Contra Dancing... ?

I went to my first Contra dance in New Paltz last Saturday night and was immediately hooked. My wife has dragged me to lessons for Swing and Waltz and other kinds of dance and it's always been unpleasant.... Thanks for the feedback (u 2 pkglide), my experience is very similar. I used to hate dancing from back in HS. I eventually got to where I liked going to dance (at clubs and such) where you’d just shake it loose, no structure at all. I’ve tried various forms of structured dance (like Waltz and Cajun/Zydeco), but could just not seem to get it, with crunched toes and banged shins frequently being the result. One of the things I immediately liked about contra dance is that foot movement is not critical. It is important to be in the right place at the right time, but how you move your feet to get there is not all that important (though you will definitely develop a pattern with practice). The music is designed to let you know where you are in the dance, so as you learn to listen for this it becomes a really simple process. If you are able to attend a dance where most of the folks know what they are doing you learn a lot faster (and have that much more fun all that sooner) as folks will generally nudge you in the right direction if you get lost. I always tell folks if you can count to 8 and climb a flight of steps you can contra dance. It really is hours of pure fun! And it can be pretty aerobic too if you want it to be, or you can literally just walk through it. This is one reason this form of dance has such a wide appeal age-wise. Some of the most fun dances I’ve attended were dances where folks brought their kids (who generally learn contra faster, and have more fun with it, than the adults). The social and community aspect of contra dancing is what really keeps me coming back. CD communities tend to be like small villages where you get to know everyone in some degree, and these self-sustaining volunteer communities generally have a very supportive atmosphere. My favorite definition of contra dance goes “hours of pure fun, where every few seconds a different person of the opposite sex is flung into your arms.” Again: These are great social mixers, and I think they could be a big hit for an after meet event. Find a dance: http://contradancelinks.com/ One of many sites with info and links: http://otmad.net/ Have Fun!

I went to my first Contra dance in New Paltz last Saturday night and was immediately hooked. My wife has dragged me to lessons for Swing and Waltz and other kinds of dance and it's always been unpleasant.... Thanks for the feedback (u 2 pkglide), my experience is very similar. I used to hate dancing from back in HS. I eventually got to where I liked going to dance (at clubs and such) where you’d just shake it loose, no structure at all. I’ve tried various forms of structured dance (like Waltz and Cajun/Zydeco), but could just not seem to get it, with crunched toes and banged shins frequently being the result. One of the things I immediately liked about contra dance is that foot movement is not critical. It is important to be in the right place at the right time, but how you move your feet to get there is not all that important (though you will definitely develop a pattern with practice). The music is designed to let you know where you are in the dance, so as you learn to listen for this it becomes a really simple process. If you are able to attend a dance where most of the folks know what they are doing you learn a lot faster (and have that much more fun all that sooner) as folks will generally nudge you in the right direction if you get lost. I always tell folks if you can count to 8 and climb a flight of steps you can contra dance. It really is hours of pure fun! And it can be pretty aerobic too if you want it to be, or you can literally just walk through it. This is one reason this form of dance has such a wide appeal age-wise. Some of the most fun dances I’ve attended were dances where folks brought their kids (who generally learn contra faster, and have more fun with it, than the adults). The social and community aspect of contra dancing is what really keeps me coming back. CD communities tend to be like small villages where you get to know everyone in some degree, and these self-sustaining volunteer communities generally have a very supportive atmosphere. My favorite definition of contra dance goes “hours of pure fun, where every few seconds a different person of the opposite sex is flung into your arms.” Again: These are great social mixers, and I think they could be a big hit for an after meet event. Find a dance: http://contradancelinks.com/ One of many sites with info and links: http://otmad.net/ Have Fun!