Capital City Contra

olks of all ages and experience levels! Contra is a group partner dance danced to live music with steps called by a caller. With roots in UK and African folk traditions, old-time genre music and contra dancing are folk-fusion art forms that embody the cross-cultural musical and dance exchanges that happened within melting-pot America in its early stages - a country formed by immigrants brought together by choice, necessity, and by force. For this reason, contra dancing and old-time music are the cultural heritage of everyone on American soil, and it is a tenet of Capital City Contra to ensure that our dances are accessible, inclusive, and welcoming to all. What to expect at our dances:

While traditionally American partner dances have been called with "ladies and gents" terminology, there is a growing movement in the worldwide contra dance community to transition to gender-neutral terminology, such as "Larks" for Leads who are on the Left, and "Robins" for follows who are on the Right. Genderless calling seeks to create a dance environment where dancers of all ages and genders are welcome to dance a lead or a follow role. Capital City Contra is committed to maintaining a contra community culture that supports folks of all ages in learning to dance all roles. In partnership with First Presbyterian Church and Lincoln Land Community College, Capital City Contra dances will happen twice monthly on a pay-what-you-can $0-25 sliding scale basis. Occasionally, additional special dances take place. Musicians are welcome to bring instruments and join in with our volunteer old-time band playing live music for dances. Interested in becoming a contra dance caller? Send us an email for more information! We hope you'll join us for a do-si-do and look forward to dancing with you soon!