Contra dancing

What is contra dancing?

It\’s fun and lively. It’s easy to learn and you don’t need to bring a partner (unless you want to, of course). In fact, briefly switching partners mid-dance is the norm. Contra dancers are part of a friendly and diverse community that\’s inspired by live music and having fun.

Warning to newcomers: at the end of your first evening of dancing your face muscles may be slightly sore from smiling so much.

Contra dance is a little like square dance. Like square dance, we have a caller who prompts us through the dance. Like square dance, we dance some with our partner, then some with our neighboring dancers. In contrast with square dance, we always have a live band; we dance with 50 or more neighboring dancers since we dance in a line instead of a square (but it’s not what you may think of as line dancing); no special clothing is required. The tradition is to change partners at the end of every dance. You may bring a partner (or other friends), but you’ll have lots of people to dance with even if you don’t.

News Coverage

NPR Youth Flock to Contra Dancing
PBS Lean how contra dancing is sweeping the state

Contra Dance Videos

The Chattahoochee Country Dancers (Atlanta) have produced a series of videos that explain contra dancing. The YouTube versions, for quicker viewing, are listed below.