Contra Etiquette
Video
- Wear loose, comfortable clothing, and expect to sweat. Many of us bring
an extra shirt to change into partway through the dance since we think
dancing in a dry shirt is more fun and our partners agree! Drink lots of
water: Dehydration is no fun, even if water leads to more sweating. Please
also wear sturdy, clean, soft soled shoes to protect our floor. Many dancers
bring shoes that they put on at the dance.
- Contra dancing, unlike most sports, throws you into the arms of another
new person every few seconds. Some dancers are hypersensitive or allergic to
highly scented products such as perfume, after shave, cologne, etc, and
others react to odors such as spices, onions or garlic. Please be thoughtful
in your pre dance scent application. And, yes, fresh bathing and clean
clothing win you points.
- Anyone may ask anyone else to dance. Same gender dance partners are
common. To be welcoming and to help people not fear rejection, we also
cultivate a community in which you generally accept an invitation to dance
unless you have good reason not to.
- Many experienced contra dancers improvise during a dance. We encourage
artistic expression and experimentation, but being on time to the beat and helping your
partner be on time are always more important than nifty embellishments.
- Dancers flirt to various degrees. Contra dance flirting is usually
meaningless fun, but of course dancers do also find romance on the floor.
Please pay attention to your partners comfort with flirting.
- People dance in close physical contact but please hold yourself so that
both you and your partner are comfortable. Remember that your partners
comfort zone may be different from yours!
- Eye contact can help prevent dizziness during swings and allemandes. Eye
contact is also fun, friendly, and flirty. If youre not comfortable with
eye contact, try using your partners ear, chin, collar, etc., as a
dizziness preventing focus but be careful not to focus your gaze anywhere
that could make your partner uncomfortable (e. g., down at a womans
chest!).
- You should be comfortable at a contra dance. However, different people
are comfortable in different ways, so dancers can have a mismatch. In the
event that someone approaches you or dances with you in a way that makes you
uncomfortable, here are some suggestions: Your comments will probably be
most effective in person, especially if the other dancer is unintentionally
causing you physical pain. We suggest gently and forthrightly saying,
"Please do not do X. When you do X, it makes me feel Y. I would prefer it if
you do Z." This feedback can help people learn and grow. Remember that in
all likelihood this person has no desire to make you uncomfortable and will
be appalled at themselves and grateful to you when they find out. If
approaching this person by yourself does not feel possible, please discuss
the issue with a board member and we shall work with you to solve
the problem. If you are not sure who the board members are, please ask the person
who made the announcements or the cashier.
- We welcome children. However, please keep your children who are not
dancing off the dance floor for safety on all sides.
- Contra dance demands coordination with yourself and with others. Dancing
under the influence, just like driving, can be a tricky proposition. Please
be responsible, especially so that your dancing does not impair the rest of
the set.
(Source "Cincinnati contra
dancers" )