There is always a bit of uneasiness when you go to a contra in a new city. "Is this the right door? Is tonight the right night? What am I doing in this place?"
Such was the case at St. Bethany's in Chicago- I was walking around the Church, wondering if I had driven 30 minutes towards the north side of Chicago for no reason, when a woman bundled up in a long coat, hat and scarf with a violin case walked up from the side walk.
"Umm, is there a contra here, tonight?" I asked.
"Gee, I hope so," She said with a slight smile on her face.
As I opened the door to the basketball gym that was attached to the church, I wondered how many teenage boys and girls passed through those doors? How many school assemblies, how many graduations, how many proms? How many hearts broken, how many loves started. The gym was in some disrepair, there were several large holes in the wall above the stage.
It made me sad for a moment, the holes showed disrespect for the space.
There was a class going on with about four people. Then a small group of about six college folk came in, all newbies with the exception of a girl named Ivy. I stepped in, and Ivy and I tried our best to explain the basics. Balance and swing, check. Dosy-doh, check. All the while I was wondering, what the heck was I doing- teaching dance to strangers in a part of town I had never been to.
But that is the beauty of the contra community. It doesn't matter who you are, where you are from, how old, what you do, what you look like- you are there to dance- so you are immediately accepted- which in today's world of constant crisis, fear and loathing- is quite a special thing when you stop to think about it.
The dance started and for the next two and a half hours, Anne, Ivy, Tucker, Andrea guided me around the dance floor- telling me where I should be, and gently guiding to where I should be-
I got "closelined" once- Stepped on one foot- and totally confused at least twice-
Most importantly, I laughed a lot and had a wonderful time.
Thank you Chicago contra people- I had a great evening.
This is what Wikipedia says about Contra Dancing:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contra_dance
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2 comments:
You did a great job of describing your experience and helping others imagine the entire process of being the venturer of the unknown that is known.
You might be interested by a summer camp outside of Asheville in the summers called "Swannanoa Gathering." It is great fun. If you simply visit the Asheville area there are several dance opportunities.
Check it out:
www.swangathering.com
cheers!
Judy
I love the Ashville area- Thanks Judy!
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