Home

All are welcome at our contra dances, where we always have live music in the styles of Irish, old-time, swing, and newly composed music.

Contra dancing is a social dance. Contra is purely for fun and not for competition or performance. It requires no experience and focuses on community, making friends and dancing to live music. You don’t need to bring a partner – part of the tradition is switching partners for each dance!  A caller teaches each dance, so no lessons are needed; just show up and have fun!

New to contra? Please come at 6:40PM to learn a few basic steps before the dance starts. No experience needed!

Our venue locations can change – so make sure to check out the calendar to know where to dance!

We dance on the first Tuesday of the month, 7-9 pm ET

There’s no smoking or drinking, and anyone’s welcome to dance together, regardless of age, experience, gender, preference for dogs or cats, etc.

We provide a brief new dancer intro / refresher / warm-up starting at 6:40, with dancing for everybody 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

We’re on Eastern Time. Online calendars compensate for time zones, so if you see 6 – 9 pm., your computer is on Central.

Please:

  • Bring a water bottle.
  • Wear casual, light-weight clothes (skirt or shorts/slacks, and an extra shirt if you sweat a lot).
  • Bring clean, comfortable shoes.
  • Attend (and bring friends to) the brief intro at 6:40. If we have no new dancers, use the time to socialize, share tips, & techniques.
  • Listen to the caller and the music, and watch the other dancers. The caller will tell you what to do, and the dancers will show you. Almost everybody learns contra from dancing, not lessons, videos, books, or instructions on websites, but dance communities have a few tips here, and here.

COVID Policy: 
Dancers are free to make their own decisions regarding vaccinations and masks, but neither are required to attend our dances.

Indy Contra prioritizes the health and safety of our dancers and community. In accordance with federal, state, local guidelines, and 2023 survey results, we have instituted the following policies. Dancers who attend come to the dance at their own risk. Please stay home if you think you may be ill or have been exposed. If you experienced COVID-19 symptoms within 7 days after an Indy Contra dance, please contact the board as soon as possible. Indy Contra board will decide whether or not to run each dance based on the current COVID numbers in Marion County. Policies will change as conditions change. Thank you for helping to keep us all safe.

Membership and Dance Admission

Both membership and dance admission will be on a sliding scale.

Admission: $5-$20
Membership: $20-$200+

Donations

Indy Contra can take donations through check, cash, or PayPal (through our email address indycontra@gmail.com.

Weather? Snow? Storms? We cancel if Indianapolis Public Schools cancel evening activity. Check via RTV6, WISHTV,  WTHR, the Indipolis Star, or on Twitter.

Add our calendar to yours (click on  “+ Google Calendar” in the lower right of the whole calendar) or add individual events (open an event and click on “copy to my calendars” at the bottom). A short link to our calendar is http://bit.ly/wSZCjB .

Please email indycontra@gmail.com or call (317) 759-4863 with questions, comments, or feedback.