Hi! We’re glad you’ve joined our meetup group! Here’s a detailed introduction to what our group is about. Don’t feel like you have to read it all carefully, but hopefully you can get a clearer picture with what’s below. If you have questions, please contact us!
We are a contra dance community. There are a lot of them, all over the US and to some extent around the world. Ours was formed in 1972, and we’ve danced every Wednesday night since then (literally, no one can remember a Wednesday that we’ve missed). We also dance on most 5th Saturdays (in the months that have one), and every August we host a huge dance (~400 people) called Sugar Hill. In addition, we get together for various parties, special dances, and other special events. We pride ourselves in our sense of community.
It’s important to note that our group long predates meetup.com, and only a small minority of our regular attendees use meetup. Our Wednesday dances are usually attended by 25-40 people, but you’ll typically only see a handful RSVP on meetup.com. More detailed information can be found on our website – http://bloomingtoncontra.org.
It’s easy to find information about contradance on the web, but here are some quick facts:
- All contradances are always danced to live music.
- With rare exception, all dances are taught
- Each dance lasts about 15 minutes
- We typically do 8-10 dances a night
- You’ll dance each dance with a partner
- It’s normal to dance each dance with a different partner
- It’s normal to ask complete strangers to dance
Some particulars about our group:
- The first Wednesday of (almost) every month is Open Mic Night. Musicians are encouraged to bring instruments and join the band. It’s also a great opportunity for anyone who wants to learn to call dances.
- Our regular dances are preceded by a half-hour introduction for new dancers. New dancers are welcome to any of our events!
- After our Wednesday dance, a handful of people go out to a local bar for food, drinks and chats. Everyone is welcome! If interested, ask around at the dance, we don’t usually decide where we’re going until then.
Again, please contact us if you have any questions. We’ll hope to see you at a dance sometime soon!