Wednesday, January 06, 2010

Let your inner Cinderella out! Contra Dancing is here in Pueblo!

Oooh! There’s an announcement on Fiddletoons.com that the Nimble Fingers Stringband will be playing LIVE MUSIC for a contra dance in Pueblo on January 9, and on February 13 and on March 13. I’m so excited! Do you have any idea how much fun it is?

The floor at City Park Pavilion is a good wood floor. And, while I’m not familiar with Duffy Boyle, Chris Kermiet, who will be leading the dancing in March, is a great instructor. I’ve attended his dances since college. How long is that? Let’s just say he’s very experienced and knows as much about square dancing, round dancing and contra dancing as anyone around.

The web site is great, but I’d like to expand on the information there, based on comments I’ve gotten from friends as I’ve tried to talk this up.

What kind of dancing is contra dancing? Girls: it’s the kind of dancing you see in Jane Austen movies such as Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, etc.  Guys: it’s the kind of dancing Wellington did when he won Waterloo. If you’re a fan of Bernard Cornwell, the author, it’s the kind of dancing Richard Sharpe would have done if Cornwell had had him attend a ball.

I don’t know how. I’m afraid people will laugh at me if I make a mistake. What if I step on someone’s foot? Don’t worry about it. The dancing step is a quick walk, nothing fancy. If you watch the more experienced dancers, you’ll notice that they hardly ever lift their feet high enough to get on top of someone else’s foot. If you flub, chances are no one will notice because they’re too worried about their own mistakes. And they’ll be moving on to the next flubber before they’ve had time to think about what you did.

I don’t have a partner. If you’re the sort of person who has more fun when you’re with a friend, bring one, but it’s not necessary.

I can’t afford it. With the flyer you print off the web site, two people attend for the price of one, which is only $7. $3.50 per person! Can you attend a dinner hour movie for that? Heck, can you go out for coffee for that?

I don’t have anything to wear/I don’t know what to wear. The Fiddletoons web site recommends the following (my comments in brackets):

Wear comfortable shoes.  The ideal shoe has good support and a sole that slides (or at least does not stick) [While some beginners like to get all countrified and wear some sort of clod hopper or mountain climber, they’ll wear you out.]

  * Wear light comfortable clothes that breathe and dry quickly. [Because, contrary to what you see in Jane Austen movies, you will break a sweat. This is not a time to wear a silk ball gown. As a female dancer, I think it’s fun to wear a twirly skirt, but if it’s cold, I’ll wear jeans or slacks.]

 

A personal recommendation is that you not wear heavy rings or bracelets.

In addition, they recommend the following: “Everyone should drink plenty of water. There is a drinking fountain in the hall, so bring a water bottle to fill.” [Water is recommended because carbonated beverages will fill up your tummy with bubbles and make you feel oofy.]

In conclusion, the music is cool, the dancing is lively, the people are neat, it’s good exercise for your body and your brain. What’s not to like?

So, rev up the pumpkin! I’m going dancing!

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