Arden Contra Dance

Welcome to contra dancing! This dance has live music and is open to beginners. Please come solo, with a partner, or with as many friends as you can drag along. Any comfortable shoes/clothing are appropriate, and twirly skirts can be great fun. Dress in layers – we keep the doors open and warm up the hall as we dance!

Please don't worry that you're too uncoordinated or whatever: we want you to have fun! It's just a dance. :)

Here’s what it looks like: https://youtu.be/jBoFfHZOM1c

Dance begins at 2:30pm, with a free lesson at 2:00. We meet at the Arden Gild Hall.
Some folks go out to El Diablo Burritos for dinner afterwards (all are welcome.)

Ok, but what is it really?
Contra is a community folk dance welcoming to people of all ages, gender identities, cultural origins, and dance abilities. Ask someone to dance – if you are shy, don’t worry, people will ask you! Couples form long lines and dance with every other couple in the line. The caller teaches each dance before the music starts, and keeps calling with the music until people know it. When the dance ends, people thank their partner and ask a new person for the next dance. You can expect to dance with many new people throughout the afternoon. We dance about five dances, take a break for snacks and chatting, and then do about 5 more dances.

COVID-19 safety measures
Event will be indoors, but ventilation is great with open doors, windows and fans. Some dances require masks, some are mask-optional but recommended. Vaccination is strongly recommended.