Contra dance
The contemporary contra dance is a dance according to the announcement, the processes of which are danced to the beat of the music in opposing lines, the so-called alleys. For the historical contratance see there.
Distribution and designation
Contra dance is mostly danced nowadays in the USA, mainly in the New England states. In Europe, it is mainly found in the Benelux countries, Scandinavia , Great Britain and, more rarely, in Germany.
In the modern version of this type of dance is both a contra dance as a contra dance called. The German name is more common in the area of folk and senior dances, while the American name is used by dancers who know this type of dance from the neighborhood of the related folk dance forms square dance and round dance .
music
The music in Contra Dance is structured in such a way that a sequence of eight beats corresponds to a musical phrase, and eight such phrases form a figure part. This part of the figure is repeated until the end of the dance.
Contra dance is often danced to live music, at least where this folk dance form is still widespread. The rhythms are reels or jigs . The music consists of two melody parts A and B, and the connection is reminiscent of a verse and a chorus. Each part comprises 16 beats (steps) and is repeated so that the clearly recognizable structure AABB results. The complete sequence of figures thus contains 64 steps. Since most figures are danced with eight, some with four or sixteen steps, there is a harmony between music and movement.
Prompt
A special feature of Contra Dance is the announcer (prompter), who announces the dance figures, individual movements and step sequences in time with the music, while the music indicates when and how long something is to be danced. The prompter explains each dance before it is danced to the music. This gives every dancer an idea of what to expect during the dance and the figures can be danced easily. The prompter guides the dancers through the dance by announcing the characters at the right time. This enables the dancers to join the dance spontaneously without having to learn it by heart. As the dance progresses, the dancers learn the sequence of figures, and the prompter can give fewer hints until the dancers finally continue to dance the dance alone.
Construction and setup
In Contra Dance, as is also typical in Square Dance and Round Dance, given sequences are danced on demand, which are carried out in a flowing movement in accordance with the music. The fixed, interwoven geometrical sequences are danced in accordance with the structure of the music. The figures are similar to those of traditional square dance . The dance takes place in one flowing movement, the ball of the foot should be placed in front of the heel.
Basic setup
The couples line up one behind the other, facing the leader. In each pair, the lady stands to the right of the man. Now everyone turns to the partner. This is the basic form of every contra-constellation also called "contra simple" (English "proper").
During the dance, each couple moves up or down, keeping the partners together throughout the dance. Up means in the direction of the music and the prompter, downwards means away from the music and away from the prompter. If the pairs are counted from above (1,2,1,2, ...), pairs 1 dance downwards, pairs 2 upwards. This ensures that every couple in the alley dances with every other couple during the dance.
Cross over in two sentences
This is the most common contra dance lineup. Starting from the basic setup, the pairs are counted from above (1,2,1,2, ...). In all pairs 1, gentlemen and ladies now swap places ("cross over"). This is the line-up of the alley for the "Kontra kreuzüber im two-sentence" ("improper"). "Crossover" refers to the alternating line-up of men and women within an alley and "two-sentence" refers to the fact that in this line-up, two couples dance together in a subgroup (sentence), namely one pair 1 and one pair 2 .
Two couples looking at each other dance the given sequence. During this process they swap places (progress) so that in the next playthrough they dance the same process with a new couple. In the course of the dance, pair 1 move further and further down and pair 2 up until they reach the end of the alley. At the end of the alley, the pairs have to wait during a playthrough. They swap places and then come back into the dance with the other number and the other direction.
Becket formation
The dancers face each other in pairs, the lady on the right.
Double progress
Some cons have "double progress"; This means that the pairs advance two places in each playthrough. Then there is very little waiting at the ends of the alley.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Henry Morgenstein: "The Becket Formation" (in English)