| CONTRA DANCE
A 7min video history of Contra Dance
The video was edited down from the 27min film Together in Time, available from https://www.greatmeadowmusic.com/cdsatoz.html
An example: It’s Not a Square Dance, It’s a Contra Dance! |
Modern Contra Dance was originally the English Country Dancing which had spread to France and America in pre-and-post-Revolutionary times (think Jane Austen movies). American Colonials loved to dance, but they didn’t want to be seen doing anything “English” so they adopted the French name, “Contre Danse” (meaning “line facing line” but probably a corruption of “Country Dance”). The name lived on as “Contra Dance”. It survived, like an underground stream, was revived by some enterprising dance leaders in New England in the early-mid twentieth century, and became nationally popular during the counter-culture 60s, along with folk singing, Birkenstocks and crunchy granola. It spread rapidly because it was fun and flirtatious and communal, reflecting the times. The dances changed, as new dances were written in which there was less standing around and more “swing time”. The tempos became faster, the dances more flowing and energetic. In the Northeast, most of the dances were done to the jigs and reels of the British, Irish and French Canadian traditions. In the South and here in the Midwest, most dancing was done to more southern, old-timey fiddle music. The West Coast is home to healthy examples of both traditions. – copied from the St Louis Missouri Childgrove Country Dancers website http://www.childgrove.org/index.php/about-dances/about-contra-dance (accessed 14.2.20) |
| ENGLISH COUNTRY DANCE
Please click on image to enlarge and on your browser’s back arrow to return to this page.  Courtesy of playforddances.com
An example: Apley House 1703 |
In the 1600s English Society got bored with dancing the complicated and difficult-to-learn formal dances (which were very much display dances for couples to show off) and started dancing ‘country dances’ for light relief. Country dances were the dances done by the country folk and had to be easy because country folk didn’t have time to go to lessons, and couldn’t read so they couldn’t look up the dances in a book.
The dancing masters rapidly got in on the act and started inventing more complicated ‘country dances’. These compromise dances proved very popular; after all an educated person going to a ball every week or two may well feel a dance simple enough for someone who only goes to a dance once or twice a year is beneath him. In 1651 a music publisher called John Playford published ‘The English Dancing Master’. This was a book of brief instructions for a hundred-odd such dances. The title was probably just a joke because all the best dancing masters were French (or, maybe, a dig at a rival French book). This book proved to be a success and a second edition was issued the next year, and a third three years later; the later editions dropped the joke and were simply titled ‘The Dancing Master’. Successive editions were published until 1728, with John Playford’s son, Henry taking over in 1684, and then John Young in 1709. Later editions ran to three volumes and over the years dances were added and dropped so that over a thousand distinct dances were published. Various other publishers got in on the act and books of country dances were published at frequent intervals through to about 1850. Throughout this time country dances were regarded as light relief from ‘real dancing’ and we get various letters and journals saying things like “and afterwards we set to and danced country dances till four in the morning” where it was clearly not worth going into details. – the beginning of Hugh Stewart’s ‘What are Playford dances?’ at http://round.soc.srcf.net/playford/ (accessed 21.6.20), where the remainder of the story can be found. |
| IRISH SET DANCING
List of Pat Murphy’s books Please click on image to enlarge and on your browser’s back arrow to return to this page.
Image courtesy of https://sets.ie/ (accessed 14.7.21) On the home page, clicking on the cover image of any of the titles will bring up the complete list as above. At the bottom will be contact details for Pat.
Some Youtube links Moycullen by Johnny Reidy in Ballyfin, County Laois [14 mins] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IaS9Uf_bC4&t=157s
Corofin Plain Set by Johnny Reidy in Ballyfin, County Laois [23 mins] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LT3ZwzOQETA&t=4m
Caledonian Plain Set by Five Counties in Kilrush, County Clare [20 mins] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ4F0IUedfY&t=209s
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In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the movement and exchange of dances across Europe via soldiers engaged in wars, the populations displaced by wars and gentry doing their ‘grand tours’ was common. Cotillions (18th century) and Quadrilles (19th century) both used square formations and were introduced to England, Scotland and Ireland, where itinerant Irish dancing masters contributed to their spread. When Irish tunes and dance steps were used for them, they evolved into today’s set dances. This is a separate area of Irish dancing culture which, contrary to step dancing as we know it from various dance shows, has a significantly social character. Set dancing is hardly ever presented on stages but it is in integral part of life in Irish pubs and a significant phenomenon of Irish social life. There are no generational limits. Therefore one can find almost all mobile age groups among the dancers. It is not necessary to be young, talented or to have some special physical dispositions in order to practise set dancing. Experts, beginners, children and adults can meet in one set and all enjoy the dancing and the music.– The opening paragraph of ‘Irish Set Dancing – history and present’. (accessed 9.5.21) https://www.bernards.cz/english/irish-set-dancing-history-and-present/ The fact that the above site is in the Czech Republic is indicative of the popularity of this form of dance in many countries since the advent of the set dancing revival in the 1970s. The history of Irish set dancing is very well served by several books authored by Pat Murphy, beginning with Toss the Feathers in 1995. The series has grown with the set dancing revival, and now (2021) comprises six books. In addition, the history section has continued to expand and Come West Along the Road (2017), contains contributions from 11 countries outside of Ireland, including Russia, Japan, Switzerland, Denmark and Australia. The first two books were confined to set dances but later volumes added ‘social dancing’ to the subtitle and include a small number of what are classified as ‘Old Time’ / ‘Two Hand’ and ‘Irish Ceili’ dances. The popularity of set dancing derives from its lively music, its sociability and accessibility across the generations. Sampling from the multitude of Youtube videos of dancing indoors and outdoors in picturesque Irish townships soon demonstrates the fun to be had. Alexey Popov, contributor of the Russian history mentioned above, captures another aspect of traditional dance. Traditional dancing gives you much more than could be seen at the first glance. Apart from having a great time with your dance partners here and now you dance, somehow you also connect with your grandmother and grandfather because it’s their dance that you are dancing. This gives you a whole new dimension and you feel that connection even when the party is over. It goes along with you and somewhere very deep inside it gives you a solid ground to stand upon. So now I think this is why traditional dancing is much more enduring and lasting much longer in personal life than any other kind of hobby or sport – because it is neither of them, it’s just the way you live and it’s the people around you. (p62} To realise the full extent of the set dancing revival today there is no better way than to visit Bill Lynch’s website https://sets.ie/. |
| SCOTTISH COUNTRY DANCE
An example: Australian Ladies |
Today, the term ‘Scottish Country Dance’ embraces the social dances of Scotland that have evolved from many traditions and are danced throughout the world by Scots and non-Scots alike.
The RSCDS has always stressed the importance of the social nature of the dance form but it is equally concerned with upholding the standards of correct dancing technique. It is this unique blend of wonderful music, disciplined dancing, intricate floor patterns and sociability that appeals to so many people throughout the world. Scottish Country Dancing is the distinctively Scottish form of the country dance and it is derived mainly from the English style of the 17th Century: “longways for as many as will” dances which often used Scottish tunes. Following the appearance of the country dance in Scotland in the early 18th Century, it underwent changes and adopted some of the characteristics of other dance forms such as Scotch Reels, Quadrilles and Waltzes, but perhaps the most notable change from the English style was the importance attached to precise footwork, an emphasis which had not been seen, in social dancing since the days of the Regency Quadrilles and which is still upheld by the RSCDS. Scotland, of course, had other traditions of dance and here the country dances incorporated features from older Strathspeys, Reels, rants and Jigs. The result was a style of dance with which the whole of Scottish society could feel comfortable; the elegance and courtesy of the ‘country dance’ and the energy and step precision of the old ‘reels’. While country dances died out in England, they continued to flourish in Scotland. The dancing masters, who travelled extensively throughout Europe, were often skilled musicians and helped to widen the repertoire to include newer, fashionable dances such as quadrilles and polkas. – a complete copy of ‘The history of Scottish Country Dance’ from the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society website https://www.rscds.org/about/history/history-scottish-country-dance?language=it (accessed 21.6.20), where a 3 minute video history can also be viewed. |
