Contradancing is great exercise
for the ears, the body, the soul.

The dance figures for each couple in a group of four might be different. One set of dance figures might be more “active,” more “vigorous,” for one couple than for the other. Many modern contradance sets have both couples being fairly active.

The Ears

The Body

The Soul

Figure anywhere from 12 to 300 or more people showing up at a dance. Some dances are more popular (and larger) than others because of who the caller is, the band, the location, the night, and the season. (For instance, I rarely dance during the summer. It’s too hot for me.) Contradancing cuts across all demographics: age, education, income, employment, race, geography, marital status. I see some people only at particular monthly dances. I see others many times a month because we go to the same bunch of dances in the area. And I see some people only once a year because we meet at annual festivals that attract contradancers from “all over.”

As with any group of people, conversations and friendships vary. Some may exist only within a particular dance or contradance evening, or they can blossom outside the contradance setting. (Case in point: I met Joann at the Thursday-night contradance in Cambridge, MA. Even though that was where I learned how to contradance, once I moved to New Hampshire, I rarely went back down to the Cambridge dance. At the time, Joann lived in Rockport, MA.) Conversations can run the gamut from the superficial (“Hi, my name is...”), to the topical (weather, work, local news, politics), to the deep and personal (praise that comes with personal good news; support that comes with emotional losses).

Naturally, a contradance like any other dance involves touching other people and looking into their eyes. For some people, a contradance is the only time they physically touch others, the only time they deliberately look into another person’s eyes.

By the way, there’s a lot of flirting going on in the playful sense, versus the meat-market sense.

There’s another aspect of contradancing in the “soul” or “spirit” category. Dancing provides an abundance of social support—for many people (me included), contradancing has been a “savior” in lifting ones spirits. Dancing can also be a place for “getting away from it all,” for losing one’s Self in a crowd by projecting a new persona or by hiding a bruised self. There’s merit and solace and healthfulness in that.

Some Details

Newcomers are welcome. Some contradances have a half hour of basic instruction before the actual dance. All dances have a walk-through. The rare exceptions are for contradance sessions or individual contradance sets aimed for experienced dancers. New dancers are invited, but they may get lost, which can make it difficult, read “ruin the fun,” for experienced dancers.

Contradance callers continue to “call” the dance (that is, keep saying the moves/steps) after it starts. Usually they do this three or four times (i.e., four complete sets of moves/steps), though there’s one caller in the area who calls the dance exactly two more times during the dance. (His philosophy is: You shoulda been listening!) You can tell a dance is coming to an end when the caller starts calling it again.

Come alone, with a friend, or with a partner. You don’t need a partner to come to a contradance. At the dance, men ask women, women ask men, women ask women, and occasionally men ask men. In that last case, the men are usually experienced dancers because switching to the “traditional women’s part” takes some getting used to. Also, some men think “real men don’t...” Never mind.

Dress comfortably. This isn’t square dancing or ballroom dancing where you get “points” for dressing up. This dancing is exercise, so dress accordingly. You’ll see women dressed in everything from loose fitting skirts and blouses, to dresses, to T-shirts and jeans or shorts, to exercise pants underneath short dresses, and so on. The same dress code applies to men. (Yes, some men wear skirts. See the Men in Skirts FAQ. In a nutshell, skirts are airier than pants or shorts, and some men find it just plain fun having the skirt spread out when twirling.)

Wear comfortable shoes. No hard soles. Certainly not high heels (though you’ll see some newcomers try that). Worn down sneakers are good. Dance shoes are popular. One woman wears bowling shoes. I wear worn-down, holey boat shoes. You don’t want your shoes to stick to the floor (typically a wood floor), but you don’t want to be slipping and sliding all the time either. Some people have shoes just for dancing so they don’t track in dirt and such from the street. (That’s preferred.) Yes, some people dance without shoes.

Bring water. Few of the dance halls, including town halls and church basements, have decent water fountains.

Don’t wear perfume. (An unstated rule.) The reason is that some people don’t like the smell of perfume. Mind you, a town hall with a couple hundred dancers can smell pretty ripe after an hour or so! Not only that, dancers can get pretty sweaty, their clothes wet. (I bring a couple of T-shirts to change into.)

There are contradances everywhere. Or pretty much everywhere. Certainly in the U.S. northeast and along the west coast. Check the ‘web for a contradance near you. (Either peruse the contradance links I’ve provided or use your favorite search engine for “contradance” plus whatever location {state, province} you’re looking to dance.)

Contradances series are typically held monthly. Some are weekly. And throughout the year, there are “annual” dances. For instance, within an hour from where I live, I can dance just in New Hampshire on the first Saturday of the month in Peterborough or Deerfield; the second and third Fridays in Manchester; the first Thursdays in Dover; the second Saturdays in Exeter or Gilmanton; the third Saturdays in Concord; and the fourth Fridays in Milford—to name a few. Plus, into Massachusetts, I can dance every Monday and Thursday at the Scout House in Concord.

There are also contradances most “fifth Saturdays,” special holiday dances (such as Thanksgiving Eve in Peterborough and the Dawn Dance, i.e., all-night dances, on Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends in Brattleboro, VT), seasonal dances (the Fall Ball and the Snow Ball in Peterborough), and annual contradance festivals (e.g., I’ve been going to Dance Flurry in Saratoga Springs, NY, for years).

At one time (late 1980s, early 1990s), you could go to a contradance every day of the week within an hour’s drive (okay, maybe an hour and a quarter) from, say, Manchester or Portsmouth, NH. I remember a caller (Dave) doing this once to see if it was possible. He chose February, a short month, to try this. He danced every night. He later admitted he was dragging by the end of the month.

A worthwhile read. “Ten Tips for Beginning Dancers” from the Country Dance and Song Society, printed in the program for Dance Flurry 2008.

11/15/08 Want more information? Read Wikipedia’s excellent description about contradancing, its history, its “construction,” its music, and some about contradance etiquette.

What? No pictures? Right. I have no contradance pictures to include on this page. I’m too busy dancing and chatting with friends!