Contra Dance FAQ

What do I bring to a contra dance?
Some suggestions to bring along:

Soft-soled shoes. Only masochists wear heels, or possibly J. Edgar Hoover.

A bottle of water. (The drinking fountain is down the hall at Cross Courts.) Free refreshments are available, but having water close at hand is sometimes a Godsend.

Comfortable, easy-to-dance-in clothes. That is, not sweaters, flannel, suits, wedding gowns, scuba gear, etc. Summer clothes work well. Our "costumes" tend to be jeans and short sleeves for the men, short sleeves and cute skirts for the women, but there is no dress code. Also, many people bring hand towels for when they need to dry off a bit.

Camera. We need more pictures for this page!

Refreshments (any) are welcome. The aerobics room where we dance doesn't allow crumbs, but it adjoins a lobby that does. Last time we had cookies. Now we have to dance those off. Soda and juice are also good. At the The Annapolis Traditional Dance Society they have an ice cream social afterwards! So much for getting into shape! :)

There is a small admission fee. Some groups have a discount for membership!

Friends! Lots of friends!

What other dances do you do?
We do vary the dances. After all, some of us get out of breath if we're continually swinging! Sometimes the contra dances are broken up by some circle dancing, square dancing, and of course waltzes. Our group (the Crab Contras) is rather small, but someone always asks me to waltz! We dance at the Cross Court Athletic Club in Easton, which has a dandy wooden floor. If you don't know how, there's usually someone there to guide you.

I personally like the square dances. Don't worry, you don't have to know how to do them in advance; the callers are always helpful. Either you start to get the hang of it early and enjoy the intimacy, or you get lost and laugh your head off.

How hard is it to learn to dance?
Good news! Unlike ballroom dancing or squares, you don't need any prior experience to learn contra dancing. You can ditch the frilly petticoats too. All dances are taught beforehand by an experienced caller, and for a while are called out during the dance, until we get the hang of it. There's always someone to back you up: your partner, in most cases. You get as much exercise from the laughter as from the aerobic nature of the dances.

Do I have to dance with everybody?
Well, technically, no. If you want to, you can bring a partner and only dance during the 2 or 3 waltzes of the evening. BO-RING! Contra dance isn't meant to be a solo activity. In almost every dance, you will be changing partners every 20 seconds or so, and they come in all sizes, shapes, colors, ages, and athletic abilities. If you don't like to touch other folks this is not your kind of dancing. You may become out of breath as the evening wears on. You can always tell where I am because of my bright fuschia cheeks! It's perfectly acceptable to sit out a dance every now and then. It seems a little strange at first, but you'll soon feel comfortable swinging with everyone. Relax and enjoy the fun!
I should mention, if someone is bothering you, touching you in an inappropriate way, staring at the wrong part of you while swinging, the organizers of the dance should be told immediately. It's never happened to me, though.

Am I the only one doing this?
Not to worry. Thousands of people across the country and around the world participate in contra dances each week. Music is usually traditional American or celtic tunes, and always live. We have lots of famous musicians, but my favorite is a wonderful band called Muskrat Stew. Check out these websites to get a better idea, or go to a search engine and type in "contra dancing". You'll be amazed at what your neighbors are sereptitiously doing!

Can I bring the kids though?
But of course it's easy (and clean) enough for children to learn, and budding hoofers can always be found on the dance floor. Children at our dances get in for half price. With no alcohol served, it's a great family night! If you're bringing very small children, make sure they have an activity for an out-of-the-way corner. But yes, people do dance with babes in arms! Our group has every generation is represented. Usually the gender ratio is split pretty much 50-50, with a few extra women. I've found that the only problem with dancing with someone of the same sex (other than a different swing hold) is that the dancers have to emphasize, "I'm the 'man'!" to the occasional confused dancer. Naturally it's more fun to know you'll probably have everyone of the opposite sex as your partner sometime in the evening. That's probably why contra dance is so popular. (Don't believe me? Check out the web for contra dance pages!) I think if I had known about contra dancing as a teenager I could have saved a lot of money on boring action movies where my date just stared at the screen and ate my popcorn.
Contra dance is fairly athletic, but you have the chance to sit out a session or two (our people rarely do -- it's too much fun!) And some people just come for the live band.

Where can I get information about Contra Dances in my area?
Check the next page for my links to other pages.