Since you need an answer quickly i’d say it’s a term in the folk dance world and it’s possible that different folks will define it differently.
Personally I can see how a 4 X 4 could be a contra since it progresses in the same way but not other formations like squares and circles. Sent from my iPad > On Jun 27, 2018, at 4:47 PM, Colin Hume via Callers > <callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > > I'm in Germany, and I'm speaking for the next few days at a Conference run by > the European Callers and Teachers Association. > Several of my sessions are about Contras, and speaking to the Contra > Coordinator as we drove to the hotel I realised we had very > different ideas about what a contra is. I say it is an American (or > American-style) dance, longways duple or triple. He classes > three-couple dances (such as Ted's Triplets), four-couple dances and circles > as contras. He even classes my dance "Sting in the > Tail" as a contra. This is for two three-couple sets side-by-side and > involves siding into line, set and turn single. I would > regard this quite definitely as "Playford"-style, and I think Americans would > categorise it as English. But what is a contra? I > know the hot-shots would say that it's longways duple improper or Becket with > a partner swing and preferably a neighbor swing, but > is that your definition? What about an early American dance such as "The > Young Widow" - is that a contra? Can a dance in waltz > time be a contra? I think of a contra as mainly danced to reels or jigs, > though I know there are a few to slip-jigs. Within > reels I would include marches and American hornpipes, which are smooth, but > not English hornpipes which I would dance to a > step-hop. And not Strathspeys. I would say contras are done to a walking > step, apart from the swing which is often a buzz step. > But do you agree with me? > > Answers fairly quickly please! > > Colin Hume > > Email co...@colinhume.com Web site http://colinhume.com > _______________________________________________ > List Name: Callers mailing list > List Address: Callers@lists.sharedweight.net > Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/ _______________________________________________ List Name: Callers mailing list List Address: Callers@lists.sharedweight.net Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/