Here’s a link to a short composite of contra dance photos and videos: https://vimeo.com/67428955

and another link to a great film about contra dancing! Check it out! https://takehandsfilm.com/

Contra dancing comes to us from New England where it’s been popular since the 1800’s. Contra is folk dancing generally done to live music with moves prompted by a caller. The dances are more group oriented as opposed to couples dancing. Dancers pick a new partner before each dance and hop in line together. The caller will slowly walk through a sequence of moves while everyone in the lines follows along. Once we’ve learned the dance, the live band will start and the caller will guide us through those same moves again during the dance. You’ll stay with the same partner for the whole dance, but your neighbors in line will change with each repetition. By the end of the dance, you’ve greeted and danced with lots of people.

It’s easy to learn but never boring! We dance in set patterns to the rhythms of the music. There are thousands of different dances, but they share basic moves. Soon you’ll appreciate the flow of the moves, the energy of the music, and the fun of it.  Our dances feature live bands both local and from the Pacific Northwest and beyond who play music from many regions: Celtic jigs and reels, old-time Southern fiddle tunes, even tunes from Scandinavia and Quebec as well as new compositions by talented contra musicians. Instrumentation can feature fiddle, mandolin, guitar, banjo, accordion and bass. Newcomers are welcome and dances start with a half hour of teaching. You can’t sit still when listening to this great live music – you will want to get up and dance, but it is also really fun to just come to watch the dancers and listen to the music! Newcomers are welcome.

Dances are held autumn through spring on Second Saturdays 7 pm to 9:30 pm. (Children are welcome!! 10 and under must be accompanied and supervised by a paying adult. )

Come and check us out. Good exercise and so much fun!   See you soon. 

If you would like to learn more about contra dancing, here’s link to a Contra Dance lesson series online. Also check out our dance videos here: https://bendcontra.org/videos-contra-dance/

Health Benefits of Dance:

An interesting essay written by Bill Lidicker, Published in the newsletter of The National Folk Organization – the NFO News, September 2019. (Reprinted with permission of the NFO and the author. BCCD is a member of the NFO)