~ Littleton Lyceum Contra Dance ~


A mixture of locals and out-of-towners joined hands at the Oak Meadow School in Littleton on the evening of August 2 and danced the evening away. The Littleton Lyceum sponsored an authentic New England contra dance free of charge as part of the Littleton 300th celebrations. Committee President, Andrew Bowers explained, “The Lyceum has existed for almost two-thirds of Littleton’s 300 years, providing cultural enrichment for generations. This is a continuation of that.”

The evening featured the music of Maivish with Adam Broome and Jaige Trudel playing multiple instruments. Two callers shared the stage, Nils Fredland and Mary Wesley. Nils and Mary also acted as “dance angels,” repeatedly coming down from the stage to demonstrate dance steps to the crowd. Many people who had never contra-danced before found themselves ready and able to engage due to the callers’ efforts. According to Lyceum member, Andrea Curran, “It was great that the dancers with experience kept helping the new people.” She also noted, “There were people there from age five to eighty-five and they were all dancing!”

The Lyceum was very fortunate to have found a venue for the dance at the Oak Meadow School. Michael Kearney explained that the traditional dance hall in Littleton had been abandoned and eventually burned by the Town—the Central Hall, which stood across from the Historical Society. “It was great to be able to bring back to Littleton a bit of its past,” concluded Bowers, “but mainly it was just plain fun!”