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Question: Contra dancing!?
Can someone tell me what contra dancing is!? I'm suppose to be doing this tonight and I have never heard of it before!. Best answer gets 10 points!.Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
Usually contra dances are open to all, regardless of experience!. Many offer beginner-level instructions before the dance!. A typical evening of contra dance is three hours long!. "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!.

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!.

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!."

I hope this helps - and I'm sure you had fun!!!Www@QuestionHome@Com

It is the style of common dance from the 18th and early 19th Century!.!.!.sometimes called English country dancing!.!.!.!.it has nothing to do with coutry music though!.
It is the fore runner of square dancing!.Www@QuestionHome@Com