Wintergreen Contra Dance Weekend
January 24-26, 2025
Bozeman Senior Center

Wintergreen is back after three years! Registration is still open

Wintergreen 2025

January 24-26, 2025

Urban Contra Dance Weekend in Bozeman, MT is Back!

Turnip the Beet

Turnip the Beet is a dynamic dance band duo from Nashville, Tennessee. Rooted in the traditions of Southern Appalachia and local contra dances, Kelsey Wells and Jeremy Lekich combine fiddle, guitar, percussion, and the occasional banjo in an innovative and jubilant musical harvest.

Expect to hear an organic mix of eclectic tunes from the American South, Ireland, Cape Breton, Quebec, and Scandinavia, as well as a half-bushel of grooving, homegrown originals.

Northern Aire

Bob Walser, Tim Reese and Pat O’Loughlin join forces for a fresh take on music for square and contra dances. Tim’s fiery fiddle and Pat’s driving banjo and concertina take tunes ancient and modern to new territory while Bob takes the rhythm and harmony on guitar and piano – and a bit of squeezebox for extra flavor!

Callers

Gaye Fifer has been calling at dance weekends/weeks for many years. Her pleasant style and graceful teaching put dancers at ease and set the stage for a great dance experience. She now lives in Pittsburgh, PA. and travels whenever there is a safe opportunity to do so. Gaye is currently President of CDSS and has a passionate interest in supporting dance community leaders and organizers.

Koren Wake has been dancing, loving, and obsessing about contra since she was a child. Originally from New England, she spent decades analyzing the art and flow of contra and developing a deep understanding of the dance before she finally picked up a microphone in Seattle, where she is now based. She has already shared stages with some of the hottest bands in the Pacific Northwest, and has quickly proven that’s exactly where she belongs. She loves nothing more than to help dancers discover the patterns and connections of well-crafted choreography. Koren’s primary goal as a caller is to combine exquisite dance selection with clear and accessible teaching in order to bring dancers of all skill levels together on the floor.

Koren also plays fiddle and viol (viola da gamba) for English and contra dances.

We will remember and pay tribute to John Goodin, friend and musician. John played Wintergreen three times with his band Contratopia. He passed away in 2021, and we haven’t had a chance until now to honor his memory and musical legacy.

Sound by Pete Sellin and Evette Allison. This veteran team has been keeping live music sounding good for many years and, as dancers themselves, know what works in a hall.

2025 WINTERGREEN SCHEDULE

FRIDAY EVENING, Jan. 24th
6:00 p.m. Registration (dinner on your own or brown bag it at the Senior Center and visit)
7:30-9:15 Northern Aire w/Gaye Fifer calling
9:15-9:30 Break w/snacks
9:30-11:30 Dancing continues with Turnip the Beat and Koren Wake

SATURDAY MORNING AND AFTERNOON, Jan. 25th
Ballroom Conference room (upstairs)
Sofas 8:30-9:30am Waltzing with John, Northern Aire playing and waltz instruction with Gaye
9:30-10:30 Partnering Skills with Koren and Turnip Chords and backup: fiddle workshop with Tim Reese
10:45-12:00 Balfolk with Northern Aire Callers workshop with Gaye
12:10pm–1:15 Lunch
1:30-2:30 Smooth & flowing contras w/ Gaye & Turnip Choosing tunes and creating tune sets for dances with Tim Reese
2:45-3:45 Recovery skills for when things go wrong w/Koren & Northern Aire
3:45-5:30 Break/jamming SATURDAY EVENING
5:30-6:30 Gather and Supper
6:30-7:30 Concert
7:30-9:30 Dance!! Turnip and Gaye
9:30-9:45 Break w/snacks – Silent Auction Ends
9:45-11:45 Dance!!! Northern Aire and Koren

SUNDAY MORNING, Jan. 26th
9:00-10:00am Waltzing with John, Turnip playing
10:00-11:30 Dancing with Turnip and Koren
11:30-12:30 Dancing with Northern Aire and Gaye
12:30 Good-byes and see you next year