Gainesville Oldtime Dance Society

Jonathan King & Coral Riff
2026-01-16 19:00 - 22:00 (America/New_York) | United Church of Gainesville, 1624 NW 5th Avenue, Gainesville, FL, 32603, United States
Jonathan King & Coral Riff

Coral Riff is:

Sarah Mitchell – flute/ penny whistle, hammered dulcimer, concertina, foot percussion
Kathie Aagaard – fiddle
Wes Maluk – tenor banjo, mandolin, percussion
Sherry Mattos – keyboard

Times:
7:00 – 10:00 pm
Dance Venue:
United Church of Gainesville
1624 NW 5th Ave, Gainesville, FL 32603
Schedule:
6:00pm - 7:00 - Setup
7:00pm - 9:45pm - Introductory workshop & Contra Dance
9:45 – 10:15pm — Cleanup
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Suggested Donation:
$10 (ages 26+)
$5 (ages 16-25)
Dancers ages 15 & under get in FREE when accompanied by an adult.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
• Please bring your own non-alcoholic beverage.
• This is a friendly welcoming recreational activity and all are welcome.
• No partner or experience is necessary.
Contra dancing is fun and we’ll teach you how.
• No special dress is required.
Wear comfortable, casual attire & soft-soled non-marking shoes.
• Smoking and/or alcoholic beverages are not allowed at our dances.

G.O.D.S. Board Meeting 11 February 2026
2026-02-11 19:30 - 21:30
G.O.D.S. Board Meeting Wednesday 11 February

Want to know who pulls the levers that make contra dances happen?
Ever had ideas or suggestions that you wish could be heard?
Are there bands/callers that you’d like to dance to more?

Here’s your chance to learn how the Gainesville Oldtime Dance Society’s wheels turn. And your chance to introduce improvements. And it’s fun, too!

Our next quarterly public meeting:
When: Wednesday 11 February @ 7:30 pm
Where: United Church of Gainesville (West Wing), 1624 NW 5th Ave, Gainesville

Agenda items:

Treasurer’s Report
Talent Wrangler report (when Diane arrives)
Thoughts on a dance weekend for late 2026/early 2027
Al Rogers’s Memorial Dance

Decorating committee
Food/snacks
Clothing swap/fund raiser?
Scholarships?

February Dance:

Valentine’s theme?
Decorations
Food/snacks

Recruiting new board members
Recruiting young(er) folks

Janie and the Fine Tuners with JoLaine calling
2026-02-20 19:00 - 22:00
Janie and the Fine Tuners
featuring caller JoLaine

Janie and the Fine Tuners is a professional contra dance band led by world-traveling traditional musician Janie Rothfield. The ensemble is known for its high-energy performances at dances across the United States, including regular appearances in Chicago and Virginia.
Janie and the Fine Tuners is:

Janie Rothfield: Fiddle and banjo
Allan Carr: Guitar and vocals
Bronwyn Chilette: Bass

Times:
7:00 – 10:00 pm
Dance Venue:
United Church of Gainesville
1624 NW 5th Ave, Gainesville, FL 32603
Schedule:
6:00pm - 7:00 - Setup
7:00pm - 9:45pm - Introductory workshop & Contra Dance
9:45 – 10:15pm — Cleanup
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Suggested Donation:
$10 (ages 26+)
$5 (ages 16-25)
Dancers ages 15 & under get in FREE when accompanied by an adult.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
• Please bring your own non-alcoholic beverage.
• This is a friendly welcoming recreational activity and all are welcome.
• No partner or experience is necessary.
Contra dancing is fun and we’ll teach you how.
• No special dress is required.
Wear comfortable, casual attire & soft-soled non-marking shoes.
• Smoking and/or alcoholic beverages are not allowed at our dances.

Bill Paine & Friends with caller Kevin Shepherd
2026-03-20 19:00 - 22:00
Bill Paine & Friends with caller Kevin Shepherd

Bill Paine & Friends is:

Bill Paine on mandolin;
Vickie Frazier on banjo;
Kevin Moran on fiddle.

Times:
7:00 – 10:00 pm
Dance Venue:
United Church of Gainesville
1624 NW 5th Ave, Gainesville, FL 32603
Schedule:
6:00pm - 7:00 - Setup
7:00pm - 9:45pm - Introductory workshop & Contra Dance
9:45 – 10:15pm — Cleanup
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Suggested Donation:
$10 (ages 26+)
$5 (ages 16-25)
Dancers ages 15 & under get in FREE when accompanied by an adult.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
• Please bring your own non-alcoholic beverage.
• This is a friendly welcoming recreational activity and all are welcome.
• No partner or experience is necessary.
Contra dancing is fun and we’ll teach you how.
• No special dress is required.
Wear comfortable, casual attire & soft-soled non-marking shoes.
• Smoking and/or alcoholic beverages are not allowed at our dances.

Al Rogers Memorial Dance with Vicki Morrison & The Wind That Shakes the Barley
2026-05-03 14:00 - 17:00
Al Rogers Memorial Dance
featuring The Wind that Shakes the Barley
A celebration of the contra and English country dances that Al Rogers loved to dance and call
Vicki Morrison will guide you through both easy and challenging contra dances.

Annette Merritt and Randy Thorp will call some of Al’s favorite English country dances.

The Wind That Shakes The Barley is:
• Bill Dudley – guitar
• Kathie Aagaard – fiddle
• Sarah Mitchell – flute, hammered dulcimer, penny whistle, percussion
• Wes Maluk – mandonlin, banjo
Callers:

Vicki Morrison
Randy Thorp
Annette Merritt

A celebration of life for the late Al Rogers, Dance Angel extraordinaire and friend to every dancer he ever met. We invite all contra and English country dancers who may have known the late great Al Rogers to join us in our annual celebration of the dances that Al loved to call and dance to.

If you knew Al Rogers (and even if you didn’t know Al), be sure to circle the date on your calendar: Sunday 3 May from 2 to 5 pm at United Church of Gainesville.

United Church of Gainesville
1624 NW 5th Ave, Gainesville, FL 32603
Times:
2:00 – 5:00 pm
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Suggested Donation:
This event is a fundraiser so that Al’s gift grows and continues for years to come. The suggested donation for this special dance event is $20, though, as always, no one will be turned away.
$10-20 (ages 26+)
$5-10 (ages 16-25)
Dancers ages 15 & under get in FREE when accompanied by an adult.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
• Please bring your own non-alcoholic beverage.
• This is a friendly welcoming recreational activity and all are welcome.
• No partner or experience is necessary.
Contra dancing is fun and we’ll teach you how.
• No special dress is required.
Wear comfortable, casual attire & soft-soled non-marking shoes.
• Smoking and/or alcoholic beverages are not allowed at our dances.

Katie's Contradiction & Jonathan King
2026-05-15 19:00 - 22:00
Katie’s Contradiction & Jonathan King

Katie’s Contradiction is:

Pete Sucsy on banjo;
Eleta Sucsy on penny whistle;
Gary Zimmerman on fiddle;
Tim Stevens on guitar; and
Bill Paine on mandolin.

Jonathan L. King will be our caller.
Times:
7:00 – 10:00 pm
Dance Venue:
United Church of Gainesville
1624 NW 5th Ave, Gainesville, FL 32603
Schedule:
6:00pm - 7:00 - Setup
7:00pm - 9:45pm - Introductory workshop & Contra Dance
9:45 – 10:15pm — Cleanup
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Suggested Donation:
$10 (ages 26+)
$5 (ages 16-25)
Dancers ages 15 & under get in FREE when accompanied by an adult.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
• Please bring your own non-alcoholic beverage.
• This is a friendly welcoming recreational activity and all are welcome.
• No partner or experience is necessary.
Contra dancing is fun and we’ll teach you how.
• No special dress is required.
Wear comfortable, casual attire & soft-soled non-marking shoes.
• Smoking and/or alcoholic beverages are not allowed at our dances.
