape and guitarist Scott Russell, originators of the band, are both legendary musicians in the Atlanta contra dance community.  They have provided an eclectic mix of dance music with a hearty old-time core since the beginnings of the Atlanta community dances in the mid-1970s.  Over the years, they have joined their talents with many musician friends to play for contra dances and other community events.

Fiddler Jan Smith and acoustic bassist Pete Senkowski have played with Cattywampas for several years.  Pete, known for his upbeat and reliable rhythmic playing, backs up the band with strong, acoustic playing and has been the bassist of choice for many other groups as well.  Jan is an accomplished old-time fiddler with many contest wins to her credit and has recorded with several different groups, including The Rosin Sisters, with whom she sings and plays banjo as well as fiddle.
Come join the friendly dancers of Sautee. If you have contra danced you know how much fun it can be. If not, come on out to try it. If you can walk you can contra dance. The caller will tell you the moves, so learning the dance is not necessary. Come in your festive and holiday attire.

No experience is needed. It is not necessary to bring a partner. Bring a snack to share during the break. There is a free contra dance lesson at 7:30 pm, followed by dancing at 8:00 pm This event is held at the Sautee Nacoochee Cultural Center historic gym, at 283 Highway 255 N., ¼ mile off Highway 17 in Sautee, Georgia, (706) 878-3300. Admission: Students & Teens $6, SNCA members $8, and non-members $10. Visit www.Sauteecontra.com or www.snca.org for more information.

Wear your SPOOKY costume to the Sautee Contra Dance. On Saturday, October 26, SNCA will have a contra dance with music by the band Whistlin’ Rufus and calling by Doug Singleton. Whistlin’ Rufus comes to us from the Atlanta area and Dahlonega, and consists of Ann Whitley on fiddle, Doug Olsen on mandolin, Cindy Olsen on bass and John Day, sitting in for Peter Jenkins, on guitar.

On Saturday, September 28, SNCA will have a contra dance with music by the band Contraplicity and calling by Tavi Merrill. Contraplicity will be familiar to Sautee contra dancers under the band’s former name, Free Association. This dance will be preceded by a potluck dinner, to which all are invited—just bring a dish to share.

Get ready to dance to an exuberant mix of northern and southern contra dance music and a number of original tunes played by the three talented musicians of Contraplicity.  Their repertoire and style draw from New England, Quebecois, Celtic, contemporary, and old-time tunes, and other influences that make their way “into our music by a process of free association.”

The band members are Bob Kirkman on fiddle, Bill Porter on flutes and whistles, and Stven Carlberg on piano.  These three each have played contra dance music for many years but first played together in 2008 as a pick-up band for the mid-week contra dance in Atlanta, Georgia.  Since putting their act on the road, Contraplicity has enlivened contra dances in five states and a dozen cities across the Southeast.

Tavi Merrill will be calling in Sautee for the first time. Tavi was introduced to contradance in the grange halls of rural Maine shortly after taking up fiddle in his late teens. After co-founding a successful dance series near Bangor, and energized by open mic opportunities at the Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend, he began calling in 2007.

With a move to Boston in 2011, he redoubled his efforts to grow as a dance leader, and has since called in ten states from New England to Florida. He is grateful for the camaraderie and encouragement of "calleagues" like Chris Ricciotti, Nils Fredland, Lisa Greenleaf, George Marshall, and of developing-caller peers around Boston.

With a warm, reassuring stage presence and rhythmic, lyrical delivery, Tavi strives to both welcome newcomers and stimulate experienced dancers. He takes seriously the opportunity to steward and interpret our tradition - from stately to stomptastic, with all its uncommon courtesy and kinematic vorticity - but he has also loads of fun with it.

Come join the friendly dancers of Sautee. If you have contra danced you know how much fun it can be. If not, come on out to try it. If you can walk you can contra dance. The caller will tell you the moves, so learning the dance is not necessary.

No experience is needed. It is not necessary to bring a partner. Bringing snacks to share is welcomed. Bring a dinner dish to share if you come for the potluck, which starts at 6:30 pm. There is a free contra dance lesson at 7:30 pm., followed by dancing at 8:00 pm. This fun event is held at the Sautee Nacoochee Cultural Center historic gym, at 283 Highway 255 N., ¼ mile off Highway 17 in Sautee, Georgia, (706) 878-3300. Admission: Students & Teens $6,  SNCA members $8,and non-members $10.  Visit www.Sauteecontra.com or www.snca.org for more information.

On Saturday, August 24, we welcome the PB&J Stringband to the SNCA contra dance stage. PB&J (Pan, Brett, and Jenny) have each played for dances across the country, but are a new band from western North Carolina. Pan is the rhythm-meister on an old Gibson guitar. Her favorite pastime is sharing a beat with dancers. Brett plays banjo and ukulele with the same intensity that he drives a tractor: reckless abandon! Jenny is a powerhouse fiddler who rejuvenates traditional old time tunes with her artful bowing style. Like their namesake, PB&J Stringband is musically delicious and will leave you wanting more!

The caller that night is Angela Schneider from Memphis, a very knowledgeable and experienced caller and musician whose background in math, engineering, and textile design informs her leading of contra dances.

If you have contra danced you know how much fun it can be. If not, come on out to try it. If you can walk you can contra dance. The caller will tell you the moves, so learning the dance is not necessary.

No experience is needed. It is not necessary to bring a partner. Bringing snacks to share is welcomed. Dancing, preceded by a free lesson at 7:30 p.m., is held at the Sautee Nacoochee Cultural Center historic gym, at 283 Highway 255 N., ¼ mile off Highway 17 in Sautee, Georgia, (706) 878-3300. Visit www.Sauteecontra.com or www.snca.org for more information.

On Saturday, July 27, we welcome the band, Boom Chuck, to the SNCA contra dance stage. Boom Chuck from Asheville features Laurie Fisher on fiddle, along with Nic Coker on guitar and Geraud Barallon on bass.

The band is a high-energy contra band that plays exquisitely danceable fiddle tunes, always giving a good ride thru southern, northern, Celtic and French Canadian styles, with a great swingy back rhythm. Boom Chuck has become a regional favorite for years, bringing their tried-and-true brand of joyful contra music to dances and dance weekends across the land. The caller that night will be David Winston. David has been dancing for 13 years and calling for 10 of those years.
 
If you have contra danced you know how much fun it can be. If not, come on out to try it. If you can walk you can contra dance. The caller will tell you the moves, so learning the dance is not necessary.
 
This special evening is a bargain at $7 for SNCA members, $10 for other adults, $5 for students, and free for children under 12. No experience is needed. It is not necessary to bring a partner. Bringing snacks to share is welcomed. Dancing, preceded by a free lesson at 7:30 p.m., is held at the Sautee Nacoochee Cultural Center historic gym, at 283 Highway 255 N., ¼ mile off Highway 17 in Sautee, Georgia, (706) 878-3300. Visit www.Sauteecontra.com or www.snca.org for more information.

On Saturday, July 6, we welcome the band, Lava, to our contra dance stage. Lava includes Karina Wilson (fiddle), George Paul (piano), and Steve Kemble (percussion). Karina Wilson is an extraordinary fiddler from Santa Fe who has performed in Europe and across the U.S. She also plays violin, viola, cello, as well as sings. George Paul is a well-known performer in Sautee who has been playing piano since he was three. Steve Kemble is a percussion master. Called by Atlanta’s Rob Harper, this is a dance you will not want to miss!

If you have contra danced you know how much fun it can be. If not, come on out to try it. If you can walk, you can contra dance. The caller will tell you the moves, so learning the dance is not necessary.

This special evening is a bargain at $7 for SNCA members, $10 for other adults, $5 for students, and free for children under 12. No experience is needed. It is not necessary to bring a partner. Bringing snacks to share is welcomed. Dancing, preceded by a free lesson at 7:30 p.m., is held at the Sautee Nacoochee Cultural Center historic gym, at 283 Highway 255 N., ¼ mile off Highway 17 in Sautee, Georgia, (706) 878-3300. Visit www.Sauteecontra.com or www.snca.org for more information.

Come contra dancing on Saturday, October 27, with caller Abigail Hobart and the band Whistlin’ Rufus.

This dance party is THE alternative to your boring costume gathering. Wear your finest and scariest costume while dancing to choreographed moves to live music. After dancing until your bones shake loose, enjoy a feast of frightening proportions during the break.

Abigail Hobart is the caller who has been contra dancing since she was eight years old. She began calling while on a four-month backpacking trip through Europe. She states on her website that “Growing up in the local folk community was so important to me; I felt connected and loved, free to express myself, and enthralled.” Come to the dance and experience this connection yourself.

The Whistlin’ Rufus band will be playing hauntingly beautiful music. The band consists of Ann Whitley on fiddle; Doug Olsen, mandolin; Cindy Olsen, bass; and Matt Levine, guitar.

Contra dance is a fun and easy-to-learn way to get great exercise while listening to fine music and making new friends. No experience is needed. It is not necessary to bring a partner. Come by 7:30 p.m. for free lessons, with dancing from at 8 to 11 p.m. Admission is a bargain at $7 for SNCA members, $10 for other adults, $5 for students, and free for children under 12.

Dances are held at the Sautee Nacoochee Cultural Center historic gym, at 283 Highway 255 N., ¼ mile off Highway 17 in Sautee, Georgia, (706) 878-3300. Visit www.Sauteecontra.com or www.snca.org for more information.