Contra Dance

      I usually like to think of myself as a renaissance man. By that I mean I’m pretty good at a whole array of things but after tonight I found this self-proclamation to be wrong. After a class field trip, so to speak, to the boys and girls club to participate in a weekly contra dance I found myself stumbling around like a buffoon. I stepped on toes, ran into people, and wasn’t always cognizant of where my hand placement was. This being said, I had some of the most fun I’ve ever had at IFS tonight. There’s something about letting go of your pride and ego to dance with an old lady around a gym that puts a pep in your step.

            The Bloomington Contra Dance happens every Wednesday night at the boys and girls club on the gym floor. There was a four dollar entrance fee but since we were new and first timers don’t have to pay, we got in for free. I found this hospitality very inviting but it also sent across a message that it isn’t entirely about the money, but I’ll come back to that later. The atmosphere was fit for a basketball game rather than a dance, but little did I realize that I was treading on what was soon to be the dance floor. All of faces that greeted me with smiles and nice howdy do’s really gave me a reality check that this was about to really happen. Then the announcer told everyone to take their places and grab a partner and it was very reminiscent of a school yard pick for dodge ball as all the well-seasoned and experienced dancers were picked first leaving me and a few friends still trying to figure out what Contra is. Finally Izzy and I paired up at the last minute to save each other from the danger of dancing with a stranger. The announcer next tried to teach us the basics of the dance and walk us through what it was going to look like. We had no clue what a spin or a gypsy stare was so immediately we had other dancers come over and push our bodies and hands in the right positions. Once we got a few practice runs in we started to make some head way and get a little dance knowledge then the music started and we were off. The music was very similar to the old time music we listened to in class the day of the dance because it was very rhythmic, it had a driving force, and was repeated in an AABB format. This characteristic of music made it almost impossible to resist the urge to grab a partner and dance but more importantly it had a steady beat that we could all fall back on if we got lost.

One thing I noticed while we were dancing, besides the constant laughing happening on our part because of all the mistakes we made, was that you got a chance to dance with almost everyone in the room. To me when I think of dancing, especially with a partner, I think that you only dance with that one partner but this is not the case for the contra dance. Everyone danced with many partners and this made for a unified atmosphere getting to talk and dance around with everyone in the room. This brought all of us together and even started somewhat of a relationship between people we touch. For example, if my partner and I danced with a couple at the end of the night that we’ve already danced with at the beginning of the event, it made it feel like we already knew each other and made it feel more comfortable to dance with them again. So as the night went on and we changed up our partners a couple of times the room felt like a big group of friends that were just enjoying music and each other’s company. Compared to a more mainstream forum of public dancing and music making that focuses on putting on an entertaining performance with your one partner, this form of participatory dance wasn’t about the performance but the relationships built and the bonding. Also instead of a lecture that would be given at a formal dance class to teach all the moves, the contra dance was taught by older people sharing their wisdom and experiences with us. A great example of this was right before the second song when the older gentleman stole the mic to give his input and advice on how to handle the next move.  It’s like the knowledge of how to do the contra dance has been passed down generations through word of mouth and through events such as these community gatherings where everyone is welcome.

In between songs my partner and I were having a causal conversation when an interesting subject about the dance came up. She said that a lot of times during the dance eye contact is inevitable and sometimes necessary but to me and a lot of everyone else this eye contact made us feel awkward and uncomfortable. It felt more comfortable to stare at the wall instead into the eyes of our partner and I think this is due in part because of the society that we’ve grown up in. A world where face to face interaction is limited and relationships are based on informal texts and online profiles teaches us that this “eye to eye” contact is not needed or normal. My partner then continued to say that the reason they put these parts in the dance was because of the origins of this dance. She said that it wouldn’t be uncommon for people in the same town to never see each other and talk because of their busy schedules. But the times that they did get to see each other were at community dances such as this so they made the most of every moment they had and looked into their partners eyes the whole night to saver and enjoy every minute.

This dance, as a great example of cultural coherent, reflects the time long ago where interactions between people and their relationships were different. They were based on staying close with their neighbors. It would be like everyone in a town coming together and everyone participating for the greater good of the group just to enjoy each other’s company. I hope that I have the opportunity and the desire to attend another event like this but the realist side of me doubts that it will ever happen. None the less, the Bloomington contra dance is a special event that should not be over looked nor ignored because it’s events like these that keep a town like Bloomington close and strong.