Downtown Amherst Contra Dance

A local community folk dance, inclusive & welcoming to all!

Third Wednesdays
7:30pm - 10:00pm
7:00pm intro lesson

What is contra dance?

Contra is a modern social dance that is a cross between English/Scottish/French folk dancing, square dancing, and line dances. Contra is:

Easy to learn ✧ Open to all ✧ Community ✧ Informal ✧ Living tradition ✧ Aerobic exercise ✧ Inter-generational ✧ Fantastic fun!

Tips for new dancers

  • Have fun! If you’re having fun, then you’re doing it right!

  • Try the 7:00pm intro lesson to practice a few basic moves: not required, but helpful!

  • Arrive early in the evening: dances usually start easy and increase in complexity over the course of the event.

  • Dance with experienced community members for your first several dances: they are happy to help you learn!

  • Bring comfy shoes and a water bottle. Clean, soft-soled shoes are best.

  • Anyone can ask anyone to dance: standing up says “I want to dance!”

Is contra easy to learn? Yes!

Our Amherst community loves welcoming new dancers, often 5-15 per event! Here’s why contra is so beginner-friendly:

  • Contra is a social dance — most moves are just walking to or with another person, often holding hands.
    The dancers around you will help guide you!

  • There is no fancy footwork required, just walking to the beat of the music.

  • Contra is a called dance (like square dancing):
    the caller will teach all the moves, and prompt everyone which move comes next during the dance.

  • Contra is all about community and having fun — “mistakes” are expected and OK!
    Each sequence of moves is repeated many times during a dance, so you will have many chances to try again.

  • No special clothes/shoes required.
    We recommend comfortable, clean shoes and lightweight clothes, since contra can be a cardio workout!

What does a contra dance look like?

Contra dances are usually danced in lines of partner pairs, repeating a ~45-second sequence of moves as taught/prompted by a “caller".

Each partner pair stays together throughout the 8-10 minute dance, but you and your dance “partner” get to dance with a different “neighbor” pair each time the sequence repeats!

It is typical (but not required!) to dance with a different partner for each dance during the event.

Contra dance roles: Larks & Robins

Contra dances have 2 roles in each partner pair: “Lark” on the Left, “Robin” on the Right.

Anyone can dance either role, regardless of gender or age. Many of our dancers enjoy both roles, sometimes even switching within a dance! If you are just starting out, we recommend sticking with one role until you are comfortable with it.

Unlike lead/follow forms of partner dancing (e.g. ballroom, waltz, swing, blues, fusion), the two contra roles are equal and fairly symmetrical!

A typical event:

  • Intro lesson (optional) : 7:00pm - 7:30pm
    Learn & practice basic moves

  • 6-7 contra dances : 7:30pm - ~8:45pm
    Each dance includes:

    • “Walk-through” : the caller guides the dancers through the dance sequence, without music

    • Dancers repeat the dance sequence to live music for 8-10 minutes; the caller prompts the dancers what the next move is

  • Waltz and break : ~8:45pm - 8:50pm
    Partner waltz and short break

  • 5-6 contra dances : ~8:50pm - 9:55pm
    Post-break dances are usually more challenging than pre-break dances!

  • Final waltz : 9:55pm - 10:00pm
    Partner waltz

Some callers may also treat us to an occasional square, circle mixer, triplet, or other dance formation during the evening.