New England Contra Dance

Past Event ....... August 13th — 8 - 11pm

*Last local Contra Dance of Summer Season to take place at LPL this Friday*

Friday, August 13, 8-11 p.m. in Callahan Hall, an evening of traditional New England contra dancing to the band Catharsis (fiddler Michele Roy, pianist Zeba Weidler and guitarist/percussionist Fred White, with guest fiddler Pam Weeks) and caller Maggie Robinson. Admission: only $5, $2 for students. For more information, call 782-0386. NOTE: This year’s summer dance series at the Lewiston Library is sponsored by the DownEast Friends of the Folk Arts through a generous grant from Wei Li Restaurant in Auburn (which, by the way, is a great place to stop for a pre-dance meal; check them out at www.weilirestaurant.com).

The folk group Catharsis will perform for Lewiston’s final contra dance of
the summer season this Friday, Aug. 13, in Callahan Hall at the Lewiston
Public Library. The event will run from 8 to 11 p.m. and carries an
admission charge of $5, or $2 for any full-time student.

Taking its name from a popular contra dance tune known to elicit whoops of
delight from the dancers on the floor, the band describes itself as a
“convivial contingent of professional and paraprofessional musicians who
love working up a good rhythm as well as a good lather.” The group’s members
- who maintain careers in law, medicine and agriculture, respectively – are
pianist Zeba Weidler, guitarist/percussionist Fred White and fiddler Michele
Roy. Based in south-central Maine, they have been making music together for
nearly 20 years performing at dances, weddings, corporate functions, farmers
markets, and elsewhere, and are crowd favorites at the annual DownEast
Country Dance Festival in Topsham. Joining the trio on this occasion will be
fiddler Pam Weeks.

Caller Maggie Robinson will lead attendees in an assortment of traditional
New England contra dances. No prior dance experience is required to
participate, she points out, and people are invited to come with or without
partners. Comfortable, low-heeled shoes are recommended, as well as water
bottles to aid in keeping rehydrated. “Contra dancing provides a good
aerobic workout,” Robinson says, “but luckily Callahan Hall is
air-conditioned so this is a great opportunity for local folk music fans to
kick up their heels one last time before the summer winds down.”

This event is the final offering in a summer dance series at LPL sponsored
by the DownEast Friends of the Folk Arts and funded by a cultural
programming grant from Wei Li Restaurant in Auburn. The library is located
at 200 Lisbon Street at the corner of Pine Street in downtown Lewiston. For
more information, call 782-0386 or 513-3134.

Posted in Dance • Family • Music • Seniors • Teens