Contra Dancing

AR Culture & Arts
Contra Dancing
By Cynthia Kirkeby
Oct 29, 2006, 19:29 PST

According to the Hamilton Country Dancers, an Arkansas dance group, "Contra Dancing is a form of American folk dance in which the dancers form a set of two parallel lines which run the length of the hall. Each dance consists of a sequence of moves that ends with couples having progressed one position up or down the set. As the sequence is repeated, a couple will eventually dance with every other couple in the set. Contra Dancing was all the rage in 1800."

A view of contra dance sets, seen from the balcony of the town hall in Peterborough, New Hampshire. Courtesy of J. Peidle

"At the end of the 17th century, English country dances were taken-up by French dancers — hybrid choreographies exist from this period using the steps from French court dance in English dances. The French called these dances contra-dance or contredanse. As time progressed, English country dances were spread and reinterpreted throughout the Western world, and eventually the French form of the name came to be associated with the American folk dances, especially in New England. As of 2005, there is a regularly scheduled contra dance in most North American cities or regions, as well as in Belgium, Denmark, England, Czech Republic and Australia."
Source: Wikipedia

Arkansas Country Dance Society

Contra Dance
All about Contra Dance, including the history, progressions, formations, terminology, and choreography.
Source: Wikipedia

What is Contra Dance?
Source: Gary Shapiro

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