North Berkshire Community Dance to Host Monthly Contra Dance

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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — North Berkshire Community Dance will hold its monthly contra dance on Saturday, February 8, at the First Congregational Church’s Community Hall, 906 Main St., from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m.
 
The evening will feature caller Liz Nelson, who will teach each dance, and live traditional fiddle music from The Vintons, a trio of experienced musicians: George Wilson (fiddle), Andy Davis (accordion & piano), and Marko Packard (guitar & flute).
 
Contra dancing is a traditional social dance form that includes both historical and contemporary elements. No prior experience is needed, and attendees are welcome to join with or without a partner. New dancers and families with children are encouraged to arrive at 7:30 p.m. for an introductory lesson.
 
Admission is pay-as-you-can, with a suggested contribution of $12-$20. Barter options, including cleanup assistance, are also welcome.
 
A pre-dance calling playgroup will be held at the Williamstown Public Library from 2 to 3:30 p.m., where participants can practice calling dances or assist as dancers.
 
For more information, visit www.NorthBerkshireDance.org.
 
Health Guidelines: Attendees are asked to stay home if they feel unwell or have cold symptoms. Masks are appreciated but not required.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Theater Review: 'Driving Miss Daisy' Is a 'Wondrous' Production

By Alan PetrucelliSpecial to iBerkshires
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Alfred Uhry's "Driving Miss Daisy" rolled into the St. Germain Stage in late May, marking the opening of Barrington Stage Company's 2026 season.
 
And what a wondrous, welcoming production it is. Uhry won a Pulitzer Prize for his work; he won an Oscar for the 1989 film adaptation of the play, which also won the Best Picture Oscar. Yes, that's how good it is.
 
Daisy Werthan is a 72-year-old white Jewish widow in Atlanta whose car accident destroyed her Packard — and her chance to ever drive herself again.
 
"Mama, we are just going to have to hire someone to drive you," her adult son Boolie tells her. 
 
She is adamant: "What I do not want — and absolutely will not have — is some chauffeur sitting in my kitchen, gobbling my food and running up my phone bill."
 
Enter Hoke Colburn, an unemployed African-American illiterate who grew up in rural Georgia during the Jim Crow-era South. Boolie hires him at $20 a week, and in a span of 85 minutes and a decade or so, this odd couple develop a tight bond that overcomes their cultural, gender and class differences. 
 
Though she's living in a racially explosive time in the South, the irascible Miss Daisy doesn't consider herself racist, nor does she fully accept the realities of the racist culture that has even resulted in a bombing at her own synagogue (a true event in Atlanta, in 1958).
 
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