Contra dance dates back to the 1800's. During this time it was all the rage among Kings and Queens who wanted to spice up their dancing style. This style of dance was supposedly taken from the streets of England and France. Contra dance is a form of American folk dance in which the dancers form a set of two parallel lines which run the length of the hall. Each dance consists of a sequence of moves that ends with couples having progressed one position up or down the set. As the sequence is repeated, a couple will eventually dance with every other couple in the set. The dance ends when the first couple goes through the line and returns to the first spot. .
Contra dances are extremely easy to learn. In contra dancing your feet never do anything more than walk to the music. You are not asked to learn any special steps. By the end of the hour long presentation every volunteer was contra dancing. Each dance is prompted by the caller at the beginning of the dance, and is also repeated during the dance if needed. The pattern of moves of each Contra dance is repeated at the end of each set. Therefore, making these dances easy to learn. .
There are no obvious gender roles for men or women. In fact, women will even ask men if they would like to dance. Which you usually don't see much in ancient dances. There are usually an equal amount of men and women. However, when this is not the case women will dance the roles of the men. Which is the same dance just on the opposite side. The same goes for men as well. During the performance I saw many women dancing with other women. It appeared to be a normal style of dancing. Instead of looking awkward. .
The live music played a very important role in the event. I feel that if the music was not live it would not have been as fun and exciting. Contra dancing was fun and liberating. It gave me energy and excitement. Live music adds to these feelings during a performance. For instance, if you were to go to a rock concert and the band was playing there C.