Contra dance
In a single dance, a caller may include anywhere from six to twelve figures, which are repeated as couples progress up and down the lines.
The music played includes, but is not limited to, Irish, Scottish, old-time, bluegrass and French-Canadian folk tunes.
[4] Contra dance has European origins, and over 100 years of cultural influences from many different sources.
[13] In the 1930s and 1940s, the popularity of jazz, swing, and big band music caused contra dance to decline in several parts of the US; the tradition carried on primarily in towns within the northeastern portions of North America, such as Ohio, the Maritime provinces of Canada,[14] and particularly in New England.
Ralph Page almost single-handedly maintained the New England tradition until it was revitalized in the 1950s and 1960s, particularly by Ted Sannella and Dudley Laufman.
As musicians and callers moved to other locations, they founded contra dances in Michigan, Washington, Oregon, California, Texas, and elsewhere.
The event consists of a number of individual contra dances, each lasting about 15 minutes, and typically a band intermission with some waltzes, schottisches, polkas, or Swedish hambos.
Music for the evening is typically performed by a live band,[28] playing jigs and reels from Ireland, Scotland, Canada, or the USA.
The tunes may range from traditional originating a century ago, to modern compositions including electric guitar, synth keyboard, and driving percussion – so long as the music fits the timing for contra dance patterns.
During this introductory walk-through, participants learn the dance by walking through the steps and formations, following the caller's instructions.
[30] The caller gives the instructions orally, and sometimes augments them with demonstrations of steps by experienced dancers in the group.
After the walk-through, the music begins and the dancers repeat that sequence many times before that dance ends, often 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the length of the contra lines.
[36] No special outfits are worn, but comfortable and loose-fitting clothing that does not restrict movement is usually recommended.
However, because the friendly, social nature of the dances can be misinterpreted or even abused, some groups have created anti-harassment policies.
[42] Couples consist of two people, traditionally one male and one female, though same-sex pairs are increasingly common.
[43] Traditionally the dancers are referred to as the lady and gent,[44] though various other terms have been used: some dances have used men and women, rejecting ladies and gents as elitist;[45] others have used gender-neutral role terms including bares and bands, jets and rubies, and larks and ravens or robins.
There are four common ways of arranging couples in the minor sets: proper, improper, Becket, and triple formations.
[48] Since the mid twentieth century, there has been a shift towards improper dances, in which gents and ladies alternate on each side of the set, being the most common formation.
The walk through also helps dancers understand how the dance pattern leads them toward new people each time.
Once the music starts, the caller continues to describe each move until the dancers are comfortable with that dance pattern.
Contra dance figures (with a few exceptions) do not have defined footwork; within the limits of the music and the comfort of their fellow dancers, individuals move according to their own taste.
As the sequence repeats, the caller may cut down his or her prompting, and eventually drop out, leaving the dancers to each other and the music.
Typical contra dance choreography comprises four parts, each 16 counts (8 measures) long.
The most common contra dance repertoire is rooted in the Anglo-Celtic tradition as it developed in North America.
The piano, guitar, and double bass are frequently found in the rhythm section of a contra dance band.
[53] Occasionally, percussion instruments are also used in contra dancing, such as the Irish bodhran or less frequently, the dumbek or washboard.
[54] The last few years have seen some of the bands incorporate the Quebecois practice of tapping feet on a board while playing an instrument (often the fiddle).
(Fiddlers also may take this opportunity to retune; tune- or key-specific fiddle tunings are uncommon in American Anglo-Celtic traditions other than old-time.)
Some of the most popular contra dance bands in recent years are Great Bear, Perpetual E-Motion, Buddy System, Crowfoot, Elixir,[56] the Mean Lids, Nor'easter, Nova, Pete's Posse, the Stringrays, the Syncopaths, and Wild Asparagus.
[60] Techno has become especially prevalent in Asheville, North Carolina, but regular techno contra dance series are spreading up the East Coast to locales such as Charlottesville, Virginia;[61] Washington, D.C.;[62] Amherst, Massachusetts; Greenfield, Massachusetts; and various North Carolina dance communities, with one-time or annual events[63] cropping up in locations farther west, including California, Portland, Oregon, and Washington state.
