Contra dance represents community

On the weekends, students are often looking for something fun and productive to do with their time. I suggest that students experience the excitement of a good contra dance.

Recently, contra dancing has caught on in large numbers among students at Brown University and the University of Rhode Island. In the meantime, many other universities, including this one, remain vastly unfamiliar as to what a contra dance is.

So before I go any further, what is a contra dance? First, contra dancing is not square dancing and it is not country line dancing. It is a unique style of dancing, but it is perhaps most similar to English country dancing - except that it is conducted at a much faster pace.

A caller runs through the dances and a live band is always present. The music is traditional, with heavy reliance on Celtic jigs and reels. From the caller and the band, massive amounts of energy and enthusiasm develop at the dances.

Contra dancing does not require a partner, nor does it require any experience. In fact, by the end of the night it is quite likely that participants will have danced with everyone of the hundreds of people in the room. What makes contra dancing special is that it requires people to move and progress along a line so that a figure sequence is danced with a number of couples.

Contra dancing is also a great exercise workout. The dances are quick-paced and allow dancers to make moves even more complicated through improvisation. The result is a high-energy dance that requires dancers to move their feet to the beat.

Such a type of dancing may sound foreign, and perhaps even undesirable, to a generation of students raised on dancing to hip-hop and rap music. It may even sound too far outside of the box for students who are only used to dancing with their same circle of friends.

I myself have been contra dancing for about two years - introduced to the contra by a good friend of mine on one cold evening over winter break. Since then, I have brought a number of my friends to contra dances. I have brought some of the toughest people I know, who stated unequivocally how they were just coming to try it out. Yet at the end of the day, everyone that has come to a contra dance has enjoyed it and wanted to go back for more.

A handful of UConn students hit the road on Friday and Saturday nights in order to contra. While there are dances in West Hartford and Chaplin, the most popular dances are those at Rehoboth and Greenfield, Mass. in addition to the dance at Brown University.

Perhaps the greatest thing about contra dances is the societal barriers that are broken. The dances are filled with a friendly sense of community - after a couple of dances, people know your name. Fellow dancers are willing to socialize and ask about how things are going. The age range of dancers is extremely diverse, but a large number of college students and teenagers regularly attend the Rehoboth and Brown dances. People love to talk and mingle.

By its very nature, contra dancing does not come with the social stigmata of asking people to dance. Asking a fellow dancer to be your partner is easy and dancers do not have to fear rejection. The callers always encourage dancers to mix up partners, so dancers must change partners between dances.

Perhaps one of the reasons contra dancing has yet to catch on at UConn is a result of the fact that there is no existing dance on campus. This campus would greatly benefit if the Department of Campus Activities helped a group of students hold a contra dance on campus. I certainly know there are other contra dancers out there on this campus. I suggest those dancers who enjoy the excitement of contra form a contra dance club on campus.

If organized, student dancers could seek funding from the Undergraduate Student Government to pay for a band and caller. Through a campus organization, space could be rented at a venue such as the Armory - a location that would seem to be a good site for a dance. Not only would a campus dance draw UConn students, but a well-timed dance would also draw friendly visitors from both the Rehoboth and Brown dance.

Clearly, a demand for a quality contra dance in the area is apparent. I am sure that a large number of the UConn ballroom dance team members would be willing to spend their time dancing the night away to contra. Over a 100 members strong, the assistance of the ballroom dance team should be sought out to form a UConn contra.

The joy of contra dancing is something that is hard to explain. Yet it is the excitement, energy and sense of community that keeps me willing to drive nearly two hours to attend a dance at Rehoboth. The people I have met there are some of the nicest people I have ever met. I have exchanged e-mails with a number of fellow dancers. In the process, I have come to know these people as my friends.

Such a sense of friendship is not something that is found at your average college rap and hip-hop dance. In a world where students know less and less about traditional forms of dancing, contra is a blend of traditional dancing mixed with its own unique spices.

The first time I ever went contra dancing, I was extremely nervous - about having to ask people to dance and about dancing with many people who were better dancers than I was. For anyone out there, I am sure it may be a bit nerve-racking to step outside of the box and try a contra dance. Nevertheless, if you are willing to take the risk, you will find something to become passionate out - good music, good people and good dancing.

Source:

http://www.contradancelinks.com/rehoboth.html