Notice!

The Florida Snow Ball 2009.

January 23-25, 2009 in Gulfport, Florida

Registration is currently full, but a waiting list will be maintained.

Music by Notorius and The Great Bear Trio

Callers Lisa Greenleaf and Susan Michaels

This is a contra dance weekend not to be missed. It will be held at the Gulfport Casino, a beautiful beach-front ballroom with a large white maple floor.

Presented by Tampa Friends of Old-Time Dance.

The Headliners

Notorius, brings together traditional and contemporary acoustic music from around the world, creating a dynamic, swinging sound that is sure to keep you dancing. With Eden MacAdam-Somer on fiddle and vocals, Larry Ungar on banjo and guitar, Sam Bartlett on mandolin, and Mark Hellenberg on percussion - you'll be wowed.

The Great Bear Trio, is an exciting and energetic family band from Fulton, NY which plays a unique blend of Celtic, French-Canadian, Scandinavian and Appalachian music. Brothers Andrew and Noah VanNorstrand play twin fiddles as well as also guitar, mandolin, banjo, bouzouki and an assortment of world-beat percussion instruments. Joined by their mother Kim, playing a solid and inventive style of piano all her own.

Lisa Greenleaf, is from the Boston area where she is known for her exuberant calling and effective teaching. Lisa has called for dances across the country and in Canada, Denmark and England. She calls zesty contras and has a knack for making them all seem easy.

Susan Michaels, has been calling for 18 years and has toured extensively throughout the western United States and Canada. She calls contemporary and traditional dances that are smooth, interesting which flow to complement the music.

Jamie Platt will be providing sound.

Schedule

We will have more details later. Meanwhile...

Friday Night

Saturday

Saturday Night

Sunday

Registration

The Florida Snow Ball is a gender-balanced event. All registrations must be received in advance of the weekend. No walk-ins will be admitted to any of the sessions. The deadline for early registrations is December 21, 2008. Early registration is $90. For any registrations received after December 21, 2008 the cost is $100. If you must cancel, a refund minus $10 will be granted before January 11, 2009. No refunds will be given after January 11 — for any reason.

Here is the registration form for Florida Snow Ball 2009.

Lodging and Meals

Here is this year's list of nearby lodging places.

Childcare

No childcare will be provided. Parents are responsible for their children.

Food

Bring your favorite dish to the potluck dinner Friday evening. On Saturday and Sunday mornings, continental breakfast will be provided. Refreshments will also be provided during the dances. (A list of local restaurants will be available at the dance.)

Directions to Gulfport Casino

Gulfport Casino is at 5500 Shore Blvd. South, in Gulfport, Florida. (MapQuest)

Take I-275 to the 22nd Avenue S. exit and head west. Turn left onto Beach Blvd. (55th Street will be on the right.) Head south until the street ends at the Gulfport Casino, which is located directly on the water.

Information

For further information, please contact Stan or Linda Prince at 727-823-2725, or E-mail us at tfootd@tampabaycontra.com.

Watch for Florida Snow Ball updates on this website (www.FloridaSnowBall.com).

Pictures from recent Snow Balls

Snow Ball 2007 Snow Ball 2006 Snow Ball 2005 Snow Ball 2004