In March 2023 Leeds Contra will celebrate our 25th birthday.

Our first dance was organised on Wednesday March 4th 1998 by Thomas Green at The Methodist Hall in Headingley. By the start of 1999 the venue had changed to The Feast and Firkin in Headingley but we only stayed there until March 1999 when we moved to The Civil Service Sports Club where we stayed for less than a year. During this period I had my first experience of Contra dancing and my enjoyment has never subsequently diminished. By January 2000 we changed venue yet again to St Columbas in Headingley when we switched to Friday night dances. These continued until September 2001 when we moved to our present home of Headingley Parish Hall on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday nights of every month except July, August and December.

Over the years we have now (October 2018) organised over 60 special Contra Ceilidhs on Saturday nights or Sunday afternoons starting in May 1999. In June 2002 we were invited to organise a dance with Atlantic Crossing, our first stateside band or caller. Subsequently we were in regular contact with the late Jim Robb and organised several dances with American bands or callers who he had arranged tours for in the UK. We started “Contra in the Fall” in September 2006 with a series of three Contra Ceilidhs and have now held our twelth successful series with planning for the thirteenth series now complete together with a Spring Contra Ceilidh in May (see below).

To celebrate we held a party night on March 27th when all were welcome.

So if you fancy trying your hand, or should I say feet, at Contra Dancing come along on a 2nd or 4th Tuesday night to Headingley Parish Hall where we dance to our resident band All the Right Notes ! and club callers. You don’t need to be experienced nor to bring a partner and you will be made very welcome.

With “Spring Contra 2022” now a happy memory, watch out for details of “Contra in the Fall 2022” on Saturdays in September, October and November or December on the website or on Facebook

Richard Gibson

27th May 2022

http://www.leedscontra.freeuk.com/  

 

Day Date Band Location
Sat 08 May 1999 Village Band & Rhodri Davies St Chads Hall
Sat 01 April 2000 Illicit Goods & John Meechan St Chads Hall
Sat 30 September 2000 Knotted Chord & Rhodri Davies St Chads Hall
Sat 29 June 2002 Atlantic Crossing (USA) & Geoff Cubitt Cookridge Village Hall
Sat 05 April 2003 English Contra Dance band & Geoff Cubitt Cookridge Village Hall
Sun 27 July 2003 Rodney Miller and Friends (USA) & Rhodri Davies Stainbeck Community Hall
Sun 13 June 2004 English Contra dance Band & Cis Hinkle (USA) Queen's Hall
Sat 12 February 2005 Fiddlin Around & Rhodri Davies Queen's Hall
Sat 11 June 2005 KGB (USA) & Rhodri Davies Queen's Hall
Tue 28 February 2006 Changeling (USA) & Diane Silver (USA) Headingley Parish Hall
Sat 13 May 2006 Reckless Ramblers (USA) & Cis Hinkle (USA) Queen's Hall
Sat 23 September 2006 Skylark & John Meechan Queen's Hall
Sat 28 October 2006 Cruise Control & Rhodri Davies Queen's Hall
Sat 25 November 2006 English Contra Dance band & Mike Courthold Queen's Hall
Sat 12 May 2007 Stick Shift & Mike Barraclough West Park Centre
Sat 09 June 2007 Good Parking & Al Green Cookridge Village Hall
Tue 12 June 2007 Good Parking & Kathy Anderson (USA) Headingley Parish Hall
Sat 22 September 2007 Stick Shift & Mike Barraclough West Park Centre
Sat 27 October 2007 Skylark & Andrew Swaine West Park Centre
Sat 24 November 2007 Vertical Expression & Rhodri Davies West Park Centre
Sat 10 May 2008 Crowfoot (USA) & Lynne Render West Park Centre
Sat 14 June 2008 Good Parking & Al Green Cookridge Village Hall
Sat 27 September 2008 Skylark & Geoff Cubitt West Park Centre
Sat 25 October 2008 English Contra Dance Band & John Turner West Park Centre
Sat 22 November 2008 Stick Shift & Rhodri Davies West Park Centre
Sun 07 June 2009 Stick Shift & Cis Hinkle (USA) Cookridge Village Hall
Sat 26 September 2009 English Contra Dance Band & Geoff Cubitt West Park Centre
Sat 24 October 2009 Vertical Expression & John Turner West Park Centre
Sat 28 November 2009 Brian Stone and Elaine Meechan & John Meechan West Park Centre
Fri 18 June 2010 Appalachian Storm & Diane Silver (USA) St Chads Hall
Sat 25 September 2010 Skylark & Chris Turner West Park Centre
Sat 23 October 2010 Stick Shift & Rhodri Davies West Park Centre
Sat 27 November 2010 English Contra Dance Band & Henry Morgenstein West Park Centre
Sun 08 May 2011 English Contra Dance Band & Cis Hinkle (USA) Cookridge Village Hall
Sat 11 June 2011 Good Parking & Al Green Cookridge Village Hall
Sat 24 September 2011 Stick Shift & Geoff Cubitt West Park Centre
Sat 29 October 2011 King Kontra & John Turner West Park Centre
Sat 26 November 2011 Skylark & Adam Hughes West Park Centre
Sat 29 September 2012 English Contra Dance Band & John Turner West Park Centre
Sat 27 October 2012 Brian Stone and Elaine Meechan & John Meechan West Park Centre
Sat 24 November 2012 King Kontra & Henry Morgenstein City of Leeds School
Sat 28 September 2013 Stick Shift & Rhodri Davies St Margaret's Church Hall
Sat 26 October 2013 King Kontra & Geoff Cubitt Cookridge Village Hall
Sat 30 November 2013 Skylark & John Meechan St Chads Hall
Sat 31 May 2014 Stick Shift & Seth Tepfer (USA) St Margaret's Church Hall
Sat 27 September 2014 The Night Before & Rhodri Davies St Margaret's Church Hall
Sat 25 October 2014 Brian Stone and Elaine Meechan & Lynne Render St Chads Hall
Sat 22 November 2014 King Kontra & Geoff Cubitt St Margaret's Church Hall
Sun 17 May 2015 Stringrays (USA) & Geoff Cubitt St Margaret's Church Hall
Sat 26 September 2015 English Contra Dance band & Rhodri Davies St Margaret's Church Hall
Sat 31 October 2015 Vertical Expression & Rhodri Davies St Chads Hall
Sat 28 November 2015 The Night Before & Andrew Swaine St Margaret's Church Hall
Sun 15 May 2016 Vertical Expression & Cis Hinkle (USA) Waring Green Community Centre
Sat 24 September 2016 Vertical Expression & Lisa Heywood Mechanics Institute
Sat 05 November 2016 Wild Ride & Geoff Cubitt St Chads Hall
Sat 26 November 2016 Portland Drive & caller Rhodri Davies Mechanics Institute
Sun 09 April 2017 Minor Contravention & Andrew Swaine Waring Green Community Centre
Sat 30 September 2017 ECDB & Carol Ormand (USA) St Chads Hall
Sat 04 November 2017 Contra Alt Delete & Bob Morgan St Chads Hall
Sat 02 December 2017 King Kontra & Geoff Cubitt St Chads Hall
Sat 19 May 2018 Stringrays (USA) & Rhodri Davies St Chads Hall
Sat 22 September 2018 Ed Wallace band & Rachel Shapiro Wallace (USA) St Chads Hall
Sat 27 October 2018 Vertical Expression & Charlotte Rich St Chads Hall
Sat 01 December 2018 Contrasaurus & Geoff Cubitt St Chads Hall
Sat 21 September 2019 Band TBC & Geoff Cubitt St Chads Hall
Sat 19 October 2019 Audacious (USA) & Rhodri Davies St Chads Hall
Sat 30 November 2019 English Contra Dance Band & Lynne Render St Chads Hall
Sat 21 May 2022 Stringrays & Will Mentor (all USA) St Chads Hall
Sat 24 September 2022 English Contra Dance Band & Geoff Cubitt St Chads Hall
Sat 22 October 2022 Vertical Expression & Rhodri Davies St Chads Hall
Sat 3 December 2022 Contrasaurus & Andrew Swaine St Chads Hall