Contra!

[celticdragonfly]

I have been saying lately that I need to get more active. I'm not generally all that worried about losing weight, as long as I stay reasonably healthy - and I had been in the past, but recently I could tell that I was not. I suspect my lack of activity was contributing to my recent bad bout of depression. Now that I'm getting out of that, I want to get more exercise in my life. That's a lot harder than it sounds, with two small children and a tight budget.

Well, I've wanted for ages to get back to contra dancing. I've done it with friends in Atlanta when visiting there, but never here - because it's allllll the way over east of downtown Dallas. Well, I realized they were doing it this weekend, and I really wanted to go, so I sent a begging email to sandy_tyras and she agreed to come watch the kids for a few hours, and selenite and I went.

It was great. Nice friendly people, good music. We got there a bit late, and had to leave early - I actually only ended up dancing two contra dances and half a waltz with selenite, but it's a good start. He hasn't done contra dance in something like 3 or 4 years? Or maybe more? But nonetheless he did very well. I feel good, energetic, exercised! And it's a kind of exercise I like doing, I enjoy the movement and the music and the patterns are wonderful and make me feel so good. I don't *mind* that I get all hot and sweaty, and there are very few forms of exercise that's true for.

We really need to do more of this. Seriously, this is going to increase my lifespan. I need this.

One thing that will help is that they're changing locations - someone actually bought an old theater and they're turning it into a dance hall, with a sprung wood floor!!!. It should be done by early July. It's also about 25 minutes closer to us, they say. This will help a lot.

But we are going to need babysitters. I told sandy_tyras to think about what could we do for her to make it worth her time to do this for us more, and maybe we can find other people who can babysit too. I really need that. And hey, maybe other people would like to come dancing, too.

(Note for those who haven't done it - contra is a lot of fun, and honestly, I think a lot less intimidating than most forms of dance. You don't have to make up some sort of dancing and hope you look cool, like in clubbing - it's more like programming code dance, there's a set pattern to follow, which they walk you through to start, then keep calling with the music.)

Update: Here is the website for the dance organization

Comments

[kd5mdk.livejournal.com]

Do you know anywhere that does Sandinista dancing? Outside Nicaragua, that is.

:)

[selenite.livejournal.com]

Berkeley, Cambridge, and Santa Monica. But you have to be vouched for by a member of the Party.

[msminlr.livejournal.com]

There is a lot of overlap (especially among the band members...) between the Rackensack folk music society and the Arkansas Country Dance Society. For a few years I hung out with the ACDS mostly for the guitar practice I got by setting-in with the band.

[kattelyn.livejournal.com]

From your description, it sounds very much like square dancing. Its only recently in history that dance HASN'T been a set structured pattern, that it has become more freeform. Waltz, 2-step, swing, polka, tango, foxtrot, rumba, (and many more that I can't think of cause I've got blood in my caffiene stream) are all set patterns that you elaborate around. You learn the dance and the steps, THEN you start elaborating on that if you want to. You don't go out on the dance floor and gyrate like a rabid monkey.

You know that square dances and the older country dances and some of the medevil dances were very structured.... think the dance in "Shindig".

*laughs* Now, before I ramble too much more, my opinion. Screw modern. Enjoy what you enjoy. Your thing sounds like a heck of a lot of fun and like some great exercize. *grins* It sounds like back in the day when I could squeeze my ass into a pair of size six jeans and go dancing all night long :) I LOVE dance. I just don't like modern dance either. *grumbles* buncha rabld beasts humping somebody's leg. THAT'S NOT DANCE!

Oh, and my deepest heartfelt congratulations on getting Karl out there doing it. Its a lost cause trying to get Miles out there, and I happen to have a "hot latin lover" with no rhythym. May you share the secrets of getting a man on the dance floor ;)

[joyeuse13.livejournal.com]

In fact, it is a precursor to square dancing--it started in New England and morphed from there. The name comes from the popularity of 18th c English country dances in France, where they called them "contredanses," which is French for "We can't pronounce country dance." :)

Laura, I'm so glad you went and had fun, and I'm glad they're moving the dance closer!!

[celticdragonfly.livejournal.com]

Oh, you made me laugh, thank you.

[celticdragonfly.livejournal.com]

It is similar to square dance, and the contra dances we went to out in California would occasionally do a square dance or two. Contras are simpler, and long lines of couples.

Waltz and the list you have yes, are set patterns you elaborate from. Modern dance is structureless. Contra is more structured than waltz and the like - more of a pattern, a lot less knowledge and ability required. Honestly, it's a geek's dance! Karl wouldn't do freeform dances with me, but he can do this. I bet Miles could, too.

[castiron.livejournal.com]

Great, and yay for closer location and better floor!

I'm not a major contra fan myself, but it is indeed fabulous exercise. (And in case it meshes with your schedule/budget some year, Austin Friends of Traditional Music hosts the Fire Ant Frolic, a big contra event, the first weekend in November.)