Contra dance

Common card · No. 232903

Contra dance (also contradance, contra-dance and other variant spellings) is an American form of folk dancing made up of long lines of couples that is based in European folk dancing traditions. It has mixed origins from English country dance, Scottish country dance, and French dance styles (contredanse and anglaise) in the 17th century. Sometimes described as New England folk dance or Appalachian folk dance, contra dances can be found around the world, but are most common in the United States (periodically held in nearly every state), Canada, and other Anglophone countries. A contra dance event is a social dance that one can attend without a partner. The dancers form couples, and the couples form sets of two couples in long lines starting from the stage and going down the length of the dance hall. Throughout the course of a dance, couples progress up and down these lines, dancing with each other couple in the line. The dance is led by a caller who teaches the sequence of moves, called...

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