Energy and Enthusiasm! Wear comfortable lightweight clothes, since this is an aerobic activity and you will get warm! (Like most sports & dance styles, contra involves relatively close contact with lots of other people – holding hands, ballroom position, etc.) Typical dress ranges from shorts or slacks and t-shirts to twirly dresses (they’re cooler!). Please carry in a pair of clean, soft-soled shoes that will not damage or mark the floor.

Bring a water bottle of water!  For more flavor & refreshment, the Cafe at Earth House sells coffee, tea, smoothies, and light snacks, usually to 9 p.m.

Admission is normally $5 general, $4 members, $3 for those under 25. It’s usually $1 more when the band or caller travels from more than an hour away.

Need to save money? Admission is free for those who do setup and cleanup. We always have live music so need help with speakers, microphones, and fans, plus sweeping the floors and staffing the admission table; no experience is needed.

Callers and band members can dance for free in any quarter they perform, and can bring one person free on any night they perform. (Open Band doesn’t earn free admissions, sorry.)

“Swirly awesomeness!” Contra dancing is a community event. People of all ages & skill levels dance traditional American social “set” dances to live music. You don’t need to know what to do or to bring a partner. A “caller” teaches the dances, and we change partners every dance. In one evening, you may dance with half a dozen partners, from teens to retirees. Most couples are “opposite sex,” but same gender couples are routine (especially when there are more of one sex that evening, or when there are experienced dancers who’ve enjoyed the new challenge of learning both roles).

In a contra dance, you and a partner dance a series of figures with another couple. (It’s mostly a brisk walking step in circles, stars, etc.). Live music, often traditional tunes from New England, England, Scotland, etc., set the pace and help everyone do the same thing at the same time, so we’re all moving in unison! In about a minute, you complete the series of figures, then you and your partner repeat the same moves with another couple in a long line of dancers, over and over, until the music ends and it’s time to change partners and line up for another dance! An evening includes traditionally ends with a couples dance like a waltz.

Contra dancing is easy to learn, the music is lively, and the dancing can be vigorous, but it is low impact. (It’s good aerobic exercise, always drug and alcohol free.) You interact with your current partner, and everyone else in the set, as you dance with easy steps to live music. Here are some longer explanations: Wikipedia, Gary’s info.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORnjN_r8Ry4

Here are other videos: Coffee Zombies, one of our bands, playing in KY, Ken Gall, one of our callers, and the Spinels, one of our bands, at a big dance weekend, St. Louis, Cincinnati. We have photos of our dances at Picasa.