Come Contra With Us

Location: Room CDE

Faculty: FOOTMAD

Description: Americans have enjoyed contra dances since Revolutionary times. They combined ideas from French and English country dancing with their own way of having fun and came up with contra dancing. It's a social dance akin to square dancing which has retained its simple, open, community-oriented spirit.

Contra dancing is great exercise and great fun enjoyed by people of all ages and life-styles. It shares some elements with square dancing such as "swing your partner" and "do-si-do," but the couples form long lines rather than squares. It involves mixing with the other dancers as each couple does a set of other figures, called by a caller, with another couple before progressing to a new couple and repeating the routine.

At any contra dance across the country you’ll find live music and a caller who walks you through the dance before the music starts. You can do contras regularly with the Birmingham Friends of Old-Time Music and Dance, who meet at the YWCA (2300 3rd Avenue North) on 2nd Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and on 4th Sundays at 4:00 p.m. For complete information about FOOTMAD, visit www.bamalong.com.