Mark your calendars, this is sure to be an AWESOME community all age event! We are so excited to the end the 2015-16 school year with our first Contra Dance! We are honored to have Mary Wesley (Beeman alumni) to call the dance, to the music of Brian Perkins + friend in the beautiful open-air space at Tourterelle Restaurant and Inn.
Admission: $10/adult - $5/child - $25/family
Cash Bar - All proceeds from bar and admission benefit Beeman Elementary School
Free Appetizers

Contra dance refers to a folk dance, similar to a square dance, except instead of the square formation, it is danced in lines of couples, with every other couple facing up or down the hall. It has mixed origins from English country dance, Scottish, French dance styles in the 17th century, with strong African influence from Appalachia. Sometimes described as New England folk dance or Appalachian folk dance, contra dances can be found around the world and have much popularity in North America and the United Kingdom where weekly or monthly dances and annual dance weekends are common.

Considered a social dance that one can attend without a partner, but is danced in pairs, contra dancing is danced in long lines of couples/pairs formed starting from the stage and down the dance hall. Throughout the course of a dance, couples progress up and down these lines, dancing with each other couple in the line. The dance is led by a caller who teaches the sequence of figures in the dance before the music starts. Callers describe the series of steps called "figures", and in a single dance, a caller may include anywhere from 6–12 figures which are repeated as couples progress up and down the lines. Each time through the dance takes 64 beats, after which the pattern is repeated.
www.marywesley.com
www.brianperkinsmusic.com

Jan 29, 2025, 7 to 8:15 PM

Jan 30, 2025, 6 to 7:30 PM

Feb 2, 2025, 6:30 to 8:15 PM