Program Information

Contra College will feature a coordinated teaching program:

The Friday night dance will be full of easy but fun dances, multiple walk-throughs and strong calling.
Saturday morning’s first workshop will focus on movement through the room. The second will be an introduction to waltz.
Saturday afternoon’s first workshop will focus on contra dance technique and the second will be an introduction to hearing and dancing to contra dance music.
On Saturday evening, we will be joined by the regular Palo Alto Saturday night Contra Dance. This will give the Contra College students the opportunity to try out their new skills in a “regular” dance and bring back questions to the group Sunday morning.
On Sunday morning we will de-brief Saturday night’s dance and have final tips and questions.
Late Sunday morning will be a final dance celebration (“prom”) and “graduation.”
After lunch on Sunday, we will offer Contra Grad School, which will be opened up to the general dance community. This advanced session will focus on difficult moves, embellishments and complex figures.
The integrated curriculum will allow dancers to reinforce and practice skills learned during the classes.
Careful pacing will allow dancers to build skills slowly over the course of the weekend and to internalize what they’ve learned as we go along.
There will be more explaining than at regular dances, along with plenty of question-and-answer time.
The group’s small size will allow for lots of individualized attention.
The dances will also be really, really fun, selected to help everyone gain confidence and feel at ease. The carefully-crafted curriculum will emphasize dances that are simple while still being varied and well-choreographed. The energetic live music will be exhilarating!

Contra College 2010 attendees said...

"Thanks for an awesome weekend. I really appreciated the opportunity to become a better dancer and to get my posture and technique corrected. The teaching enabled me to see both how and why things are the way they are, as well as to understand things like why it is that I can't seem to tell my right from my left when the caller tells us to circle right. It was an incredibly fun weekend. While my main goal was to improve my skills in the gent’s role, I've also become better at dancing as a lady."

- Les A.

"I want to thank you again for the wonderful Contra weekend. Bill and I had a fantastic time. Bill had never done a Contra dance before. Friday night was his first dance ever. He does not dance AT ALL. But there he was, winding his way along with a big smile on his face. Everyone was so kind to us beginners. We were met with big smiles and good humor as we bumbled along in our squares and corners, allemande-lefting all the while."

"I have always wanted to dance a waltz with Bill. I never really knew how and Bill could just not get the steps down. It seemed a lost cause. When it was announced that we were going to do the Waltz, I looked across the room at Bill's absolute terror. He was scared!! But, wow, Susan's instructions were really good. She sincerely encouraged him. He woke up on Sunday morning and was practicing his steps all around the bed in our room. A little later, I heard leaves crackling outside and saw him practicing again out in the woods. Later on Sunday, we were promenading our little Waltz all around the floor. Every time we passed Susan, she would cheer him on and tell him how great he was doing."

- Cathy W.

"I enjoyed everything about the weekend. It is especially nice to meet other dancers whom you might see again at local events. When you are a single dancer, it is sometimes daunting to go to an event where you don't know anyone. You made everyone feel welcome and at home. The lessons were fun. Even though I had experience, I still learned some new things! Thank you again for a fun weekend!"

- Kathryn L.

"I'm so glad I attended Contra College! It was great to have the time and opportunity to learn different steps and moves without feeling like I was holding up the dance or missing a chance to find a partner for the next dance. Everyone was so friendly and helpful. It was exciting to see all of us improving together."

- Loretta G.

"I had a wonderful time at the Contra College Weekend 2010. The music was lively and we got to dance as much as we could ask for. For those of us who don't get out to dance often, it was a chance to enjoy a weekend of dancing with time to polish the basics and take on a few new challenges in a welcoming and helpful environment. Sometimes with more experienced dancers, it can feel like you don't know the "secret handshakes," but at the camp, I could see people visibly gaining confidence while having a good time. It was especially nice to spend more social time with other dancers. I've seen other Contra College "alumni" since the dance and there is a feeling of having shared a special time together."

- Carol F.

"The weekend was amazing! The small group made it feel very fun and there were no cliques. No one was left out by the whole group being too large. The friendliness of the people combined with the great dancing, friendly smiles and helpful dynamic to make a winning combination. The group really bonded and had a lot of fun together. There was a lot of laughter and silliness and a really positive attitude towards learning. What made the weekend special, more than anything, was that everyone came in ready to learn and grow as dancers together. We all knew that the focus was on building our skills and helping newer dancers, so everyone was really positive and not at all critical. Mistakes were made and handled and everyone just had fun."

- Joyce F.

Bay Area Country Dance Society

Promoting Traditional English and American Music and Dance

Program Information