Berkeley contradance history
collated by Rhonda & David from BACDS minutes, Country Dancer, & memories
revised 12/14/24
1980? – Kirston moves to the Bay Area.
1980 Kirston starts a contradance in Berkeley. The first dance was at Finnish Hall with recorded music. The dance then established a home at the First Congregational Church on Channing & Milvia. Daniel Steinberg and Kevin Carr were musicians at the first regularly scheduled dance in 1980.
Early 1981 the Berkeley Contra is held on 1st Wednesdays.
David Brown says – I remember when Brendan & I were housemates on Deakin St fall 1982 and used to walk to the dance. I recall one evening when BACDS started signing up members - Brendan & I were #6 & #5; others in the initial 10 were Stan Kramer, Brad & Jenny, Kirston, and Charlie Fenton
Todd recalls the pub singing sessions at the Hofbrau on Telegraph that invariably followed his dances, stretching into the wee hours of the morning. Kirston joined us for many a rollicking sea shanty or drinking song.
7/83 - Calendar in Dancer issue #1 lists "Berkeley date & location TBA" - i.e. the dance was preparing to move
Fall 1983? the dance moved from 1st Cong Church to Hearst Gym and from Wed to 2nd Friday
10/21/83 120 people at dance
12/11/83 meeting at Hearst Gym, room 220. There must have been discussion about adding a 4th Friday dance. BACDS minutes say – 4th Friday not available. Cliff Rainey is dance manager.
6/3/84 – Cliff resigned, Phoebe Barron is dealing with the hall. Using Paul Machlis’ piano.
8/19/84 – Hearst Gym, 2nd Fridays except 1st Fri in Dec
12/2/84 – Kate Schuyler looking into additional Berkeley dance. Kirston doesn’t want to call all the time. Looking into guest callers, possible 4th Thursday.
2/17/85 – Kirston is part of the Dawn Dance Committee. Other members: Rhonda, Charlie, Craig, Eric.
Apr 85 - Berkeley 2nd Friday contra moves from Hearst Gym to John Muir School
(there were already ECD dances at JMS 2nd & 4th Wed, mostly called by Bruce Hamilton)
5/11/85 – proposal from Harry Brauser to start a new Berk contra dance at John Muir School twice a month. Approved for 1st and 3rd Wed, alternating with Berk English. Harry will call ¾ dances, have 1 guest caller every 2 months.
11/10/85 Harry moving to LA, Eric Black takes over as programmer for callers, Craig Johnson as programmer for musicians.
1/12/86 – Dawn is dance manager? Dan Fuller maybe 5/4/86
9/11/86 – anticipate rent increase at John Muir and added janitorial fees. Kathleen Swanholt to negotiate with school district.
1986 income from Kirston Contra ; $1,015.45
Projected 1987 income: $902.00
3/29/87 – Kirston’s dance – “making lots of money”
7/23/87 – John Muir School rental $225/mo, becomes $368/mo in Sept. Looking at other halls.
Friday contra needs a new dance manager.
by ? 1987 – East Bay dances move to Glenview School in Oakland
(off of Park Blvd; we would go to Denis Franklin's house for afters)
(this affects all of the JMS dances - 2nd Fri contra, 1st & 3rd Wed contra, 2nd & 4th Wed ECD)
12/6/87 – we have Glenview school. We used the Lakeview school for one dance and the principal said we could never use it again.
9/18/88 – approved continuing dances at Glenview for East Bay Wed English, Wed contra, Fri Contra.
10/6/89 – contra style workshop led by Kirston.
~1990 - Tom Thoreau becomes dance manager of 2nd Friday contra
2/11/90 – Kirston asked that his dance (2nd Friday contra) be reclassified as a weekend dance, increase door price to weekend rate ($3.50/$4.50), pay musicians more
4/29/90 – East Bay dances moving to St Joseph’s for the summer while Glenview unavailable. Unfortunately, St. Joseph’s not available during school year.
Glenview refinished the floor and didn’t tell us, and we held the May 16, 1990 dance in the hallway. Looking for a different hall because of issues with Glenview.
9/9/90 – Kirston’s dance to stay at Glenview, Wed dances to be at St. Joe’s.
Summer/Fall 1990 issue has an article by Kirston "10 years of Amazingly good fun" (10th anniv dance at Glenview School in September 1990)
11/29/90 – Tom Thoreau and Kirston Koths want to move the Second Friday East Bay Dance to John Muir School (now at Glenview) – John Muir is cheaper and a nicer hall
Jan 1991 2nd Friday is back at John Muir School (1st & 3rd Wed at St Joseph's)
8/20/91 - Berkeley Friday Contra Committee: Kirston Koths (P), Tom Thoreau (M)
1988 Jim Saxe board rep
1/5/92 – John Muir has raised the rent and Tom Thoreau paying out of pocket. Kirston negotiating with the hall. Kirston to move the dance if he can’t get the rent down to $100 (was $79, went up to $348)
1/13/94 - John Muir not happy with us, we have the hall only through Feb.
2/17/94 – Kirston’s dance is moving in March to St Leo's Hall, 171 Ridgeway Oakland (off Piedmont near Fenton's ice cream)
7/28/94 – Kirston moved his dance to St. Joe’s starting in Sept
11/27/94 – Kirston noted the sorry state of the hall (St. Joe’s)
Oct 1995 - move to Finn Hall (Old Finnish Hall, built 1908, on 10th St, not the later 1932 Finnish Hall on Chestnut)
Nick Cuccia becomes dance manager from 1998 or 1999 until the series ended
Jan 2004- 2nd Friday dance moved from Finn Hall to Prospect Sierra middle school in El Cerrito
Dec 2005 - 25th Anniversary dance, called by Kirston.
Lynn Ackerson takes over as programmer.
Dec 2006 - Kirston calls the 2nd Friday dance one last time
(I scanned the calendars on the BACDS website & don't see him listed for any other 2nd Friday dances)
May 2007 - Kirston calls at the 25th Anniversary of BACDS (Sun 5/20/07 at Nature Friends Hall in Oakland). He also wrote a history article for the Dancer (Ken Olcott has a copy - we will post a scan soon), and exhibited memorabilia, including showing videos from the 1980's & 1990's. He also recorded a video of the event.
Jan 2008 - moves to Humanist Hall in Oakland
Sept 2009 - final 2nd Friday dance
July 2011 - Kirston is part of the cavalcade of callers and one of the coordinators at the SF dance honoring Charlie Fenton ("You’re a Good Man, Charlie Fenton!").