What is this Contra Dance anyway?

Let’s learn a bit about the dance Clarissa and Erik keep talking about. This is provided as “nice-to-know” information for your own curiosity.

Basic Contra Terms

A sketch of dancers in two contra lines or sets. The top and bottom of the hall are shown with the sets stretching away from the band and caller. Dancers are shown in improper formation with hand's-four taken. Larks are illustrated by fo

Contra Dance, often shortened to ‘contra’, is a social dance that originated in the United States. It is the oldest American folk dance and has ties to old English Country Dance, Scottish Country Dance, and French Country Dance. While many correlations are made between contra dancing and square dancing, the two are very distinctive forms.

Sketch of a hands-four figure with four folks alternating roles between lark and robin, all facing into a circle.

To begin, groups of four, known as hands-four or ring-of-four line up in lines or sets and are directed through a series of figures announced to the dancers by a caller.

The caller stands at the top of the hall often shortened to top. This is where the band plays and is usually on a stage. The end of the hall opposite the stage is known as the bottom of the hall.

Some of the formations or figures shown may be marked as proper, improper, and beckett. These terms refer to the exact way in which dancers line up. Understanding of the terms for lining up isn’t necessary to enjoy the dance.

Partners, neighbors, and moving on to meet new neighbors

Image of a hands four highlighting who partners are in an improper formation.

Common contra formations involve couples, known as partners lining up beside other couples in sets. In these figures, each hands-four is comprised of two couples. The couple you are a part of is a couple of partners. The folks in the other couple in your ring are your neighbors.

Image of a hands four highlighting who neighbors are in an improper formation.

Your partner is who you’ll dance the entire dance with. Your neighbor will dance for a brief 64 counts with you and then both couples will move on to meet new couples. This is called progression.

Progressions take place along the set. Couples can progress up or down the hall. Up means your couple is moving toward the top of the hall, where the stage is. Down means your couple is moving toward the bottom of the hall or away from the stage. This is frequently explained as, “ones move down and twos move up.”

Couples moving down the hall are known as ones and those progressing up the hall or toward the stage are called twos.

Once a couple has reached the end of a set, they turn as a couple and face the line again. This changes them from ones to twos or vice-versa.

Larks and Robins

Some dances have roles like '“lead” and “follow.” As there really isn’t a leader or follow roles in contra, the dance traditionally designated roles along gender expression identifying one role as “ladies” and the other as “gents.” In order to support an inclusive model. we ask folks to use the terms larks and robins. These roles are primarily to help each couple orient themselves in a figure. An easy mnemonic is that the lark lands on the left and the robin lands on the right at the end of a figure.

The left and right is determined by the couple’s orientation. So in each couple, the lark will always stand to the left side in the couple, while the robin will always stand to the right side in the couple. Some partners may play with roles and “switch” in the middle of a dance. Many dancers “dance both roles” which means they can comfortably dance as either a lark or a robin. Some folks prefer to always land in the same place and may elect to dance only one role. It is acceptable etiquette to ask a partner if they have a role preference when inviting someone to dance. The caller will announce which role is to perform the figure so listen for your role.

Contra Figures

Contra dances are made up of many small moves called figures. These various figures are woven together to create a new dance. Once the dance steps are learned, any new dance can be easy to learn and follow. Some dances are called without a walkthrough, meaning the dancers have to keep up with the caller in real time. Callers occasionally may call a medley in which the dance moves change throughout the dance. Some common contra figures are shared here. This is not an exhaustive list and is intended to help folks be acquainted with a few of the basics. Most figures last for 8 counts, though a dance may have longer figures, though no longer than 16 counts.

Long lines are a simple figure that involves sets of hands-four to drop hands across and hold hands up and down the set. Each line walks forward for four counts and then back to where they started in four counts.

Figures are not always dependent on a pairing of a lark and a robin. And figures are not always called by the same name. This figure is most frequently called a two-eyed turn or right/left-shoulder round. Notice this figure, like many in contra, does not require the pair involved to be a lark and a robin. In some cases, a figure is danced among two robins or two larks. Some figures may involve all larks or all robins.

It’s not just an optical illusion. You can see how these two figures could easily be turning to the right as to the left. This figure is often danced with eyes locked. Some people find this distracting or stressful and may elect to look at a shoulder or spot on the wall. Just imagine two people dancing around the same center like two planets revolving around the same sun in the same orbit.

To dance a right shoulder round, two dancers face each other and simply walk around one another. These figures are called in terms of the number of times around. Once around is a full 360-degree rotation that leaves you exactly where you started. If a call announces once and a half, you’d end up 180 degrees from where you started.

A swing is really nothing more than a right shoulder round with arms together. A swing is customarily danced between partners and neighbors of opposite roles. Though occasionally a dance may call a swing between robins or a swing between larks.