The festival offers music for dancing from 7:30 p.m. to midnight on Friday, and 10 a.m. to midnight on Saturday. “The mainstay of the festival is traditional New England country dancing – or ‘contra dancing,’ as it is more popularly known,” said Lynn Plumb of the festival’s planning committee, “but attendees can choose from a whole spectrum of other dance styles as well as music activities.”

Saturday is a dance and singing workshop day. An afternoon variety show will feature performances of Scottish country dancing, Finnish couple dancing and traditional English morris dancing. A number of mini-concerts are also on the roster. There will be a selection of activities for children and families.

The two-day festival kicks off on Friday with contra dancing in the Mount Ararat Middle School gym. Providing the music will be the Henry Road Band (7:30 p.m.) and the duo Perpetual e-Motion (9:15 p.m.), with callers Dugan Murphy and Will Mentor, respectively.

On Saturday evening, dancers will have a choice between contra dancing to Velocipede and Perpetual e-Motion (with Maggie Robinson and Will Mentor calling), carousing at an international folk dance party, or indulging in some sultry Argentine tango dancing.

Tickets range from $12 to $35. Discounted tickets available for full-time students ages 11 to 21, and free admission to any child age 10 or under if accompanied by adult.

Mount Ararat Middle School and the adjacent Orion Performing Arts Center are on Rte. 201. For more information, call 207-563-8953 or visit www.deffa.org.

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