This posting on my blog is by no means an academic research document, but more my own personal observations and reflections about the growth of Contra Dance in both the U.S.A. and Europe. My particular experience being in England, with visits to the U.S.A. I am primarily a musician, but also an experienced dancer in this genre of dance.
Contra dance is not new as there have been dances as part of the English Dance repertoire (ECD) since the 1500s and dances that were popularised in the French courts, and other European Courts, during the 16th and 17th centuries by the travelling English Dancing Masters. The common courtly language in Europe at this time was French and so the movements attracted names, which were rooted in French, such as Do-si-Do (Back to Back), Allemain Left/Right (With the Right Hand/Left Hand) (Right hand turn / Left hand turn) (A le main droite / gauche) as two examples.
These ancient dances are still danced today in English Country Dance clubs around the world. They always involved dancing with a partner (A man and a lady together as it was originally a courtship activity – see glossary) and took several forms: A large circle; a large circle couple facing couple; a square; groups of 3 or 4 couples in lines; a long dance with many couples in a line sometimes grouped in 4 people (2 couples), some proper and some Improper (see glossary).
Contradances adapted the longways form of dance. For the un-initiated, these early dances would look little different from the dances we now recognise as Contra Dances which are very different in feel and construction.
The roots of Contra Dance are in the U.S.A. American Colonials (1700s and 1800s) loved to dance, but they didn’t want to be seen doing anything “English”, so they adopted the French name, “Contre Danse” meaning “line facing line” (see Glossary), but also reflecting the progressive movement of couples in opposite directions (Contre). Some progressing up the dance hall and others down the dance hall, thus changing the people dancing together at each turn of the dance.
Through the 1900s there were developments in dance construction which made the dances more fluid, often meaning that all the couples engaged in the same movements whichever direction they were progressing in the dance hall. Thus, the dances involved everyone all the time (well almost). It is interesting to note that many Sicilian Circle dances (Glossary) were, traditionally, already following these ideas. After all, a Contra set can be seen as just a Sicilian Circle in a straight line!
The first glimmerings of our modern Contra Dance appeared in the USA in New England with callers and teachers such as Dudley Laufman. It “resurfaced in the 1970s…. In the New England dance halls, especially those in the Pioneer Valley, improvisation and self-expression served as a much-needed escape from what many dancers saw as an increasingly inhospitable world.” (Amhurst College Project)
In the late 1970s, a band from the UK went to visit New England. It was “The Southerners”, led by Alan Corkett. They came back with fresh ideas to share with dancers and muicians in England. From the 1980s onwards there was increasing exchange of musicians and dancers between the USA and England and other parts of Europe, such Denmark, Holland and Belgium.
Over the years there were many visits and exchanges of musicians, dancers and callers and the idea, in the UK, of an evening dance being entirely made up of Contra Dances gradually took centre stage in many communities and several people organised regular monthly contra dance. I organised the White Horse Contra in Wiltshire, South-West England. There is a Contra Dance in Leeds (North), the Alcester Contra in the Midlands and the London Barn Dance Company who organised dances at Cecil Sharp House, the headquarters of the EFDSS. And many more now exist.
In the 1980s I helped host the first visits of “Bare Necessities” who came to play a “Playford Ball” (Glossary) in the Pittville Pump rooms in Cheltenham. Not in any way a Contra Dance, but it was notable as it was the one of the first times that English dancers in the UK had heard their tunes played with improvisational passages and new harmonic progressions. It really rattled a few people. “What, no tune? How can we dance?”
Bands and Musicians such as Rodney Miller, Stingrays, Tricky Brits and KGB from Seattle, members of the The Berea Castoffs, Kentucky and many more made the journey to the UK to play at Festivals and clubs, and so, from the 1980s, Contra Dance had arrived in England and became a staple component of the English Dance Festivals.
Our English (and Welsh) callers, Rhodri Davies, Geoff Cubit, John Meechan to name but 3 (others callers are available!), specialised in Contra calling and often worked with these visiting bands and musicians.
On the other hand, my band, Skylark, and other musicians got to work with visiting callers such as Seth Tepfer, Brad Foster, Cis Hinkle and many more.
This exchange is continuing and there are now Contra Dances all around Europe. Recently I played in Paris for the Paris Contra with Seth Tepfer and went to Paris again recently to dance to Colorado caller, Wendy Graham. My French Band, Celtiqua played at the Paris Contra in January 2019.
…..and then there’s the music (Which is extremely important, and vital, in my opinion.)
It became clear that the bouncier style of Jigs and Reels that you may find in an English Country Dance did not suit the fluidity of a Contra Dance, nor for that matter, the slightly “lumpy” feel to Scottish reels. Bands who don’t know about, or even dance, Contra Dance often think that Scottish music is good for this style of dance and I have been to Contra Dances where the dancers danced “mock” Scottish movements in the middle of the contra dance to complement the music. These tunes miss the flowing nature of the dances.
In the earlier days it was said that, “The tempo of the music was faster than that of the English Country Dance, usually between 110 and 120 beats per minute. These tempos were fast enough to entertain the younger dancers but slow enough to accommodate older dancers.” (History of Contra Dance – Valleysoundscapes.org Soundscapes Ethnographic & Documentary Projects by Students at Amherst College.)
Gradually dancers became accustomed to new musical sounds. Musicians took well-known tunes and played them, multiple times, with rising and falling tempo and emotion. They often took a leaf out of the traditional Jazz bands and allowed lead musicians to improvise solos while being accompanied by the band’s rhythm section. Certainly not the province of traditional Folk Dance Musicians.
Equally, those responsible for harmonising the traditional tunes threw away their traditional chords and began to create more modern sequences. David Cantieni, New England Musician, calls this “a symbiotic relationship between the music and the dancing.”
Harmonically, the old and traditional reliance on Chords I, IV, and V went out the window and where as a traditional sequence of chords might have been:
C C F G C F G7 C
a more modern arrangement might be
Am7 Am7 Dm7 G9 Am7 Dm7 G9 C6.
Probably, it would be a good idea to get a musical friend to play this if, dear reader, you are not a musician.
In the early days, 1990s, I visited Berea in Kentucky, on many occasions, for their Christmas Country Dance School as well as a few visits at other times of the year and to other places in the USA. It was there I met Al and Alice White (Alice is part of the McLean Family who were instrumental (sic) in providing music for Contra Dancers in Kentucky.)
I played with Alice and Al on many occasions along with pianists Atossa Cramer, Judy Morning Star, Charlie Pilzer and a fabulous Flautist called David Witherspoon. It was through playing with them that I first understood about playing more freely and taking the dancers on a “journey” both harmonically and melodically. Thus, the music was more exciting and “dangerous” which was particularly good for younger dancers who wanted a more “Aerobic” experience. Examples of this can be heard on my CD “Outside of the Square” which can be found on many streaming platforms.
If you get a chance, why not find a local dance club and pay them a visit. There you will be able to experience the joy of dancing. It will need a few visits while you learn the movements, but any good club will help you through those early tentative steps.
Glossary
- Longways (Long lines with Men on one side, Ladies on the other) and Longways improper dances (Long lines with Men on one side, Ladies on the other this time working in groups of 4 with the couples nearest the stage on the other side)
- Sicilian Circle Dances – Couple facing couple around the room. One couple progresses clockwise and the other progresses anti-clockwise.
- Playford Ball – Period costume event dancing dances from 1650 – 1730 from the collections of John and Henry Playford.Proper / Improper– all the men on one side in a long line and all the ladies on the other in a long line. Everyone facing their partners and making small groups of 4 people starting at the top of the room. An improper version is created whereby in each group of 4, the couple nearest the stage / musicians changes sides. Thus, the lines are alternatively man – lady all the way down the set.
- Dancing with a partner: This was the original and traditional way. However, modern movements have agreed that dancing 2 ladies together or 2 men together is acceptable, and this is now making instructions for men and women redundant and dance teachers are finding different ways of delivering the instructions (discuss!)
Sources
- 50 years of personal observation
- History of Contra Dance – Valleysoundscapes.org Soundscapes Ethnographic & Documentary Projects by Students at Amherst College.
Contacts
The Paris Contra
The English Folk Dance and Song Society – EFDSS
The Country Dance and Song Society of the USA. CDSS
The Berea Christmas Country Dance School – Kentucky USA.
Dave Brown's Musical Blog 