We are the San Francisco Bay Queer Contra Dance. Our mission is to organize and promote gender-role-free contra dancing (and related dance traditions) in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans communities in the Bay Area. Our dances are open to anyone of any sexual orientation, and we cheerfully welcome our straight friends, families, and supporters to our dances.

Our dances are very beginner-friendly, and many of the folks who come have never done any contra dancing before, or indeed any type of set dancing. So if you've never done this, don't worry -- you'll be in good company. All the dances are taught and called, and our callers make an effort to choose fun dances that are easy to learn. (We do encourage contra beginners to come to our dances early, since that's when much of the teaching happens.)

We have a suggested admission price to our dances, but you should feel free to pay what you can, and no-one is ever turned away for lack of funds. The events are all-ages, and alcohol is not served. We hold our dances once a month (usually); you can get more info about exactly when and where from our calendar.

"So what exactly is contra dancing?" we hear you cry. Contra is a boisterous, flirtatious, energetic dance form that's related to both American and English country dancing. (Imagine, if you can, a Jane Austen hoedown.) It's danced in a set of two parallel lines; each couple progresses up and down the set, so everyone gets a chance to dance with everyone else. (You don't need to come with a partner -- lots of people come to the dances alone, and we switch partners quite promiscuously throughout the evening.) The music is lively and stimulating, similar to both old-time American and traditional Scots-Irish, and we always dance to wonderful live music. For more detailed info, check out this description. Or just come to the dance and find out for yourself! We hope to see you soon.