Maine-based, high-energy folk duo Sassafras Stomp performs alongside Chicago dance-caller Rachel Shapiro Wallace in the “Third Saturday Contra Dance,” beginning at 7 p.m., Feb. 21, at the San Juan Grange Hall.

Contra dance is an easy social dance accompanied by driving fiddle music, in which a dance-caller teaches a series of simple moves (do-si-do, swing your partner, etc) and assembles them into looping patterns. The result is a lightly aerobic, laughter-inducing, human kaleidoscope with deep roots in rural American culture.

No partner is needed, beginners and kids are welcome and encouraged to come to the workshop, which typically precedes the start of the dance.

San Juan boasts a long-running, monthly dance series featuring an abundance of musical and dance-calling talent. The Grange Hall hosts contra dances the third Saturday of every month, as well as every Monday night.

Sassafras Stomp is comprised of fiddler Johanna Davis and guitarist/foot percussionist Adam Nordell. The duo met Rachel Shapiro Wallace in 2012 at the Catapult! Contradance Festival in Atlanta, a  showcase for “up and coming” bands and callers.

The festival opened touring opportunities for Wallace, Nordell and Davis, who have since performed at festivals, dances and concerts across the U.S. and Canada.

The island performance kicks off a two week, West Coast tour, with stops in Seattle, Eugene, and the Bay Area.

For more info, visit sjigrange.wordpress.com or www.sassafrasstomp.com.

—Cali Bagby, editor, Islands Weekly