When someone asks me how long I’ve been contra dancing, my answer is simple: “Since I was short.”
I don’t remember the exact age at which I was swept into the grand world of folk dancing, but I do recall getting confused about the shifting structures, and being too small to reach my partners. Despite my childish clumsiness and inability to follow instructions, it grew on me, and by high school, I appreciated it enough to voluntarily join the weekly gatherings at my home dance in Concord, Massachusetts.
Now it’s my favorite form of physical activity — and never more so then when the days get shorter and colder in winter. What other types of exercise allow you to wear a twirly skirt and be dipped as if you’re in a fancy ballroom?
So I was very excited when I moved to Belfast earlier this year and learned that the monthly contra dance hosted by Belfast Flying Shoes was walking distance away — and that others are held throughout the midcoast and other parts of Maine.
After my first ten minutes in the Flying Shoes dance, I knew it was the place for me. My only disappointment was that it’s not held more frequently.
Contra, a form of social folk dance, has origins in the British Isles and France.
In the basic format that eventually took hold in the developing nation, dancers partner up and form long lines of pairs known as sets. With a band playing and directions given by someone known as a caller, the dancers then do various moves as they progress down the set, with more flamboyant participants throwing in dips, twirls and other flourishes.
Contra bands typically play fiddles, as well as other instruments that could include banjos, guitars, keyboards and less conventional options such as the cello. Foot percussion may also be incorporated.
However, despite its Old World origins, contra dancing in New England has changed with the times, often replacing more gendered terms such as “lady” and “gentleman” with more neutral alternatives such as “larks” and “robins.”
Contra dancing is a great option for couples going on a date, or friends looking to hang, or anyone else looking to meet some strangers and move around.
I’ve never met someone open to trying it who hasn’t loved it — even, and perhaps especially, self-proclaimed “non-dancers.”
So, to anyone curious and willing, put on your boogie shoes, and take hands four!