Contra Dance Essay

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Contra Dance: The Wonder of Social Music On September 2nd, I experienced one of the most enjoyable folk dances, known as contra dance, at the First Baptist Church. Due to my cultural and religious background, this experience was new to me and full of mystery. However, it led me to wonder how social music, especially contra dance, is powerful enough letting strangers dance and communicate with each other in a perfect harmony. The contra dance community was friendly. There was a group of people that differ in age, gender, occupation, and experience. Yet, by utilizing the different techniques of the contra dance, including the unique atmosphere, none of these boundaries existed on the dance floor. Another reason that makes the contra dance community easily approachable is that no preparation is required. The dances are taught step by step at the beginning of each dance; so no prior classes are needed for participation. Also, the dress code is another comforting feature to this community. It is informal and therefore, it does not require to spend much money on fancy clothes. Thus, you only need to bring your musical soul to the community …show more content…

First, it is obvious that the music reflects a major part of the success of dance. The live band makes the atmosphere and the music sound much better because they are engaged with the dancers and the caller as well. The caller is an essential element of the contra dance. The caller worked on instructing the next moves while ensuring a smooth and harmonious performance of the dancers. I perceived the role of the caller to be a tough one because the caller is responsible for monitoring, teaching, engaging, and dancing with every dancer. Additionally, there was a clear connection between the band, performers, and the caller. Personally, I believe that the band and caller are like one body with different functions as one can’t stand without the

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