Northwest Queer Contra Camp is a queer-normative contra dance weekend on an island in Puget Sound with incredible callers and musicians and an enthusiastic and friendly community.

Camp Sealth
14500 SW Camp Sealth Rd,
Vashon, WA 98070

Camp costs $300 per person ($125–$475 sliding scale)
Food and housing included

Register Here

Dancing – Island – Community

Our Camp

San Francisco Bay Queer Contra Dance's second annual Northwest Queer Contra Camp welcomes dancers of all identities and experience. We use the calling terms larks and robins, prioritize consent, and have gender-free facilities so that everyone can be included. New dancers will find that contra is an exuberant, social, and easy-to-learn American barn dance with roots in English folk dance. For experienced dancers, dancing as part of a community that prioritizes inclusion and everyone's enjoyment is one of the most magical opportunities contra provides. Take a weekend away with us to dance, relax, make friends, and enjoy the beautiful Vashon Island in Washington's Puget Sound.

See what campers said about NW Queer Contra Camp 2025!

This year's camp falls on Halloween and we encourage those who enjoy dressing up to bring Halloween costumes for our Saturday night dance.

Staff

Christa Torrens

Christa Torrens is an upbeat, engaging caller known for her clear, concise teaching and efficient walkthroughs. Her thoughtful dance selection and smooth voice have delighted dancers across the West and Midwest. When she’s not calling or dancing, you can find her confronting ecological models with data or exploring the beautiful Mountain West.

Isaac Banner

Isaac is a long-time contra dancer and caller from the Seattle area. He is known in the Pacific Northwest for his particular blend of humor, mayhem, and dance instruction, which he brought to Bay Area Queer Contra Dance Camp in 2024 and 2023. When he's not up on stage, Isaac can be found writing original choreography, coaching new callers, and making surprisingly convincing chicken noises.

Avourneen

Avourneen (pronounced a-VORE-neen) is a Denver-based trio that specializes in Irish music and pulls from a wealth of other genres and styles. The band is composed of guitarist/vocalist Adam Goldstein, a Denver native; violinist CL Morden, an import from California; and Kenny Martinez, a longtime Colorado resident and talented bassist. Their Celtic style dance sets blend Contra standards with Irish and American folk tunes, as well as traces of vintage jazz, modern orchestral music and classic rock.

The Moving Violations

The Moving Violations are Ron Grosslein (Fiddle/Percussion), Autumn Rose Lester (Fiddle), and Eric Eid-Reiner (Piano). Based in Massachusetts, The Moving Violations have been playing contra dances and dance weekends for over 25 years. They have a playful energy that transcends the borders of countries and encourages spontaneity and improvisation. They’re known for their original compositions as well as traditional and contemporary tunes from Ireland, Scotland, Cape Breton, New England, and Sweden. The band brings driving fiddle harmonies, strong rhythm, and collective groove and flow to the dance floor.

Alan Roberts (sound)

Alan bought his first sound system in 2000 for his contra dance duo and has been doing some form of sound in the folk music world ever since. In the early days he learned a lot from the great Warren Argo of Seattle, as well as from much trial and error. He has worked many contra and English dance camps over the years, including The Portland Raindance, Dancing Fool (now Supersonic), May Madness, FolkMADness, Hey Days, Fall Frolick, and several week-long camps at Pinewoods. Since 2022 his major sound event has been Warren’s Roadhouse at the Northwest Folklife Festival. Currently he is helping young up-and-coming sound techs feel comfortable doing contra dance sound, something he hopes will expand the pool of capable sound techs in the future.

Our staff provides a full weekend of contra dance, with a second track of dance and singing workshops led by the community during the day. Specifics will be announced as camp approaches, but workshop topics in the past have included waltz, consent, flourishes, English country dance, traditional folk songs, complex contras, and much more. Sessions targeted to beginning and intermediate dancers are also included.

Venue

Sitting on the southwest coast of Vashon Island in Puget Sound, Camp Sealth offers wooded hiking trails and over a mile of beach and coastline. The cost of camp includes heated rustic dormitory cabins to stay in, six meals, and a spread of snacks throughout the weekend. Meals, from dinner Friday through lunch Sunday, are served buffet-style with vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options. Refrigerator space is available for those on special diets. Accommodations are shared rooms ranging from 4–10 people or camping space for those who would prefer to bring a tent to sleep in. Rooms are pre-assigned, and campers have the chance to express housing preferences and needs as part of registration. Campers need to bring their own towels, pillows, and sleeping bags or sheets and blankets. Local dancers are asked to bring extras to help campers flying in from out of state.

Registration

The cost of running camp is about $300 per person, but we have a sliding scale ranging from $125 to $475 to make the weekend accessible to as many people as possible. Reach out to nwcamp@queercontradance.org if the $125 minimum is a barrier for you. Transparency about our costs and our sliding scale recommendations are on the second page of our registration form. If you need to cancel your registration, we will fully refund cancellations through July 31 or in the case of communicable illness. After August 1, other refunds (minus a $30 fee) are not guaranteed but may be available if your vacant spot is filled. If you're not able to pay upfront, you may pay a $30 deposit to hold your spot. Additional payments for camp can be made via PayPal donation.

All campers must also fill out Camp Sealth's waiver/dietary needs form to complete registration.

Health and Safety Precautions

We know that everyone is in different places as to their own needs around COVID-19 and health safety. We will require everyone to show a negative COVID-19 rapid test taken on Friday before arriving at camp, and will refund admission for anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 or has another communicable illness. We encourage vaccination and getting the latest COVID booster, but do not require it. While we support and welcome dancers to continue to mask, masks will be optional.

Transportation

Camp Sealth is only accessible by private vehicle and drive-on ferry. It is a 1 hour and 20 minute drive and ferry ride from either Seattle or Olympia, plus waiting time for the ferry. Driving directions are available here. On-site parking is limited and if you can offer a ride or need a ride to/from camp, please let us know on the registration form. We will do our best to coordinate as many rides as possible. Campers for whom we are arranging rides may need to take public transit to meet their carpool. If you are flying in, we recommend arriving at SeaTac Airport by 3:00 pm on Friday. We don't expect to have rides available for campers flying in during the evening. For campers carpooling from camp and flying out, we suggest planning to arrive at SeaTac Airport after 6:00 pm Sunday.

Code of Conduct

We want all people to feel safe and comfortable at Queer Contra Dance. We value and expect consent and communication, community mindedness, and physical safety. Harassment of any kind will not be tolerated. If someone's behavior is offensive or harassing during the dance, we encourage you to speak with one of the camp organizers.

Please read our Values and Expectations if you would like to know more about our community norms and how we handle unwelcome behavior.

Northwest Queer Contra Camp

October 30–November 1, 2026