On one Saturday of every month, the Dairy Barn Cultural Arts Center is filled with people of many different age groups and experience levels who come together to embrace contra -southeastern Ohio's own folkdance.
It tends to be an eclectic group of people
said Athens resident Betsy Keyes, a board member of the Southeast Ohio Traditional Dance Society. What I like especially is that it is intergenerational.
The traditional dance consists of two separate lines for men and women broken into groups of four. The No. 1 couple moves up the line while the No. 2 couple moves down. Basically, everyone dances with everyone by the end of the dance.
Contra is similar to square dancing because of the steps, such as promenade and do-si-do, and the fact that there is a caller. But partners are not limited to one square.
I like the idea of group dancing as opposed to bumping and grinding said Athens resident Dan Kneir, who was trying contra dancing for the first time Saturday. He liked the change of pace -swinging your partner instead of smothering her, he said.
Keyes started contra dancing with her husband in order to try a style of dance that did not have all the fancy footwork of ballroom dancing, which is what makes guys feel uncomfortable she said.
Also, unlike ballroom dancing, everyone is encouraged to change partners after every dance, which attracted associate professor of journalism Eddith Dashiell. Contra and country line dancing are the only ways to fulfill her love of dancing without bringing a partner.
Usually I'm the only African-American here
but I've never felt any different
Dashiell said. We all just share the same love of dancing.
Contra came out of the strong Scottish, Irish and English heritage in Appalachia, Keyes said.
On the second Saturday of every month, the society puts on contra dancing at the Dairy Barn, 8000 Dairy Lane, at 8 p.m., with an instruction for beginners at 7:30. The number of beginners varies from month to month, Keyes said.
They try not to conflict with contra dancing groups in Columbus and Huntington, because contra people tend to travel form place to place
she said.
The society board decides on the year's callers and bands usually around the mid-summer, because many of them are booked fast, Keyes said.
Callers sometimes use traditional sequences, but also compose their own, Keyes said.
Last Saturday was different -it was a fund-raising event for a non-profit organization, and the caller was a member of the society.
Terry Fortkamp, a Marshfield resident, has brought her twin 12-year-old daughters almost every month for the last year.
It's a way of incorporating music and dance into our home schooling. It's a fun community involvement
Fortkamp said. She enjoys watching as well as dancing. Sometimes I come just to watch people smile.
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Ellie Behling
