Swingin' Tern: Hila Lenz & Torrent
Schedule
Sat Feb 07 2026 at 07:30 pm to 10:30 pm
Location
200 Main Street, Chatham, NJ | Chatham, NJ
Saturday, February 7th 7:30pm—10:30pm[Beginners’ Workshop 7pm]
HILA LENZ & TORRENT
Sarah Parker—fiddle; Nadia Gaya—accordion; Ross Parker—piano
Admission $15 - $20+ [sponsor] * / Students $5
We now accept Apple/Google Pay and credit cards
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 200 Main Street, Chatham, NJ
Vaccination and Masks Optional
An atmospheric river of delight rolls in as Torrent rains supreme with their tornado of tunes. Lenz lends her kinetic energy with a jet stream of whirlwind calls. A bomb cyclone drops 24 millibars of pressure over 24 hours. Torrent’s bomb contra drops 32 bars of pleasure every 30 seconds. Come weather the storm and macroburst into Tern as Twister makes a comeback to thunderous applause.
HILA LENZ
Hila Lenz comes to contra via Scottish Country Dance teaching and ceilidh calling. Her clear teaching, and positive, genuine demeanor puts dancers at ease.
TORRENT
With Ross Parker on piano, Sarah Parker on fiddle and Nadia Gaya on accordion, Torrent is a dynamic ensemble based in NYC specializing in energetic music for contra and Scottish country dancing. Focusing on the musical traditions of Scotland, Torrent also specializes in Quebecois, Shetland, traditional and contemporary New England styles. With the goal of bringing you tunes you may not hear anywhere else, Torrent’s driving rhythms will get you up and moving while their inspiring arrangements will make your heart sing. Video at
For our full calendar, go to https://folkproject.org/swingin-tern/
USEFUL INFORMATION:
• * We have a 15 to a sliding admission scale of $15 to $20+ for adults. If you are able, you can allow us to continue booking this amazing talent by paying $20 or more at the door. If that's a stretch, stay at the regular $15 or volunteer and get in for free. Student admission is $5. We now accept Apple/Google Pay and credit cards.
• Newcomers are welcome to come at 7pm for an introductory lesson on the basics of contra dancing before the evening dance. No partner is necessary. All dances are taught with a “walk-through” by the caller.
• Vaccination and masks are optional.
• All dances at Swingin’ Tern are called to the gender-neutral terms Larks & Robins. Dance whatever role you’re comfortable with.
• Our hall has windows on all four sides of the room with air conditioning when needed.
• Our dance is two blocks from the Chatham station on the Morris/Essex line out of Penn Station, NYC.
• We welcome contributions of home-baked [or not] goodies to share at the break.
• Please bring your own water bottle. Water bottles may be filled at the orange Igloo cooler.
• Wear comfortable clothing. Contra dancing is aerobic. We prefer you to carry in your shoes.
• We are a friendly, inclusive group. Pack plenty of smiles!
Please let us know if you’ll be attending by replying Going. If you're on the fence, click Interested to stay in the loop. You can also help us out by clicking on the Invite button at the top of this announcement and inviting friends you think would be interested in joining the fun.
Where is it happening?
200 Main Street, Chatham, NJ, United States
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