Contra Dance FRIDAY, February 6
Schedule
Fri, 06 Feb, 2026 at 07:00 pm
UTC-08:00Location
St. James Community Square | Vancouver, BC
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⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡*NEW** Extended introductory session before the dance, 7:00-7:30.
🚨 DANGER: Excellent Dance Ahead! 🚨
Brace yourselves, dancers! The legendary Triple Threat is coming to town! Join us for a night of toe-tapping, smile-inducing contra! Come see what all the threat is about!
Contra Dance FRIDAY, Feb 6
St James Community Square, 3214 West 10th Ave. Vancouver BC.
Band: Triple Threat: On fiddles Prairie Wolfe, Brian Hayden, and Rich Sobel, and Janet Rozanski on piano.
Caller: Maureen Collier
Vancouver's own Maureen Collier's heartfelt calling and community connection sets the course for a totally fun evening!
Contradance 7:30-10:30
Beginner's Orientation 7:00-7:30
5:30-7:00 free contra tunes jam session.
$20 regular admission, $15.00 first-timers, students with ID, and after-the-break; children free; CASH only at the door.
Dances taught on the spot, newcomers always welcome, no partner needed.
Soft-soled shoes, light clothing, and water bottles recommended. Please come fragrance-free.
Musicians welcomed for a free pre-dance contradance tunes jam 5:30-7:00pm! Relaxed tempos, tunes from the Portland Collection books plus other dance favourites.
Contact Konstantin at [email protected] or text 604-221-2312
Come on out and bring all your friends for this fun evening!
Remaining spring 2026 dance dates: Feb. 21, Mar. 21, April 18, May 1, May 16, *June 20 (*Elgin Hall)
The Triple Threat Quartet is Vancouver’s newest dance band featuring 3 well-known contradance fiddlers; Prairie Wolfe, Brian Hayden, and Rich Sobel, and a stellar piano player, Janet Rozanski.
Prairie Wolfe
Asian Canadian celtic fiddler Prairie Wolfe has had the privilege of being part of the folk music communities of Boston, Seattle and her native Vancouver, BC over two and a half decades--and never was supposed to play the fiddle! After a pilgrimage to Cape Breton Island to meet her musical idols, she made her way to Boston, where she was first introduced to contra dancing, and where she co-founded MIT contradance band La Banane Enchantée, infamous for fusing Disney, Top-40, and bananas. Prairie's rhythmic and driving fiddle style is steeped in multiple traditions, including Irish, Scottish, Cape Breton, and French Canadian. She has performed on many stages with various groups, including step-dance/crankies musical group Podorythmie, Celtic rockers Kailyarders, and with singer/songwriter Tim Readman. Currently, Prairie leads Vancouver contra dance band Ground Effect.
Brian Hayden
Brian Hayden enjoys the driving rhythms of traditional Irish, Scottish, New England, and Québecois music, and especially more recent versions that might be described as "Tribal Celtic." He also sometimes likes the spice that rough playing can provide as well as the sweetness of harmonies. As one of the founding members of the Sybaritic String Band and the Headbender Family Pickers, he has played for dances and events in the Vancouver area for over 40 years. These have included multiple dances or performances at the Seattle Folklife Festival, the Festival du Bois, and the Mission Folk Festival. He is now living on Cortes Island where he is a founding member of One Foot in the Groove, playing for contra dances and events on the island.
Janet Rozanski
Janet says she feels like she has been playing piano forever. She trained at Douglas College and UBC and taught privately for many years. Then she moved into K-6 teaching and has been a music and arts teacher at more schools in the SD43 district than she can remember. She is currently teaching at Porter Elementary. She met Rich in 2012, and they started playing music together and still enjoy doing so. When she met him, she was new to the contradance scene but is now an integral member of the Vancouver Contradance scene, and is one of the organizers of their Fall Chehalis Dance camp, currently held in Mission. Janet's energy and solid keyboard skills underlie the "Triple Threat" melodies and percussion.
Rich Sobel
Rich has been playing folk music professionally since the 1980s, when
he was instrumental in forming The Cranberry Lake Jug Band. The Jug Band produced three record albums, played weddings, concerts, coffeehouses, square dances, and played most of the big Folk Festivals of the day, including Philadelphia, Mariposa, West Virginia, Winnipeg, and others. They also appeared on Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion nationally known radio show. When he came to BC in the mid-1990s, he immediately hooked up with Brian Hayden, Barry Cole and Marilee Jones and joined The Sybaritic String Band. He also played many contradances with piano player Susan Blake. They were known as Hommage Quebecois and for their last year or so, were joined by Cameron Stewart, now deceased. Rich retired from The Sybs about a year and a half ago thinking he was done with playing contradances, when all of a sudden the idea hit him to form a new band, The Triple Threat Quartet. Brian, Prairie and Janet were all onboard with it, and here we are.
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Where is it happening?
St. James Community Square, 3214 W 10th Ave, Vancouver, BC V6K 2L2, CanadaEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
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