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→How Contra is Danced Today, at Williams: m
At Williams, [[Dancing Folk]] hosts about one dance a month. All these dances have a live band, usually our 'house band', [[Rude Cider]]. Once or twice a semester, though the club brings in a professional band, which adds a whole new level of energy to the event.
After choosing a partner and lining up 'across the set' from that partner, a [[#The Band and Caller|caller]] teaches the ~8 moves ("figures") that will be danced by all in the dance, and talks the crowd through these moves while they try them out together ("The Walkthrough"). There are dozens of traditional figures out there, and more being invented, and each dance is a new selection and arrangement of them, but all contradances have one key thing in common: on full time through the dance (64 beats of [[#The Music|music]]) puts you and your partner at the beginning again, only with a different couple to dance with.
This may sound a little complicated, but all levels of experience can and do dance together and still have tons of fun. Participating demands no grace or poise (these can be added later), and some describe it not as dancing, but as getting yourself to the right spot at the right time, or walking around the dance floor. Unlike just about every other kind of dance you can name, footwork is quite optional: it can be just as simple as walking (preferably in time to the music), but more experienced dancers add plenty of style, finesse, and variations to test themselves and thrill their partners.
