Celebrate Spring with a Contra Dance

May 12, 2016

Celebrate Spring! Bonners Ferry Contra Dance May 20, 2016 from 7:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. at the American Legion Hall, 6416 Kootenai St, Bonners Ferry. Featuring live music by Out of the Wood, with Emily Faulkner calling. $5 per person or $20 per family. Please bring a potluck treat to share. Enjoy live music, dance your heart out, meet your neighbors, and participate in a lively dance community that extends from coast to coast. Contra dancing is an old New England dance form that has experienced a tremendous revival in the last fifty years. We contra dance to live music—often a fiddle with guitar, piano, banjo or other accompaniment, playing mainly jigs and reels. A caller teaches the dances by walking all the dancers through each of figures before the music begins, then calling the figures during the dance. Each dance of the evening begins with lines of couples facing couples, joining hands to dance a number of figures together. With each repetition of the tune and the figures, the dance moves each couple on to a new couple in the line. The figures are repeated, and everyone eventually dances with everyone in the set. At the end of one dance, it is customary to find a new partner for the next dance; men and women ask each other to dance. No need to bring a partner. Previous dancing experience is not necessary. If you can walk quickly, count to eight, and know right from left, you can contra dance. First-time dancers are heartily encouraged to arrive on time for an introductory dance at 7:00 p.m. Comfortable shoes and comfortable, breathable clothing is best to wear: contra dancing is good exercise! Questions? Call Connie Sue 946-7301 or Mary 267-5148.