Contra dance, popular in the British Isles and in America since colonial times, might remind you of the dancing you see in movies based on Jane Austen novels — or the hoedowns in westerns. Couples progress through the dance in long parallel lines doing figures such as allemande, dosido, circle, star, promenade, and swing. A caller tells the dancers how to do each dance, and they walk through the figures without music to get the hang of it. Then the music starts, and the caller reminds the dancers of each figure as it comes up, so that they know what to do next. You can get a better idea by watching some of the videos listed below. We also do some circle dances and an occasional square dance if the number of participants permits.
Basics
- Two Dancers
- Four Dancers
- Line Up and Take Hands Four
- A Caller Calls the Dance
- Introduction to Contra Dance +
- Welcome! +
Dances
- ABC
- Airpants
- Alabama Jubilee
- Already Taken
- Al’s Safeway Produce
- Anne’s Visit
- Another Flirty Attempt
- Ap Shenkin +
- Baby Rose
- Beaux of Oak Hill
- Belfast Duck
- Black Nag +
- Bridge of Athlone
- Broken Sixpence
- Childgrove
- Circassian Circle
- College Hornpipe
- C.J.’s Delight
- Dashing White Sergeant
- Down and Out
- Draper’s Maggot
- Duke of Kent’s Waltz +
- Ease About Mixer
- Enid’s Delight
- Enrico
- Family Contra
- Family Waltz
- Flowers of Edinburgh
- Frederick Contra
- Galopede
- Gay Gordons
- Goodbye Liza Jane
- Haste to the Wedding
- Haymaker’s Jig
- Hole in the Wall
- Indian Queen
- Jack’s Maggot
- Jacob’s Potato
- Joe MacDiarmid’s Jig
- Knole Park
- La Bastringue
- Monymusk
- Nottingham Swing
- Petronella
- Pittsboro Pattycake
- Pop Goes the Weasel
- Postie’s Jig +
- Robin’s Maggot
- Simplicity Swing
- Small Potatoes
- Soldier’s Joy
- Steamboat
- Sweet Music
- Virginia Reel
- Walls of Limerick
Videos
- Airpants
- Al’s Safeway Produce
- An Dro Retourné
- Another Flirty Attempt
- Baby Rose +
- Beaux of Oak Hill
- Belfast Duck +
- Black Nag +
- Bridge of Athlone
- Broken Sixpence
- Childgrove +
- Circassian Circle
- C.J.’s Delight
- Dashing White Sergeant +
- Draper’s Maggot +
- Duke of Kent’s Waltz +
- Ease About Mixer
- Family Contra + +
- Family Waltz
- Flowers of Edinburgh
- Frederick Contra
- Galopede
- Gay Gordons +
- Green Apple Quickstep
- Haste to the Wedding
- Haymaker’s Jig
- Hole in the Wall
- Indian Queen +
- Jack’s Maggot
- Joe MacDiarmid’s Jig +
- Knole Park
- La Bastringue
- Monymusk
- Petronella +
- Pittsboro Pattycake
- Play Party
- Pop Goes the Weasel
- Postie’s Jig +
- Robin Ddiog +
- Small Potatoes
- Soldier’s Joy
- Sweet Music
- Valse Clog Hochelaga
- Virginia Reel
- Walls of Limerick +
Tunes
- Alabama Jubilee +
- An Dro Retourné +
- Ap Shenkin
- Beaux of Oak Hill +
- Bei Mir Bist Du Schön +
- Belfast Duck
- Black Nag +
- Bridge of Athlone + +
- Campbells Are Coming
- Childgrove
- College Hornpipe
- Cornhusker’s Medley
- Dashing White Sergeant + +
- Draper’s Maggot+
- Enrico
- Flowers of Edinburgh
- Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss
- French Canadian Medley
- Galopede
- Gay Gordons +
- Green Apple Quickstep +
- Goodbye Liza Jane + +
- Haste to the Wedding
- Haymaker’s Jig +
- Hole in the Wall
- Indian Queen
- Joe MacDiarmid’s Jig +
- Jack’s Maggot +
- Knole Park
- La Bastringue +
- Le 24 Juin
- Monymusk +
- Newcastle
- Ob-la-di Ob-la-da
- Petronella +
- Pig in the Parlor
- Pop Goes the Weasel +
- Rakes of Mallow +
- Reel de Pointe au Pic
- Reel St-Renard
- Robin Ddiog +
- Soldier’s Joy +
- Steamboat +
- Turkey in the Straw
- Valse Clog
- Viola & Fiddle
- Virginia Reel
Resources
- American Country Dances On Line
- Barn Dances
- Callerlab
- Caller’s Box
- Calling Contras
- Cedernet Contras
- Ceili Dance History
- Contra dance
- Contra Dance Form
- Contra Dance Figures
- Contra Dance Choreography
- Contra Dance Links
- Country Dance
- Country Dance and Song Society
- ContraDB
- Contrafusion
- Cracking Chestnuts
- Dance Video Archives
- Dances for Three Couples
- Dufftown Scottish Country Dances
- Easy Contra Dances
- Elements of English Country Dance
- English Country Dance Tutorial
- Irish Danceminder
- Library of Dance + +
- Playford’s Dancing Master
- Play Party in Indiana
- Regency Dances
- Scottish Country Dancing Dictionary
- Sharp’s Country Dance Book
- Simple Satisfying Dances
- Square Dance + +
- Webfeet English Ceilidh Dances +