Contra dancing is a noncompetitive, multigenerational activity that promotes cardiovascular health and lots of laughter. Our dances are all held in well-lit, smoke-free, alcohol-free environments. There is always a live acoustic band for your dancing pleasure. You do not have to bring a partner, and we always welcome beginners. Each dance set lasts maybe fifteen minutes, during which time you and your partner work your way down a line of other couples. As you move down the line you dance with a new opposing couple every 30 or 40 seconds. By the end of each dance you will have spun briefly with every other man or woman in your line. Dancers (and frequently do) change partners every dance. Women ask men to dance almost as frequently as men ask the women. Dances range from mildy aerobic to extremely high-octane depending on the band, the caller, and the experience of the dancers. Contra dancers include teenagers, retirees, and all ages in between.

Modern contra dancing evolved from 19th-century English and Scottish country dance, but it's roots go back to Mozart's time. And in case you're wondering, contra dancing has zero kinship to country-western line dancing.

Wear comfortable clothing and nonmarking shoes (high heels = bad idea). Contra is a very active dance style, so you should be dressed to sweat, spin, and skip. A beginner's session is held before the main dance, and the caller walks everyone through the patterns before each set. With a few basic moves you can dance most of the dances that you are likely to encounter. The open structure of the dance allows people to improvise as much or as little as they wish. Footwork is largely unimportant as long as you land in the right place at the right time so that your partner is not left abandoned. It is recommended that you pair off with an experienced dancer until you get the hang of the basics (which usually only takes a few hours). There is a great writeup of contra dance technique here.

This isn't a complete list but it should get you started in the right direction.

• Mecklenburg County, NC (Charlotte, Davidson, UNCC, and neighboring communities): ContraDanceCarolina (CDC) helps organize and promote high-energy contradances in different locations around Charlotte. CDC holds dances one or two Fridays per month. We are a group member of the Country Song and Dance Society.
• Downtown Charlotte, NC: Charlotte Dance Gypsies and the Charlotte Country Dancers. The Dance Gypsies hold monthly Saturday dances and occasional special occasion dances (such as their annual Gypsie Meltdown dance weekend at Camp Thunderbird in SC.) The Country Dancers hold dances every Monday night in central Charlotte, and are dedicated to preserving old-time music in a traditional learning environment .
• Asheville, NC: Old Farmer's Ball and the Harvest Moon Folk Society
• Boone , NC: Boone Country Dancers
• Chapel Hill, NC: Triangle Country Dancers
• Columbia, SC: Columbia Traditional Music and Dance Society
• Greensboro and Winston-Salem, NC: Fiddle and Bow Country Dancers

• Dance Your Way To A Better Body at the Medical News Today web site.
• Let's Dance to Health at the AARP site.
• Don't Be a Square - Dance! at WebMD.

This video is of a Vermont dance, as we ourselves do not have any decent video equipment. We aren't this huge yet, but we have aspirations! If you have trouble getting the video to play, try here instead. Special thanks to Molly for permission to use her video.

You can expect to see some artful and absurd dancefloor flirting among the more experience dancers. Indeed, wholesome flirting is a time-honored contra dance tradition that has been studied in anthropology reports and college dissertations. Given the cynical age in which we live, though, it is not surprising that some newcomers can be caught offguard by this tradition. Just keep in mind that contra flirting is a whimsical and fun part of the dance tradition. A good dancer is sensitive to their partner's comfort range and level of experience, and will try to make sure that a newcomer does not feel uncomfortable.

Our dances always have a high-energy acoustic band. Most contra dance music is very up-tempo and derived from traditional folk music, often with Celtic, New England, or Appalachian roots. Depending on the band, the music may be strictly "old-time", or jazzy, or swinging. You can expect at least two waltzes during the evening. Different dance groups have widely varying musical preferences. To listen to examples of music that you might hear contra dancing, try the following links.

• Crowfoot music here
• ClayFoot Strutters music here.
• Elftones music clip here
• Nightingale music clip here.
• Notorious
• House Red music here
• Jeremiah music here
• Syncopaths music here
• Wild Asparagus music here.