Contra Dancing is a
modern version of what people used to do at Barn
Dances across America. It comes from English
Country Dancing and similar dances in France,
Scotland and elsewhere, that go back at least to
the 1500s in Europe. The dances are to live
music, typically old-time Appalachian, Irish or New England string
music, and to modern cousins of those
styles.
They are energetic dances, and the
tempo is usually a moderate to fast walking
pace. At a contra dance, in addition to
contras, you may encounter a variety of dances
such as squares, circles, waltzes, and others.
Each dance is usually
taught by a caller, who then calls the moves
during the dance. Comfortable shoes with
smooth rubber soles are a good choice for
footwear, but others wear a variety of shoes or
just bare feet. Lightweight and comfortable
clothes are recommended.
An Introduction to Contra Dancing
A newspaper article on Contra DancingNPR News piece on the youth movement in contra dancing
A Blog
by a local writer about her experience at a contra
dance
Instructional Videos:
Contra
Dance Moves I
Contra Dance
Moves II
Videos of the Contra Dance in Tallahassee on December 14, 2011:
1) A
Contra
2) A
Square
3) Another
Contra
Videos
of other Contra Dances, mostly in
Tallahassee
An answer to the
question "Can you Contra Dance to almost any kind
of music?"
Contra Dancing
to Swedish techno hiphop, video from the Youth Dance Weekend 2008.
Contra Dances in the Southeast (clickable map)
Georgy-Alabam
Square Dance Weekend near Birmingham, AL,
mid-January
Florida Snowball in St. Petersburg, FL, late January
Dancing with
the GODS in Gainesville, late February
Palmetto
Bug Stomp in Charleston, SC, mid-April
Gamble
Rogers Folk Festival in St. Augustine, FL,
late April-early May
Florida
Folk Festival near Lake City, FL, Memorial Day
weekend in May
with contra and other kinds of dancing every night,
and a smorgasbord of music
Mentone
Dance
Weekend north of Birmingham, AL, third weekend
in August
Florida
State
Fiddlers Convention near Brooksville, FL,
early October
with music the whole weekend long
Fall Ball in Tampa-St. Pete, FL, late October
Atlanta Dance Weekend in Atlanta, GA, mid-November
Old-Time Jam at Blue
Tavern - 2nd Saturday of each month, 4:30
-6:30 pm, 1206 N. Monroe St. Contact Mary at
maryallgire "at" yahoo "dot" com
Irish Music Sessions at Finnegan's
Wake - 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month,
7-10pm
Friends of
Florida Folk organization of musicians and
other folk artists in Florida
Other Dancing
around Tallahassee
Hot Pepper Steppers Appalachian Clogging
Mountain Dew Cloggers Contemporary Clogging
Tallahassee Irish Step Dancers
Last revised 6/15/18