Contra Dance for Collective Effervescence

One of the most collectively transformative dances I know is an American folk dance that had a great resurgence in the 1960’s. I am so passionate about Contra Dance that @aaronsuncamacho and I organize vegan potlucks before every dance in our community so that we can inspire our friends to come dance with us. We started this in Florida, but have continued in California. Friends that we bring to their first Contra invariably love this dance too, so we are making efforts to be part of the revitalization of the dance.

Why is Contra Dance more than just a dance?

1. It sparks a collective effervescence more than any dance I have ever attended.
2. It is historically rooted in culture and tradition.
3. There are many different ways for people to be involved in the dance other than dancing. Contra dances need musicians, callers, and organizers.
4. It is quick to learn.
5. It is welcoming. People routinely say “You can’t be too weird for Contra.” There is even a Contra Dance camp at Burning Man!
6. Though there are occasional pockets of discord, there is a trend for Contra dance communities to accept role swapping (within the dance), and to accept folks at any point on the spectrum of gender or sexuality.

Collective What...?

Contra dances are comprised of series of movements that are called out by the "caller." Everyone does the same movement at the same time (more or less). Have you ever been in a crowd of people all loving the same band? Or been part of a ritual? Attended a festival? Enjoyed being a sports fan? Contra unifies people in a very similar way. Contra dancers experience this collective bond by connecting directly with each other and the group, getting exercise, and listening to great music together, as a community. Magical things happen when people connect deeply to themselves, to others, and to a group as a whole! It is transformative and spiritual once you drop into it.

OK, Great. What is Contra Dance?

Contra dance is a social dance that is danced in long lines. Dancers form pairs, and each pair will dance with every other pair in their line before the end of the song. Lines are as long as the auditorium is long. This means that by the end of the dance, you have looked everyone in the eye, twirled around with them, and shared a non-verbal moment of connection, trust, and fun. The moves are simple and very easy to learn.

Moves? What moves? I can’t dance.

If you can walk you can Contra. Contra dance figures involve walking in geometrical patterns, twirling, and spinning. You can’t be on the wrong foot like in swing or salsa dance. Can you dos-i-dos? Cool, you’ll be fine! Besides, the caller walks everyone through the dance before the music starts, and if you mess up, someone will just put you where you need to be.

Oh no, it’s like Square Dancing...?

Not really. I find it easier because there are only two orientations to the room (in most dances) as opposed to four. Also the music is way better.

Speaking of Music….

Contra dance music is sounds something like smoother, sweeter Bluegrass. It’s based in folk music from New England or Quebec. There are modern Contra bands that travel all over the country (and world!) playing at dances and making new music.

Instruments commonly used in Contra dance music include fiddle, mandolin, bass, banjo, guitar, and many others.

Here are a few examples:

This is a very popular modern Contra Band

Very popular band, filmed in Ashville, which has an exceptionally vibrant Contra scene.

This is a very popular band. The sound quality isn’t good, but I like this video because it has aerial shots of what the dance looks like. Ooo, the patterns!

So if it’s so Great, why isn’t it Popular?

As mentioned above, there was a great Contra revival in the 1960’s, but participation has fallen since. Pockets of younger dancers exist in places like Ashville, NC, Portland, OR, and San Francisco, CA. However, in other areas, this dance population is comprised of many of the same people that fuelled the resurgence in the 1960’s.

I have a few theories on this. Social dancing and partner dancing has become less popular with younger generations over time. Sure, there was a Swing dance revival in the 1990’s. That was really cool. It was fueled by music and the film Swing Kids, which came out in 1993. And yes, I’m sure you know some lady in her 30’s who Salsa dances. But generally, there has been a movement away from social dancing. But, why?

First, people perceive social dancing as difficult or complicated. We are now a culture of instant feedback and instant rewards. We want to be good at things immediately. I think that a lot people have taken one Swing lesson, and decided that it is too hard, and that learning to dance is just not for them. However, Contra is far easier than these dances, so I think it is an ideal dance for folks who feel that they “can’t dance.”

Next, people perceive folk dancing as summarily uncool. They imagine conservative prudes dancing boring dances to twangy music. None of that is true about Contra! I have attended Contra dances in 8 cities across the US, and I have noticed that people are open-minded, welcoming of others (especially ‘weird’ others!), fun-loving, kind, lively, and all around entertaining. The dance itself is easy but fast, rhythmic, and as fun as any game or sport you have ever played.

Third, Contra dance is simply not visible because it is not “exotic” or “sexy.” I actually do think that Contra dance is sexy, because there are a lot of opportunities for flirtation and fun. You know where others are down the line, and if there is someone fascinating down the line from you, you are absolutely waiting for them to come your way - and they will, do to the form of the dance. Contra may not ever look as exotic as Bellydance or as acrobatic as Swing, but there are Contra dances set to modern bass music in San Francisco.

Finally, Contra dance is simply not visible. Few people talk about it on social media. I am not the only person that writes about Contra dance and brings their millennial friends, but there have been no films about Contra dance, and Contra bands generally only play at Contra dances. Therefore there has not been the amount of cultural outreach that is necessary to keep people in the dance. That is one of the reasons why I am writing this post :)

Please Find a Contra Dance in Your Area and Attend!!

I know for sure that people will be nice to you and teach you what you need to know. I discovered the dance when I read about it on someone’s OKCupid profile. I started going to the dances entirely alone, and left with lots of friends and smiles for days. You will not be disappointed!

And please, ask me tons of questions here. I will respond to all of them. I am passionate about this dance for far more reasons than I have listed here, but this post has gotten long.