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, August 9th:

Friends! Join us for a summer Saturday dance for all the Folk! We’ve got music from the Boston Based The Third Degree, and calling all the way from South Bend Indiana with Casey Mullaney.

Out of appreciation for all of the folks in NYC and around the country who participate in folk organizations, members of Folk Organizations Get in For BKC Member Prices ($9)*

* CDNY, FMSNY, CDSS, Ring O’Bells etc. all count of course, but also if you think it counts it probably does, and if you organize a folk thing that doesn't have membership, that counts too. (We’ll define folk broadly…The propagation of cultural traditions, old and new, that bring people together in joy and harmony. Or something like that ;) ). 

Full Price Tickets Available Here (Folk Folks, we’ll get you at the door)

The Third Degree is a Boston-based band that plays mostly old time and Scottish tunes for dancing. The band has Cecily Mills on Cello, Isaiah Gardham on guitar, and Anika Thomas on fiddle. Together, this trio specializes in bringing fresh tunes from a variety of traditions to the contra dance world.

Saturday, August 9th, 8-11 pm
Lesson at 7:30 pm
Camp Friendship, 339 8th St. Park Slope

Cost of Entry:

Free for sustaining members and volunteers, $9 for supporter members and students, $15 for non-members.