Hey for Forty announces its twelfth season! Join us for a

BARN DANCE

12 miles east of

Iowa City

at Scattergood Friends School to dance squares, contras, circles and waltzes to live music.

Upcoming dances: 9/11/09, 10/9/09, 11/13/09, 12/11/09, 1/8/10, 2/12/10, 3/12/10, 4/9/10, 5/14/10.

Rule of thumb: second Friday of each month during the school year. Click on the dates to see details for each dance.

Dancing begins at 8:00 p.m. Singles and couples, beginners and veterans all welcome. All dances taught and called.

For more information, phone 319-643-7600 (Scattergood) or 515-233-2081 or email treadway@netins.net.

To reach Scattergood, take I-80 to exit 254. Go north into the town of West Branch, down the hill past the Hoover birthplace to the first stop sign. The Post Office will be on your left. Turn right and go two miles east, out of town, to Delta Avenue. Turn right again and go one half mile south. The Scattergood entrance is on the right just north of the bridge over I-80. The dance will be in the north wing of the large brick building on your right. Park anywhere on the circle drive. Enter by the west door, on the left side as you come from the drive. Alcohol and tobacco use are not allowed on the Scattergood campus. Map.

Will this be your first time at a barn dance? If so, here are some suggestions. First, don't confuse us with those square dance groups that require you to take months of lessons before they will let you on their dance floor--we will walk through each dance just before we begin. Come on time, or as close to it as you can, as dances later in the evening will use figures taught at the beginning. Dress for comfort--no special costume is required. Clean, smooth soled shoes will help maintain the dance floor. One good way to improve your dance skill quickly is to ask an experienced dancer to be your partner. Feel free to do this. These are community social occasions, and many dancers prefer to have a different partner for each dance.

Here's a video that shows a dance caller teaching a dance, and the group doing that dance. As I said before, come at the beginning of the dance and all figures will be taught the first time they are used. By the end of the evening you'll be doing dances like these. (Video requires Flash player.) Another clip shows the reactions of some folks who danced for the first time at this dance.