If you know me, you know how much I enjoy dancing. Not just any dance, but particularly English Country Dance. I've been a member of a local dance group for about three years now. Through ECD, I've met several amazing people, including a certain dear Texas family. :-) What I've recently been introduced to is Contra Dancing. I had heard of it before, but never really knew what exactly it was. Since contra was going to be part of an ECD weekend, the dancing members of my family visited a local contra group to get a "head start". As it usually goes with dance, we were hooked. :-) This particular group has a wonderful wood floor, live music, great callers and good dancers.
Contra dance is a bit difficult to describe. It has been described as "making your own amusement park ride", "how many spins can you incorporate" and "how dizzy can you get". Unlike ECD, there is a lot of room for variation and improvisation. Extra spins and stomps can be incorporated at will. It's definitely an excellent source of exercise. ;-) The first time I did contra, it just about doesn't make sense. Once you've done it a few times and have learned the basic moves, it is a lot of fun adding the "decorations". After a couple of months, I have finally gotten the hang of it and am able to dance as a guy. The man's part is almost more fun than the lady's!
So now you've read more about contra dance than you probably wanted to know. ;-) But, if it's enough to convince you to try it, my mission is accomplished. If you're already hooked, I'm looking forward to reading your gushing comment about how much fun contra dancing is. :-)
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So, do you like contra dancing better than ECD? :D I LOVE contra dancing. The people around here have barn dances and they are a blast! All those people who do ECD are really missin' out if they've never been to a barn dance! The ECD that I went to... well, let's just say it was fun, but kind of confusing at times. :P
ReplyDeleteI like the way you put it "decorations" :D
ReplyDeleteWe have totally made up a new way to do Levi Jackson!!! I will have to tell you all about it later. :)
Oh, Hannah...that is some sticky territory. ;-) ECD and Contra are similiar, yet different. They are both fun in their own ways. I don't think I could choose one over the other. Some people, I'm sure, find ECD more comfortable and some find contra more comfortable. I love the liveliness of contra, but I also love the beauty and gracefulness of ECD. If you ever come to NC, you'll have to come dancing with us. :-)
ReplyDeleteTorie, I love your new way for Levi Jackson! The version our group does is slightly simplified. I looked over the original insturctions and did my own interpretation. :-) Instead of stomp and kick, I changed it to setting (too much confusion over the direction of the kicks, and I didn't want to be kicked!). Once we do all our performances, maybe the group can start working on it again. They are just doing it too slow. We need to work on timing. :-P