Contrabridge May with No Bad Ideas and calling from Malcolm Jowett

Name: Contrabridge May with No Bad Ideas and calling from Malcolm Jowett
Start: 2026-05-30T19:30:00+01:00
End: 2026-05-30T23:00:00+01:00
Location: Stoneyard Centre, 43 St Andrew's St, Cambridge , CB2 3AR

Schedule

Sat May 30 2026 at 07:30 pm to 11:00 pm

UTC+01:00

Location

Stoneyard Centre, 43 St Andrew's St, Cambridge , CB2 3AR | Cambridge, EN

Head to https://contrabridge.org/ to join our mailing list or add our calendar.
𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼!
Welcome to Contrabridge contra dance in Cambridge on Saturday 30th May
• Intro lesson from 7:30pm
• Dancing runs from 8:00pm to 11pm
• Calling will be gender-free
𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲?
The Stoneyard Centre is located at 43 St Andrew's St, Cambridge, CB2 3AR. The venue is just off St Andrew's Street, down a short passage next to St Andrew’s Street Baptist Church. The hall is upstairs, at the back of the building. If you arrive late, you may need to ring the bell and wait for someone to come down and let you in.
Entry to the Stoneyard Centre building is flat, via a heavy door, from St Andrew's Street. There is a lift to the hall on the first floor. An accessible toilet is available on the ground floor. We're happy to discuss your access needs!
Maps:
* https://goo.gl/maps/Z9vkwYCU2Y6MPVP16
* https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/225571644
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵?
Tickets are available on the door. The prices are £15 for supporters, £10 for standard and £7 for students or those who otherwise can't afford full price. Nobody turned away for lack of funds. You can pay with contactless or cash.
𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗱
No Bad Ideas is a new and exciting project creating folk dance music live from code. Drawing on a background in software engineering and extensive experience playing for folk dance (Trip Hazard, Flying Cat, Portmanteau), No Bad Ideas combines folky melodies with live-coded beats and groovy basslines, compiled for maximum danceability.
𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿
After being dragged along to a ceilidh at the age of 17, Malcolm realised that dancing had to be a part of his life. He started calling while a student at the University of Nottingham. He went to his first real contra dance in 2009 at Austin, Texas, and loved it. The energy and flow of contra dance makes it a firm favourite when he calls at dance clubs around the East Midlands. He has a friendly, inclusive style which is enjoyed by beginners and experienced dancers alike.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮?
Contra dance is community folk dance similar to ceilidh or barn dance, and we will dance to live music! No partner is necessary, and new dancers are especially welcome. Anyone may ask anyone to dance, and everybody is supportive and friendly in enjoying the dance together. You don't need prior experience, mistakes are welcome, and the aim is to have lots of fun!
The caller will teach each dance, then prompt when you dance to the music. You will dance with a partner and another pair of dancers and progress to a new pair each time through the tune, moving up and down the line so you dance with everybody.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝗜 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 / 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝗜 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗿?
Bring a water bottle (we have a tap for refills) and wear comfy shoes (preferably not too grippy, no high heels). Avoid perfumes and scents. Swirly skirts are a lot of fun to wear for contra (for people of all genders). No need to bring a partner. Drinking alcohol and smoking are not permitted in our venues.
𝗖𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆
Contra dancing is an activity that involves hand-to-hand or arm-to-arm contact and a ‘ballroom hold’ swing. Being physically close to multiple other dancers in an indoor space carries risk of spreading COVID-19.
We ask that all attendees at our dances consider the following risk mitigations:
• not coming to this dance with unexplained respiratory symptoms.
• not coming to this dance if you are feeling unwell for any unexplained reason
• not coming to this dance if you know or suspect you have COVID-19 (or any other illness that may be spread by folk dancing).
• not coming to this dance if government guidelines say you should stay at home.
• testing before dancing - LFTs are easily available for £2 from most supermarkets and pharmacies
• being fully vaccinated - COVID-19 vaccines and boosters reduce the risk of severe illness and may limit spread.
As organisers we will mitigate risk by:
• keeping the room as well ventilated as possible.
• providing facilities for contactless payment (but will also accept cash).
Face coverings have been shown to reduce COVID-19 infections in indoor spaces. However, they are currently not recommended by the WHO for vigorous physical activity. Please respect others’ choices about wearing masks.
𝗜𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲?
Yes, there are further dances throughout 2026! Join our mailing list, add our calendar and follow our Facebook page to keep in touch.
If you have any questions about the dance, what to expect, what to wear, or anything, feel free to reach out to our Facebook page, or ask any of the organisers on the night.