Lake Eden Arts Festival "... DANCE til you drop! To Contra, Cajun, Swing, Celtic, African, Latin, Clogging, Zydeco, Waltz and more or just get out and boogie to your own groove. Dedicated to the pursuit of a good time dancing, we lay a wooden floor in Brookside Pavilion to create one of the south's largest dance floors. And it‚s not just the whirling contra dancers who love it --if you can move we can teach you the groove in one of our many dance workshops or mini dance demos that cover everything from belly dance to Irish step dancing. And don‚t be intimidated, we love beginners too."
Boone Country Dancers (about a 2 hr drive from Asheville) hosts a contra dance 'most every 2nd Saturday'.
Historic Jonesborough Dance Society "... will hold community dances on the first and third Saturdays every month in the auditorium of the Historic Jonesborough Visitors Center at 117 Boone Street. Our dances are open to the public and feature live music in a smoke and alcohol free environment. No experience is necessary..." See Daytrip: Jonesborough for more informaton about this town.
English Country Dance
English Country Dance in Greenville SC "... Some of our favorite dances!
Barbarini's Tamborine, Hole in the Wall, Duke of Kent's Waltz, Fenterlarick, Newcastle, Dublin Bay, Willow Tree, Prince William, The Hop Ground. Occasionally, we try Contra, Civil War era and International dances too..."
Explore the Bliss of English Country Dancing and Celtic Music
English Country Dance Tunes ".... The tunes are suitable for every instrument associated with traditional music, and only 14 notes are required to play them all. They are eminently suitable for playing at country dances, ceilidhs, barn dances and hoe-downs and most have been recorded by notable bands and personalities.... You ll find Scottish, English, Irish, Welsh and American tunes; there s reels, polkas, hornpipes, single jigs, double jigs, slip jigs and waltzes..."
English Country Dances "... There's a tendency to think that the more you pay, the more you get.
Not here. This is a stunning collection of 21 early music tracks that
I've been playing over and over again....."
Celtic Roots "... the early-music revivalists Hesperus perform a selection of English, Irish, and Scottish tunes drawn from the earliest printed sources, some of which date back to the 17th century. Hesperus eschew modern instruments to play this ancient music, favoring instead period instruments like lutes, recorders, theorbos, and violas da gamba as well as the now standard harps and violins.
Their performances are historically informed but there is nothing stuffy or academic about the way they play. They attack the dance tunes with a vigor that would pass muster in the rowdiest pub session and play the slow airs with deep emotion...."
Click on each of the dozens of categories to the left to uncover what makes the Asheville area so vital, so intriguing and so, well, UTTERLY BLISSFUL!
Contra Dancing at Warren Wilson College
BELOW:
"... The second dance features caller Myra Hirschberg calling Becky Hill's "Kitchen Stomp" at Warren Wilson College in Asheville NC with music by Waverly Station..."
New to Contra Dance? Below is a vide which will help you learn the basics:
Poems of Courtesy for Contradancers from the Asheville Dance Community
"... In June 2002, the Monday night contra dance in Asheville, North Carolina did something unusual — they had
a Courtesy Poem Contest as a way of addressing some typical dance community problems, and they published the
twenty-six entries in a booklet. Eight of the poems are below.
'Contradancers love courtesy,' Jeff Baker wrote in the booklet’s notes. 'Many people come to the dance for
many reasons — joy, exercise, social, solace, sadness, perhaps a need for compassion or just support. They may be
slightly injured, they may not want to or be able to swing fast or raise their arms for a twirl. So, let’s be mindful:
honor your partner, in the full sense of the word.'..."
Discover the Bliss
of Contra Dancing
Contra Dance: The Old Fashioned Way ".... This Documentary film was made in 1964 in Northern Vermont. It shows a traditional very realistic contra dance in a small dance hall on a winter's night. It is a beautiful portrait of New England contra dancing at its best...."
Best of Wild Asparagus "... Some say Wild Asparagus is the hottest contra band from New England. Certainly those packing the local dance halls as they tour would agree. Best of Wild Asparagus includes selections from five Wild Asparagus' releases, starting with Music from a Little Known Planet in 1989, to their latest, Wherever You Go. As to their style of contra- Celtic influenced, but with their own special magic....."
Choose Your Partners!: Contra Dance & Square Dance Music of New Hampshire "...a collection of dance tunes played by six New Hampshire groups. Built
upon a blend of English, French, and Celtic influences, the music
features fiddle, guitar, flute, piano, mandolin, and hammered dulcimer.
Some of New Hampshire's renowned dance callers invite you to "choose your partners" and join in New England contra dancing, barn dancing, and singing squares...."
Honor Your Partner: Eighty-One American Square, Circle And Contra Dances, With Complete Instructions For Doing Them
