Several of you have inquired, "what is contra dancing?" I can refer to you the wikipedia explanation of
Contra Dancing. It is a whole lot of fun - last night I felt excited as a little girl as the caller started organizing us and the band started tuning up their strings. It was a full night as the band (i found out later) was quite a popular one. I would say there was a crowd numbering around 300?? It was packed... it made the do-si-do's and the "swing your partner" a little more bumpy and touchy than normal.
One of the first things to acquaint yourself with upon arriving at a contra dance is the calls. There are a few words that may be new to your vocabulary, like: "allemande" and "hey for four" (still not quite sure what that one means) and "gypsy"... the beginner's practice is very beneficial to attend! You get to see you are not the only one who may not know your left from your right. :-) Here are a list of steps/calls you will hear:
You will have a new appreciation for who your neighbor is and who your partner is... and for those who know more than you do so when you miss a step or two or get all turned around and not sure which way to go... a good partner/neighbor will pull you back in a wink and before you know it, it looks like you know what you are doing!
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| The girl with the cross back dress in the center of the picture is my friend, Sarah. She danced every dance... I think... it is about the most aerobic work out ever. |
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| There she is again! |
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| I was dripping sweat so badly it was dripping into my eyes and down my legs. Lovely... |
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| Here is Faith keepin' in step with the music :-) |
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| As you can see... it is a great time! Both sets of cheeks are hurting before the night is through... ;-) |
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And a few toes are hurting too.... i got a nice blister on my pinky toe.
It was so worth it! |
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