What is Contra Dancing?

If swing dancing and square dancing met in a bar, you’d get contra.

Contra dancing is a type of community folk dance. This informal dance style draws from a wide geography of traditions, evolving from English country dancing and bringing in many influences including African call-and-response. They came together in the Northern Appalachia region to become the raucous, foot-stomping, high-energy partner dance we know today. 

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Here’s how the dance works: Each dance starts when you find a partner. You can come to a night of contra dancing alone or with a friend, but you can expect to dance with many new people over the course of a night. Couples form parallel lines and move up and down the dance floor, interacting with every other couple in their line. There is no fancy footwork involved – anyone can do it! Calling all of the dances from the stage, the dance caller teaches each dance before the music starts. 

Whether you're looking for a night out or a new community Contra is a night of great live music, dancing, and joy.  

Brooklyn Contra strives to be an inclusive space, which means we welcome all people of all cultural origins, national origins, dance abilities, and gender identities.

New to contra dancing? We've written up some Tips for Beginners.

Still have questions? Maybe we've answered them in our FAQs.

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1st and 3rd weekend of every month!

 

Saturday, Oct. 18th

Friends! We’ll see you for a barn dance in Robert Wagner Park in collaboration with the Battery Park City Authority. We’ll have calling from Maia McCormick, live music from the Some Assembly Required Quartet!!!! Dancing kicks off right at 5:00 and we’ll dance through sunset.

Some Assembly Required brings the energy of NYC's best musicians to the Brooklyn Contra stage. This week two time All-Ireland Fiddle champion Jake James is joined by the driving guitar of Brendan Hearn, Wendy Schers brass band saxophone, and jazz club percussion of Jerome Morris. Together, they'll bring joyous, dynamic, interpretations of traditional Appalachian and Irish tunes to help you whirl away the night.

Maia McCormick is a contradance caller and choreographer based in New York City. She calls around the Northeast and beyond, at festivals, dance camps/weekends, and regular dances alike (including, to name a few: Queer Contra Dance Camp, ESC Week at Pinewoods, Youth Dance Weekend, Dawn Dance, LCFD Spring Dance Camp, and the NEFFA festival).

BE SURE TO CHECK THE LOCATION! 20 Battery Park Place Robert Wagner Park. Its just on the North West side of Battery Park (between Castle Clinton and the Museum of Jewish Heritage).

  • Saturday, Oct. 18th, 2025

  • 5:00 PM 7:00 PM

Sunday, Oct. 19th

Friends! We’ll see you for a dance with some of NYC’s best contra talent! We’ll have live music from the Big Band version of Cake Jam, and calling from our very own Hila Lenz.

Tickets available here.

Cake Jam brings layers of musical complexity to the stage with twin fiddles and rhythmic piano, an icing of traditional tunes, a ganache of fancy tricks and a foot percussion topper that is sure to get a rise out of anyone in the room! Their usually power trio of Matthew Christian and Minda Cowe on Fiddle and Anne Marie Eden on piano will be joined by plus Danny Elias clarinet and Jerome Morris drums

Hila comes to contra from the world Scottish Country Dancing and ceilidh calling. She is excited to meld these dance traditions together.

Sunday, Oct. 19th, 5-8 pm
Lesson at 4:30 pm
Camp Friendship, 339 8th St. Park Slope