What is Contra Dancing?

Looking in at a dance in progress	What is Contra Dancing? So just what is this "contra dance" stuff that seems to arouse such passionate support? The best way to find out is, of course, to go to a dance and join in. Besides the Thursday night dances at the VFW hall, you can find other dances in the area by looking at the dance calendar put together by the Folk Art Center of New England. Just show up at a dance, ideally with a pair of comfortable, clean-soled shoes (dancing is hard on floors...), let the folks at the door know you're a newcomer (so they can hook you up with some partners) and start dancing. Try to arrive early; the dances tend to be easier towards the start of the session. OK, so that answer wasn't very satisying. Try out this description of contra dancing, written by Gary Shapiro and hosted by the Santa Barbara Country Dance Society. Be sure to look at these pictures by Doug Plummer.

Looking in at a dance in progress

What is Contra Dancing?

So just what is this "contra dance" stuff that seems to arouse such passionate support? The best way to find out is, of course, to go to a dance and join in. Besides the Thursday night dances at the VFW hall, you can find other dances in the area by looking at the dance calendar put together by the Folk Art Center of New England. Just show up at a dance, ideally with a pair of comfortable, clean-soled shoes (dancing is hard on floors...), let the folks at the door know you're a newcomer (so they can hook you up with some partners) and start dancing. Try to arrive early; the dances tend to be easier towards the start of the session.

OK, so that answer wasn't very satisying. Try out this description of contra dancing, written by Gary Shapiro and hosted by the Santa Barbara Country Dance Society. Be sure to look at these pictures by Doug Plummer.

So you're still looking here for an answer? Fine, I take a stab at it. Couples form lines that run from the "top" of the hall (nearest the band) to the "bottom" and join hands with another couple, forming many rings of 4 people. The dancers do a brief series of dance moves in that 4-person grouping, and then move "up" or "down" the line to repeat those moves with a new couple. It is customary to change partners after each dance, so you'll dance with many people in a single session. The moves themselves are very simple: circle left or right, make a "star" by joining hands in the center, "swing" (dance 'round with) your partner or neighbor, do si do, etc. Most of the moves can be learned the first time you go dancing. From then on out, it's all about learning to move in time to the music, "giving weight" (balancing comfortably the forces between you and your partner), and other refinements that make the dance more fun. Here in Cambridge we are blessed with some of the finest dance musicians in the world, who provide us with tunes from their fiddles, guitars, pianos, flutes and many other instruments. There is always live music. We also have many wonderful "callers" (the dance leader who teaches the dances).	The view from the stage

So you're still looking here for an answer? Fine, I take a stab at it.

Couples form lines that run from the "top" of the hall (nearest the band) to the "bottom" and join hands with another couple, forming many rings of 4 people. The dancers do a brief series of dance moves in that 4-person grouping, and then move "up" or "down" the line to repeat those moves with a new couple. It is customary to change partners after each dance, so you'll dance with many people in a single session.

The moves themselves are very simple: circle left or right, make a "star" by joining hands in the center, "swing" (dance 'round with) your partner or neighbor, do si do, etc. Most of the moves can be learned the first time you go dancing. From then on out, it's all about learning to move in time to the music, "giving weight" (balancing comfortably the forces between you and your partner), and other refinements that make the dance more fun.

Here in Cambridge we are blessed with some of the finest dance musicians in the world, who provide us with tunes from their fiddles, guitars, pianos, flutes and many other instruments. There is always live music. We also have many wonderful "callers" (the dance leader who teaches the dances).

The view from the stage

Couple dances, such as waltzes, are tossed in, too.	New England contra dancing has been around since colonial times. There are still small, local dances in many of the towns in western Massachusetts, southern New Hampshire and Vermont. It's done in grange halls, churches and town halls. But there are few venues as perfectly suited to contras as the VFW hall in Cambridge. If you have a high-speed Internet connection and some patience, you might want to download this 11MB Quicktime contra dance movie clip from a recent (October 2005) dance at the VFW hall.

Couple dances, such as waltzes, are tossed in, too.

New England contra dancing has been around since colonial times. There are still small, local dances in many of the towns in western Massachusetts, southern New Hampshire and Vermont. It's done in grange halls, churches and town halls. But there are few venues as perfectly suited to contras as the VFW hall in Cambridge.

If you have a high-speed Internet connection and some patience, you might want to download this 11MB Quicktime contra dance movie clip from a recent (October 2005) dance at the VFW hall.