Contra dance is community folk dance similar to ceilidh or barn dance, and we will dance to live music! Anyone may ask anyone to dance, and everybody is supportive and friendly in enjoying the dance together. You don't need prior experience, mistakes are welcome, and the aim is to have lots of fun! The caller will teach each dance, then prompt when you dance to the music. You will dance with a partner and another pair of dancers and progress to a new pair each time through the tune, moving up and down the line so you dance with everybody.
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด / ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ? Bring a water bottle and wear comfy shoes (preferably not too grippy, no high heels). Avoid perfumes and scents. Swirly skirts are a lot of fun to wear for contra (for people of all genders). No need to bring a partner.
๐๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐
Contra dancing is an activity that involves hand-to-hand or arm-to-arm contact and a โballroom holdโ swing. Being physically close to multiple other dancers in an indoor space carries risk of spreading COVID-19. We ask that all attendees at our dances consider the following risk mitigations:
- not coming to this dance with unexplained respiratory symptoms.
- not coming to this dance if you are feeling unwell for any unexplained reason
- not coming to this dance if you know or suspect you have COVID-19 (or any other illness that may be spread by folk dancing).
- not coming to this dance if government guidelines say you should stay at home.
- testing before dancing - LFTs are easily available for ยฃ2 from most supermarkets and pharmacies
- being fully vaccinated - COVID-19 vaccines and boosters reduce the risk of severe illness and may limit spread. As organisers we will mitigate risk by:
- keeping the room as well ventilated as possible.
- providing facilities for contactless payment (but will also accept cash). Face coverings have been shown to reduce COVID-19 infections in indoor spaces. However, they are currently not recommended by the WHO for vigorous physical activity. Please respect othersโ choices about wearing masks.
๐๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐
See our code of conduct for more on etiquette.
๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ? Yes, we plan to continue running dances throughout 2023! Join our mailing list and follow our page to keep in touch. If you have any questions about the dance, what to expect, what to wear, or anything, feel free to reach out to our page, or ask any of the organisers on the night.
