Over the course of every month or two I find relevant things online; today's installation includes Celtic music fusing with electronica and some contra dance links to the mainstream -- be it through newspapers, new dancer outreach, or making sure our community stays a safe and fun place.

An interview with Dave Martin about fusing together Celtic and electronica (hmm, sound like anyone we know about?); his Big Fat Electric Ceilidh sounds like a really neat project. (Also, I was particularly tickled by this video of ceilidh dancing in a club-scene-like setting.)

"Dance the Night Away" article in the Syracuse [NY] New Times -- article about contra dancing from the angle of the Van Norstrand clan and the Phylla Mae Fall Fest

Others Doing (Beginners') Contra Dance Lessons Via Online Videos -- From the Atlanta, GA community; one of the many series out there that encompasses the basics of contra dancing for new dancers, before one gets hooked and goes to find flourishes. I happened across it and find it to be particularly thorough. Video #8 has useful reminders for more advanced dancers as well.

...And if any of you haven't seen Penelope Weinberger's post on the "Stuff Contra Dancers Say..." community yet, go now. With both traditional and techno contra, it's really important that we keep the safe, fun atmosphere that helps to keep the community aspect strong. Unwelcome advances on the dance floor are profoundly NOT okay and we shouldn't have to put up with people not understanding the meaning of the word "no" (and while fortunately, it seems to be less common than in other spaces, unfortunately it still happens). Her post is a very succinct way of clarifying that point. Transcript is under the cut, since apparently you have to be logged into Facebook in order to see it (but it was apparently handed out on flyers at last Sunday's FSGW dance):

When I'm surfing around the Internet, I sometimes stumble across fun things and things that are thought-provoking. It's particularly fun when those fun and thought-provoking things happen to revolve around DJ culture or social dance or  music or just fun folkie things. Here are a few I've found lately, in no particular order:

• Wolf's Head and Vixen: This is a border morris side in the U.K. that's decided to embrace its collective inner Goth. 
• Etiquette Hell's Feel Good Friday: It's always good to see Perpetual e-Motion get mentioned in places that aren't strictly devoted to contra.
• The Dubstep Blog: Just what it says; expanding one's musical horizons is fun!
• A Young Person's Thoughts on the Americana Movement: A lot of what Alex Hatch writes here resonates with some of what I've heard in the contra community as we talk about where we go from here.
• Do You Really Listen?: A reflection on the people behind the music; this is from the Celtic music scene, but I think some of it applies to the contra scene too.
• Why We Contra Dance Video: Recently featured on the CDSS blog; it seems like a neat way to market the dance form we all know and love.
• On Social Dancing and the Creeps that Spoil It for Everyone: This is slightly older than the other links (from this past spring) and I thought this was an interesting post; the blogger dances swing and hip-hop out in California, but I think some of the attitudes do inform the contra dance movement as well. I feel fortunate that so far I haven't had the displeasure of having this particular unfortunate (and unwanted) bit of the club experience come over to the alt-contra scene, and I really hope I can still say that down the line.

What have you all been looking at lately? Share in the comments!