‘Dance the night away’: Annual pre-fireworks dance a hit for everyone

Odette Edgar has a good reason to always enjoy the annual July 3 “Barn Dance.” She met her husband, Doug, there 15 years ago.

“He went to Folk Fest and then decided he wanted to go the barn for the dance,” said Edgar, 70, who was the caller for this July 3’s dance at St. Ann’s Parish Hall. “I just happened to spot him and he had that ‘deer in the headlights look.’”

The pre-fireworks “Barn Dance” has been going on for at least 15 years, Edgar said, and the barn dances that happen throughout the year started in 1988. Not only is the dance the anniversary of her meeting Doug, it also marks their wedding anniversary. Edgar said there was no particular reason why the July 3 dance became a tradition, but she said it is a nice way to celebrate before the fireworks in a different atmosphere.

“It really is a community thing,” Edgar said. “You can be social without having to awe people with party conversation.”

The dance is meant for anyone, experienced contra dancer or not. Contra dancing is a folk dance made up of long lines of people. It is a group dance that can start out like square dancing but eventually spreads out. While the dance started with about 10 people in the first 10 minutes, it quickly filled up. About an hour in, the hall was packed with people on the floor and on the sidelines moving to live music performed by “Full Circle,” a local string band.

First-time dancers and friends, Hannah Deer and Ellie Knapp, were excited to get on the dance floor.

“We just wanted to dance the night away,” Deer, 15, said. “We wanted to have something to do before fireworks.”

Knapp said her group of friends like dancing and this gave them the opportunity to learn something new.

“I always wanted to do dancing like this,” Knapp, 15, said. “I thought it would be pretty fun to come to.”

The all-inclusive nature of the dance makes anyone feel at home. As someone who likes to dance, but has no discernible talent for it, everyone was fine when I would miss a step. If someone did make a mistake, it was met with a laugh and instruction. While dancing, everyone constantly changes partners and meets new faces. While it may just be a few seconds of interaction, it allows everyone to immediately feel comfortable with one another.

The music and camaraderie of the group keeps Jane Stokes coming back year after year.

“I have been doing this for quite a few years,” Stokes said. “People are friendly, the music is great and it is a fun kind of dancing. The group is particularly welcoming. Everybody likes to dance with one another.”

Jenny McBride said this was her second time doing a contra dance this year. She also got into it because of Folk Fest.

“It always looks like a lot of fun and I figured if I started out somewhere smaller, I would be ready for Folk Fest next year,” McBride said. “You need a little practice. Otherwise, you get totally lost.”

McBride even joked that having done it before did not necessarily make her prepared.

“We need a lot more practice,” McBride said. “You start over each time.”

What makes the dance even more inviting is that there is a practice session before each dance sequence begins. Edgar, along with other experience dancers, guide the newcomers along. Soon, the moves come together and the sequences mostly go off without a glitch.

Emily Klimeck, who has been living in Juneau since 2002, even took advantage of the dances on business trips to Juneau when she lived in Skagway. She said she keeps coming back for multiple reasons.