This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2007)

Contra dancers in Peterborough, New Hampshire

Contra dance (also contradance, contra-dance and other variant spellings) refers to several folk dance styles in which couples dance in two facing lines of indefinite length. Contra dances can be found around the world, though they are especially popular in the United States. Contra dance is also referred to as traditional New England folk dance. There are regularly scheduled contra dances in many North American cities, as well as in Belgium, Denmark, England, Czech Republic and Australia.
Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Contredanse is a traditional music group that plays music from the middle ages and Renaissance, as well as obscure pieces from 16th and 17th century Belarusian composers. ... The Classical period in Western music occurred from about 1750 to 1830, despite considerable overlap at both ends with preceding and following periods, as is true for all musical eras. ... Folk dance is a term used to describe a large number of dances, mostly of European origin, that tend to share the following attributes: They were originally danced in about the 19th century or earlier (or are, in any case, not currently copyrighted); Their performance is dominated by an inherited... For other uses, see Tradition (disambiguation). ... This article is about the region in the United States of America. ... North American redirects here. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ...

This article supplements the main contra dance article. ... This article supplements the main contra dance article. ...

History

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 (this Frenchified name change may have followed a contemporary misbelief that the form was originally French).^[1][2] Contra dancing remained popular in New England up until the early 20th century, when the big band era drew crowds away. Ralph Page almost single-handedly maintained the tradition until it was re-vitalized in the 1950s and 1960s, particularly by Ted Sannella and Dudley Laufman. (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... English Country Dance, sometimes abbreviated ECD, is a form of folk dance. ... Baroque dance is dance of the Baroque era in Europe (roughly 1600–1750), closely linked with Baroque music, theater and opera. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the Swing Era from the early 1930s until the late 1940s, although there are many big-bands around nowadays. ... Ted Sannella Ted Sannella was a professional square dance caller and choreographer. ...

As well as regular contra dances throughout America, there are many dance camps, retreats, and weekends. Pinewoods Camp, in Plymouth, Massachusetts, became primarily a music and dance camp in 1933,^[3]. NEFFA, the New England Folk Festival in Massachusetts, began in 1944.^[4] The Dance Flurry in Saratoga, New York happens in February. All continue to be popular and some offer dancing and activities besides contra dancing. Nickname: Location in Plymouth County in Massachusetts Coordinates: , Country State County Plymouth Settled 1620 Incorporated (town) 1670 Government [1]  - Type Representative town meeting  - Town    Manager Mark Sylvia Area  - Total 134. ... The New England Folk Festival (or more familiarly, NEFFA) is an annual festival of traditional dance and music that takes place in the Boston, Massachusetts area in the spring. ... Saratoga is a town located in Saratoga County, New York, USA. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 5,141. ...

In the 1970s, Sannella added heys and gypsies to the contra dances.^[5] New dances, such as Shadrack's Delight by Tony Parkes, featured symmetrical dancing by all couples. (Previously, the actives and inactives —see Progression below— had significantly different roles). Double progression dances, popularized by Herbie Gaudreau,^[6] added to the aerobic nature of the dances, and one caller, Gene Hubert, wrote a quadruple progression dance, Contra Madness. Becket formation was introduced, with partners next to each other in the line instead of opposite. The Brattleboro Dawn Dance started in 1976, and continues to run semiannually.^[7][8] This article supplements the main contra dance article. ... Downtown Brattleboro, as seen looking across the Connecticut River from New Hampshire Brattleboro is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. ...

In the 1980s, Tod Whittemore started the first Saturday dance in the Peterborough Town House, which remains one of the more popular regional dances.^[9] Whittemore also started the popular Thursday night Boston area dance. Location in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire Coordinates: Country United States State New Hampshire County Hillsborough County Incorporated 1760  - Board of Selectmen Joe Byk, Chairman Gene Kellogg Elizabeth Thomas Area    - Town  38. ...

As callers moved to other locations, they took the dance with them, creating contra dances in Michigan, Washington, California and Texas, as well as many other locations.

Contra dance events

A Thursday night contra dance at the Fresh Pond Veterans of Foreign Wars hall in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Most contra dances are open to all, regardless of experience. They are family-friendly, and alcohol consumption is not part of the culture. Many events offer beginner-level instructions for up to half an hour before the dance. A typical evening of contra dance is three hours long, including an intermission. The event consists of a number of individual contra dances, divided by a scattering of other partner dances, perhaps one or more waltzes, schottisches, polkas, or Swedish hambos. In some places, square dances are thrown into the mix. Music for the evening is typically performed by a live band, playing jigs and reels from Ireland, Scotland, Canada, or the USA. Often the tunes are traditional and more than a century old, and sometimes a few tunes are more recent compositions that follow the traditional form, perhaps composed by the musicians on stage. (See "Music", below.) Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1107x810, 255 KB)Thursday night Contra dance at the VFW Hall in Cambridge, Massachusetts on May 15, 2003. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1107x810, 255 KB)Thursday night Contra dance at the VFW Hall in Cambridge, Massachusetts on May 15, 2003. ... Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts Coordinates: , Country State County Middlesex Settled 1630 Incorporated 1636 Government  - Type Mayor-City Council  - Mayor Kenneth Reeves (D) Area  - Total 7. ... The concept of family friendly entertainment or information, or of the media carrying them being so, is an aspect of the family values controversy in American political and social discourse. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Waltz (disambiguation). ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Street musicians in Prague playing a polka Polka is a fast, lively Central European dance, and also a genre of dance music. ... The hambo is a traditional dance originally from Sweden. ... Square dance is often used as a general term for modern Western square dance. ... The jig (sometimes seen in its French language or Italian language forms gigue or giga) is a folk dance type as well as the accompanying dance tune type, popular in Ireland and Scotland. ... The reel is a folk dance type as well as the accompanying dance tune type. ... This article is about the country. ...

Generally, a leader, known as a caller, will teach each individual dance just before the music for that dance begins. During this introductory "walk-through" period, participants learn the dance by walking through the steps and formations, following the caller's instructions. The caller gives the instructions orally, and sometimes augments them with demonstrations of steps by experienced dancers in the group. The walk-through usually proceeds in the order of the moves as they will be done with the music; in some dances, the caller may vary the order of moves during the dance, a fact that is usually explained as part of the caller's instructions. Caller is a person that calls dance figures in round dances, line dances, square dances, contra dances, etc. ...

After the walk-through, the music begins and the dancers repeat that sequence some number of times before that dance ends, often 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the length of the contra lines. Calls are normally given at least the first few times through, and often for the last. At the end of each dance, the dancers thank their partners. The contra dance tradition in North America is to change partners for every dance, while in the United Kingdom typically people dance with the same partner the entire evening. One who attends an evening of contra dances in North America does not need to bring his or her own partner. In the short break between individual dances, women and men invite each other to dance. Booking ahead (lining up a partner or partners ahead of time for each individual dance), while common at some venues, is often discouraged.^{[neutrality disputed][10][11][12][13][14]}

At most dances, no special outfits are worn, but "peasant skirts" or other full, lightweight skirts are popular, as these have a very pretty effect when swinging or twirling and some people find them more comfortable to dance in than pants. This includes some men as well; contra dancers can be quite liberal in the way they dress. Low, broken-in, soft-soled, non-marking shoes, like different kinds of dance shoes, sneakers, or sandals, are recommended and, in some places, required. However, dancing barefoot is also common. Perfumes, colognes, or other scented products are not commonly worn.

As in any social dance, cooperation is vital to contra dancing. Since over the course of any single dance, individuals interact with not just their partners but everyone else in the set, contra dancing might be considered a group activity. As will necessarily be the case when beginners are welcomed in by more practiced dancers, mistakes are made; mistakes will be overlooked, in most circles, as long as they do not upset the experience for the rest of the group.

Form of a contra dance

See main article: Contra dance form

This article supplements the main contra dance article. ...

Formations

Contra dance sets, seen from the balcony of the town house of Peterborough, New Hampshire.^[15]

Contra dances are arranged in long paired lines of couples. A pair of lines is called a set. Sets are generally arranged so they run the length of the hall, with the top or head of the set being the end closest to the band and caller. Correspondingly, the bottom or foot of the set is the end farthest from the caller. Image File history File links Contra_dance_sets. ... Image File history File links Contra_dance_sets. ... Location in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire Coordinates: Country United States State New Hampshire County Hillsborough County Incorporated 1760  - Board of Selectmen Joe Byk, Chairman Gene Kellogg Elizabeth Thomas Area    - Town  38. ...

Couples consist of two people, traditionally but not necessarily one male and one female, referred to as the gent, gentleman or man, and lady or woman.

Couples interact primarily with an adjacent couple for each round of the dance. Each sub-group of two interacting couples is known to choreographers as a minor set and to dancers as a foursome. Couples in the same minor set are neighbors. Minor sets originate at the head of the set, starting with the topmost dancers as the 1's (the active couple or actives); the other couple are 2's (or inactives). The 1's are said to be above their neighboring 2's; 2's are below. If there is an uneven number of couples dancing, the bottom-most couple will wait out the first time through the dance.

There are three common ways of arranging dancers in the minor sets: proper formation, improper formation, and Becket formation. There are many additional forms a contra dance may take. Five of them are: triple minor, triplet, indecent, four-face-four, and whole-set. (For diagrams and full descriptions, see Contra Dance Form main article.) This article supplements the main contra dance article. ...

Progression

A fundamental aspect of contra dancing is that the same dance, one time through which lasts roughly 30 seconds, is repeated over and over - but each time you dance with new neighbors. This change is effected by progressing the 1's down the set and progressing the 2's up (also up the hall and down the hall; see Contra Dance Form main article for full characterizations of the progression in the eight dance forms mentioned above). This article is about the unit of time. ...

A single dance runs around ten minutes, long enough to progress 15-20 times. If the sets are short to medium length the caller will often try to run the dance until each couple has danced with every other couple both as a 1 and a 2 and returned to where they started. With longer sets (more than ~40 people) this would require long enough sets that the caller will usually only run the dance all the way around on (rare) non equal-turn dances.

Choreography

See main article: Contra dance choreography

Contra dance choreography specifies the dance formation, the figures, and the sequence of those figures in a dance. Notably, 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. This article supplements the main contra dance article. ... Look up Choreography in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Most contra dances consist of a sequence of about six to twelve individual figures, prompted by the caller in time to the music as the figures are danced. 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. Caller is a person that calls dance figures in round dances, line dances, square dances, contra dances, etc. ... For other uses, see Music (disambiguation). ...

A figure is a pattern of movement that typically takes eight counts, although figures with four or sixteen counts are also common. Each dance is a collection of figures assembled to allow the dancers to progress along the set (see "Progression," above).

A count (as used above) is one half of a musical measure, such as one quarter note in 2/4 time or three eighth notes in 6/8 time. A count may also be called a step, as contra dance is a walking form, and each count of a dance typically matches a single physical step in a figure. In musical notation, a bar or measure is a segment of time defined as a given number of beats of a given duration. ...

Typical contra dance choreography comprises four parts, each 16 counts (8 measures) long. The parts are called A1, A2, B1 and B2. This nomenclature stems from the music: Most contra dance tunes (as written) have two parts (A and B), each 8 measures long, and each fitting one part of the dance. The A and B parts are each played twice in a row, hence, A1, A2, B1, B2. While the same music is generally played in, for example, parts A1 and A2, distinct choreography is followed in those parts. Thus, a contra dance is typically 64 counts, and goes with a 32 measure tune. Tunes of this form are called "square"; tunes that deviate from this form are called "crooked". Crooked tunes are more commonly used in square dancing, where the phrasing of the dance does not have to align as closely with the phrasing of the music. Square dance is often used as a general term for modern Western square dance. ...

Sample contra dances:^[16]

• Traditional - the actives do most of the dancing

Chorus Jig (Proper duple minor)

A1 (16) Actives down the outside and back

A2 (16) Actives down the center, turn individually, come back, and cast off

B1 (16) Actives turn contra corners, turning inactives by the left

B2 (16) Actives meet in the middle for a balance and swing, end swing facing up

Occasionally inactives will swing in the middle (14 beats) while actives are going down the outside

• Modern - the dance is symmetrical for actives and inactives

Hay in the Barn by Chart Guthrie (Improper duple minor)

A1 (16) Neighbors balance and swing

A2 (8) Ladies chain across, (8) Half hey, ladies pass right shoulders to start

B1 (16) Partners balance and swing

B2 (8) Ladies chain across, (8) Half hey, ladies pass right shoulders to start

Music

The most common contra dance repertoire is rooted in the Anglo-Celtic tradition as it developed in North America. Irish, Scottish, French Canadian, and Old-time tunes are common, and Klezmer tunes have also been used. The old-time repertoire includes very few of the jigs common in the others. Scotland is a Celtic-Germanic country, located to the north of England on the island of Great Britain. ... West Virginia fiddler Edden Hammons, accompanied by his son James on the banjo Old-time music is a form of North American folk music, with roots in the folk musics of many countries, including England, Scotland, Ireland and Africa. ... Klezmer (from Yiddish כּלי־זמיר, etymologically from Hebrew kli zemer כלי זמר, musical instrument) is a musical tradition which parallels Hasidic and Ashkenazic Judaism. ...

Tunes used for a contra dance are nearly always "square" 64-beat tunes, in which one time through the tune is each of two 16-beat parts played twice (this is notated AABB). However, any 64-beat tune will do; for instance, three 8-beat parts could be played AABB AACC, or two 8-beat parts and one 16-beat part could be played AABB CC. Tunes not 64 beats long are called "crooked" and are not be used for contra dancing.

Contra dance musicians traditionally play tunes in sets of two or three related (and sometimes contrasting) tunes, though single-tune dances are becoming popular with some northeastern bands. In the Celtic repertoires it is common to change keys with each tune. A set might start with a tune in G, switch to a tune in D, and end with a tune in Em. Here, D is related to G as its dominant (5th), while D and Em (dorian) share a key signature of two sharps. In the southern old-time tradition the musicians will either play the same tune for the whole dance, or switch to tunes in the same key. This is because the tunings of the banjo are key-specific. An old-time band might play a set of tunes in D, then use the time between dances to retune for a set of tunes in A. (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.)

In the Celtic repertoires it is most common for bands to play sets of reels and sets of jigs. However, since the underlying beat structure of jigs and reels is the same (two "counts" per bar) it is not uncommon to mix jigs and reels in a set.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Contra dance

• Bob Dalsemer
• Quadrille

for the equestrian form of quadrille, see Quadrille (dressage) Quadrille is a historic dance performed by four couples in a square formation, a precursor to traditional square dancing. ...

References

Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Further reading

The New England Folk Festival is an annual weekend festival of traditional dance and music which takes place in the Boston, Massachusetts region each spring. ... Ted Sannella Ted Sannella was a professional square dance caller and choreographer. ...

External links

Descriptions & definitions

• Gary Shapiro's What Is Contra Dance?
• Hamilton Country Dancers' A Contra Dance Primer
• Sharon Barrett Kennedy's "Now, What in the World is Contra Dancing?"

Different traditions and cultures in contra dance

• Colin Hume's Advice to Americans in England

Research resources

• University of New Hampshire Special Collections: New Hampshire Library of Traditional Music and Dance
• Guide to the Collection of Contredanse Notation Manuscript Cards and Other Material. Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California.

Contra dance associations

• Country Dance and Song Society (CDSS) works to preserve and sustain a variety of Anglo-American folk traditions in North America, including folk music, folk song, English country dance, contra dance and morris dance, through its hundreds of affiliated associations.
• Anglo-American Dance Service Based in Belgium, promoting contra dance and English dance in Western Europe.

Photography and Video

• Doug Plummer's Northwest contra dance photos
• Plummer's New England contra dance photos
• A video of the Brattleboro Dawn Dance in Vermont, Susan Kevra calling (19 min) - note the differences in dance and music styles between this northeastern dance and the southeastern one linked below
• A fun video (1 min) of the Montpelier Vermont Contradance, Will Mentor calling for Beeswax Sheepskin
• A video of the Lake Eden Arts Festival 2006 (LEAF) in North Carolina (2 min)
• Two American country dance films on DVD: "Country Corners" (1976), and "Full of Life A-Dancin'" (1978).

Finding contra dances in North America

• Contra Corners (map of US dances)
• Contra Dance Links (U.S. contra dance calendars and further contra dance links)
• The Dance Gypsy (locate contra dances and many other types of dance around the world)
• NEFFA LinkFest (links to dances)
• Ted Crane's Dance Database (locate dances -primarily contra- in North America)