Welcome to ContraMontreal!
- Community-oriented: Our dances have dancers of all ages, genders, and experience levels, and anyone can dance with anyone!
- Live music: We always dance to live music, by talented local or travelling musicians.
- No experience necessary: Contra dancing is very beginner friendly. All dances are taught just before they are danced. If you can walk you can dance!
If you have never been to a contra dance before please read our New Dancer FAQ.
Schedule
We usually dance two weekends a month, often Saturday evenings but sometimes Saturday or Sunday afternoons (see our full schedule below).
Our typical schedule is:
- 6:30pm - 7pm: Introductory lesson, recommended for new dancers
- 7pm - 9:30pm: Contra dance
Location
Our dances are usually at Patro Villeray, 7355 Avenue Christophe-Colomb, Montreal.
Getting there:
- Metro: The closest metro station is Jean-Talon, on the orange and blue lines, a ten minute walk from the hall.
- Bike: There are bike lanes on Christophe-Colomb and bike parking in front of the hall. There are BIXI stations nearby as well.
- Car: Parking is available in the parking lot in front of the building, accessible from Avenue Christophe-Colomb, or the parking lot behind the building, accessible from Rue Everett.
Go in the main entrance on Avenue Christophe-Colomb, then go down the hallway to the left to find Room R.01.
Cost
We have a sliding scale payment system.
- Minimum: $8
- Suggested: $15-20
- Sponsor: $25-30
- Children under 13: no minimum
We offer this price flexibility to keep our dances accessible while also being able to pay our talented musicians and callers. Cash is preferred, but we also accept Interac e-Transfer and PayPal.
Safety
To keep all of our dancers and our community safe, please stay home if you have cold or flu-like symptoms, even if they are minor. Masks are optional at all of our dances.
Contact
- Subscribe to our mailing list to find out about upcoming dances and other news.
- Follow us on Instagram @contramontreal
- Follow us on Facebook @contramontreal
- Join our Facebook group Montreal Contra Dances
- Email us at info@contramontreal.org
Dances this season
Afternoon dance
Saturday, August 24, 2024
1:30pm - 4:30pm
Patro Villeray Room R.01
Band: Grace Henrickson-Jones and Jacob deGroot-Maggetti
Caller: Qwill Duvall
Open band! Contact us if you would like to play!
Saturday, September 14, 2024
6:30pm - 9:30pm
Patro Villeray Room R.01
Band: Open Band
Caller: Luke Donforth
Saturday, September 28, 2024
6:30pm - 9:30pm
Patro Villeray Room R.01
Band: Les Quatre Patates
Caller: Peter Simonyi
Saturday, October 12, 2024
6:30pm - 9:30pm
Patro Villeray Room R.01
Band: Steve Jones & Marie-Christine Lance
Caller: On Call
On Call is our caller's collective featuring exciting local talent
Saturday, October 26, 2024
6:30pm - 9:30pm
Patro Villeray Room R.01
Band: Richard Forest & Jean Rhéaume
Caller: Nicholas Smith
Saturday, November 09, 2024
6:30pm - 9:30pm
Patro Villeray Room R.01
Band: Carmen Guérard, Liette Remon, & André Marchand
Caller: Mary Collins
Saturday, November 23, 2024
6:30pm - 9:30pm
Patro Villeray Room R.01
Band: Jacob deGroot-Maggetti & Friends
Caller: Drew Delaware
Sunday afternoon dance. Room 1.01
Sunday, December 08, 2024
1:30pm - 4:30pm
Patro Villeray Room 1.01
Band: Cojiro & Grace Hendrickson-Jones
Caller: Jonathan Werk
Saturday, December 14, 2024
6:30pm - 9:30pm
Patro Villeray Room R.01
Band: Open Band
Caller: Rick Szumski
No dance. Happy Holidays!
Saturday, December 28, 2024
Afternoon dance. Room 1.03
Saturday, January 11, 2025
3:00pm - 6:00pm, Introductory lesson 3:00pm - 3:30pm
Patro Villeray Room 1.03
Band: Les Quatre Patates
Caller: On Call
Saturday, January 25, 2025
6:30pm - 9:30pm
Patro Villeray Room R.01
Band: Open Band
Caller: Nicholas Smith
Saturday, February 08, 2025
6:30pm - 9:30pm
Patro Villeray Room R.01
Band: Kittiwake
Caller: On Call
Saturday, February 22, 2025
6:30pm - 9:30pm
Patro Villeray Room R.01
Band: Open Band
Caller: Jonathan Werk
Sunday afternoon dance. Room 1.01
Sunday, March 02, 2025
1:30pm - 4:30pm, Introductory lesson 1:30pm - 2:00pm
Patro Villeray Room 1.01
Band: Stove Dragon
Caller: Grace Hendrickson-Jones
Saturday, March 08, 2025
6:30pm - 9:30pm
Patro Villeray Room R.01
Band: Trèfle: Patrice Boucher, Nicolas Villeneuve, & Louis-Philippe Pharand
Caller: On Call
Saturday, March 22, 2025
6:30pm - 9:30pm
Patro Villeray Room R.01
Band: KLEZ contra: Isaac Beaudet Lefebvre, François-Xavier Dueymes, Zafer Mamilli & Eden Glasman
Caller: Grace Hendrickson-Jones
Room 1.01
Saturday, April 05, 2025
6:30pm - 9:30pm
Patro Villeray Room 1.01
Band: Open Band
Caller: Evan De Smitt
Saturday, April 19, 2025
6:30pm - 9:30pm
Patro Villeray Room R.01
Band: Kittiwake
Caller: On Call
Afternoon dance
Saturday, May 03, 2025
3:00pm - 6:00pm, Introductory lesson 3:00pm - 3:30pm
Patro Villeray Room R.01
Band: Open Band
Caller: Peter Simonyi
Saturday, May 24, 2025
6:30pm - 9:30pm
Patro Villeray Room R.01
Band: TBD
Caller: On Call
Saturday, June 14, 2025
6:30pm - 9:30pm
Patro Villeray Room R.01
Band: TBD
Caller: TBD
Afternoon dance
Saturday, June 28, 2025
1:30pm - 4:30pm, Introductory lesson 1:30pm - 2:00pm
Patro Villeray Room R.01
Band: Cojiro with Grace Hendrickson-Jones
Caller: Nicholas Smith
Afternoon dance
Saturday, July 12, 2025
1:30pm - 4:30pm, Introductory lesson 1:30pm - 2:00pm
Patro Villeray Room R.01
Band: Open Band
Caller: On Call
