Southbay ENM Dancing

Join us for a lively evening of contra dancing! We’ll meet up in the outdoor courtyard shortly before the event to greet one another, then we’ll enter the venue as a group at 6:25pm sharp. We’ll be joining the Palo Alto Contra Dance. There’s a 30 minute lesson 6:30-7pm so please be sure you’re on time. After the lesson, you’ll be more than ready to dance with everyone else.

Contra dance is appropriate for all ages and abilities. It is ideal for beginners, the “uncoordinated,” and those who just want to have a good time while someone else makes all the hard decisions. If you have any movement limitations (e.g. shoulder injury), please check in with your host at the event and we can make sure that you have at least as much fun as everyone else while staying safe! You’re also welcome to ask questions before the event.

Please read the entire description for this event so that you know what to expect and bring.

If you’re coming by car, you can park for free in the nearby parking garage here which will have plenty of space. There are bike racks in the courtyard where we’ll meet. The walk from Palo Alto Caltrain is less than 15 minutes.

Be sure to bring with you:

• $20 (NOTAFLOF)

• Water bottle

• Comfortable shoes, ideally flat or very low heel

• Comfortable clothing that’s easy to move in (you should be able to walk swiftly and raise your arms to shoulder level without difficulty)

• (optional) A skirt that twirls well – it’s more fun that way! People of all genders wear skirts at Bay Area contra dances.

Some quick facts:

• You do not need to bring a partner. For each song you will dance with someone new that you meet at the event. Even if you bring a partner, it is customary to dance with a different person for each dance.

• At the beginning of each song, the caller (the person who picks which steps we’ll be dancing for that song) will teach everyone all of the steps before the music starts. A few minutes later the music will start and we’ll repeat those steps until the music stops. The caller will give verbal reminders of these steps until everyone settles into the flow of the dance.

• Contra dancers are a very friendly group and generally quite eager to meet and dance with newcomers. The experienced dancers will be happy to help you, and no one will judge you for misstepping – we all remember what it felt like to dance for the first time.

Some tips:

• Ask others to dance. Asking someone to dance does not imply anything other than “I think it would be fun to spend the next 10 minutes dancing with you,” and there are no rules about who should do the asking.

• Try to dance with people who are not part of our group, especially in the beginning. The experienced dancers will be able to help you get used to the dance by (literally) pointing you in the right direction as needed.

• If you make a mistake, keep dancing! We’ve all been beginners before, so no worries there. Also, if you leave a dance before the end of the song, it affects all the other dancers because of the community nature of the dance.