CONTRA DANCING IN
Monthly
contra dances accompanied by live traditional music are held in
“Down the hall, four in line.”
When?
– the first Saturday of each month from
January 5
February 2
(Look out for
the March Irish Ceili!) (see photo of 2000 Ceili below!)
May 3
June 7
July 5
August 2
Sepember 6
October 4
November 1
December 6
Et cetera . . .
Where?
How much does it cost?
It does cost money to put on contra
dances, so we suggest donations of $6 for adults and $3 for students. Children under 12 are always FREE! (adult
supervision required). Suggested special
family donation of $15.
Contra dancing is fun for
kids too!
What is contra dancing?
Contra dancing is one of the
traditional North American dance forms.
A contra dance is danced with couples in long parallel lines called
“sets”. Each couple moves up and down the
hall during the dance so that during the course of each dance you will get to
dance with everyone in your set. Contra
dancing originated in
“Ladies chain across”
What if I’ve never danced before?
Contra dancing is one of the easiest
types of dancing. All you need is energy
and enthusiasm! Almost everybody picks
up contra dancing the very first dance they try. Your feet are never asked to
do more than walk to the music. Children
as young as six or seven can contra dance.
Dances are always taught before hand and walked through at least
once. During the dance the caller
prompts you what to do next. During a
dance the steps repeat many times so you soon learn what to do. If you’re new to contra dancing it is helpful
to come at
Calling a dance.
Do I need to bring a partner?
No. In fact,
in contra dancing it is normal to dance with a new partner each dance. It is also definitely OK for women to ask men
to dance. Since each couple dances with
every other couple in their set each dance, by the end of the evening you will
probably have danced with everyone in the hall!
Do I need to wear anything special?
Nope. Just wear comfortable light clothing. The Auld recreation center is air-conditioned
in summer and heated in winter.
Some members of Lincoln’s
“Hot Rosin” band playing for a contra dance.
What is the music like?
We have live music played on fiddles, banjos,
mandolins, guitars, and other instruments by groups such as Little Brown Jug and members of
For more information on the
For further Information call or e-mail Chip
(402-325-9450), Gene (402-560-0108), Jon Brt 402-826-2480 (jb31318@alltel.net), or Judy Duerr
402-476-2441 (judid0000@netzero.net). For another web page about
“Swing your partners”
Other contra dances near Lincoln
There is also a third Saturday contra dance
in
(402) 551-5275, (402) 334-0678, or (402) 391-4765
E-mail: VLPRATT@aol.com
or carolgq@cox.net
People usually car-pool to the
Additional contra dance information on the web.
Other Folk Dancing in
International Folk Dancing - The Lincoln International
Folk Dancers meet on Friday evenings in room 310, Mabel Lee Hall on the
Irish Folk Dancing - Lincoln
Irish Dancers – for additional information call LuAnne at (402) 475-8674; e-mail:
lranderson@alltel.net
Scottish Country Dancing – for information call Nick or Jennifer at (402)
483-9009
March 2000 Irish Ceili
Folk Music in
Lincoln
Association for Traditional Arts (LAFTA) – a non-profit corporation of
approximately 150 members.
Other Folk Dancing in
International
Folk Dancing (
Morris Dancing (
Scandinavian Dancing (
Scottish Dancing (
Other Traditional Music and Dance in
Folk Dancing in Nebraska - click
here
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[updated: Sunday February. 3, 2008]