With the number of essays approaching the 300 mark, I thought it best to establish a new page and make an attempt to put them in categories.

Collections of essays

• Kiran Wagle presents a wide range of more than four dozen articles by various writers in his Articles, essays, and animadversions on dancing.
• Bill Tomczak has compiled more than a dozen articles by various authors concerning Contra Dance Community.
• Rebecca Jones has posted a series of her Contra Conversations, short talks given during the breaks of occasional dances at the Peninsula Dance (2nd and 4th Thursdays), which rekindles the cultural heritage of contra dancing in the Cuyahoga Valley in Ohio.
• David Smukler has written a series of essays on Cracking Chestnuts on older dances from the contra repertoire, telling readers something about the character of each dance, and also sensitizing readers to details about the dances that are important to him.
• You never know what you'll find on the articles page for Dancing for Busy People, such as an excerpt from the book or some other material.
• The New England Folk Festival Association Essay Collection includes a wide range of topics and authors.

Contra Dance, Beyond the Basics

• The North Bay Country Dance Society furnishes four chapters of Erik Hoffman's book Contradictions.
• The North Bay Country Dance Society furnishes an essay called "On Connection and Twirling," by Erik Hoffman. Changes of URLs (June 9, 2007)
• Greg McKenzie explains Five Common Myths About Beginning Contra Dancers
• In To Clap or Not to Clap, Henry Morgenstein provides some thoughts about clapping on Petronella turns.
• Henry Morgenstein provides his notes on the Style Workshop at Eastbourne IFDF in 2003 which features ideas and comments on stylistic points of specific dances.
• Secrets of Contra Dancing? Dean Allemang reveals all.
• Not just about contra dancing, Colin Hume's Dance Technique Notes cover subject ranging from courtesy to the swing to giving and receiving feedback.
• The Country Dance New York group presents Guide to Dance Etiquette For the Perplexed.
• The Chattahoochee Country Dancers have a guide for Contra Dance Etiquette (pdf file). Problems with file (March 22, 2008)
• The Mid-Missouri Traditional Dancers speak to experienced dancers with Dancing Well With Beginners - For Experienced Dancers.
• Jonathan Sivier provides Tips For Experienced Dancers Dancing With Beginners.
• Clark Baker tries Explaining Traditional Squares and Contras to MWSD folk.
• Diane Silver writes about the Conversation of Dance and the communication and relationship between dancers whether for ten minutes or a longer period of time. (pdf file)
• Laurie Fisher discusses sleaze dancing, especially the Asheville Sleaze Swing, in To Sleaze or Not to Sleaze. (Word document)
• Orlo Hoadley's article about Handholds - Why and How has a western square dance orientation, but has some important points for contra dancers, too.
• Caller Bob Golder has a short article on Dancing the Woman's Role
• What's a Balance? Dudley Laufman explains.
• Barbara Ruth writes about beginner's workshops and what happens when David Kaynor's Workshop Comes to New Haven.
• Dave Goldman comments about Everything About Dancing That Nobody Talks About including defense, avoidance, rejection and dance romance.
• Janet Ashford includes Five Steps to Great Contradancing from Bob Henshaw's "Q: How is contradancing different from football? . . . A: It's how the game is played on her site.
• How many swing positions are there? James Williams and Dana Nau come up with a list. Backup link.
• Paul Tyler makes an attempt to define Good Contra and Square Dancing.
• Heiner Fischle writes about Contra Dance Terminology and how it differs from terms in square dancing.
• Heiner Fischle writes about The Styles of Contra Dancing including traditional, modern, western and Contralab and Old English.
• Jacqui Morgenstein has some thoughts about What is a Contra Dance for the English magazine "Set & Turn Single".
• Some "Do's" and "Don't's" of asking and accepting invitations as partners are outlined in Larry Jennings' The Proprieties of the Partner Game.
• Larry Jennings has Your Introduction to Contra Dancing as a syllabus for a half hour pre-dance session.
• The Harvest Moon Folk Society has some advice on What Do I Wear to a Contra Dance including photographs.
• Courtesy at contra dancers is important for newcomers and for experienced dancers. Bruce Hamilton explains why and has some advice on giving and receiving help in Teaching Courtesy.
• Figuring out the waltz? Colin Hume provides some clues in Waltz Steps.
• Going to England to contra dance whether calling or dancing? Check out Colin Hume's <Advice to Americans in England.
• If you would like some orientation about social and country dance in England, try Colin Hume's description of the dance scene, past and present.
• Victor Eijkhout has a wide variety about information and links about dancing (not just contra). One group of pages composes the Lead and Follow FAQ. Not everything is relevant to contradancing, but it is a useful reference.
• Greg Rohde has a long article about contradancing called Hands Four in which he discusses some basic ideas about contradancing, what to expect at your first dance, and the reasons why people contra dance.
• While not everything included in the article is relevant for contra dancing, Joyce Crouch's Seven Habits of Highly Effective English Country Dancing can be helpful.
• Bill Pope has some Contra Dance Thoughts and Tips.
• Aahz has some advice for trying to teach folk dances, including contras. Change of URL (March 22, 2008)
• Colin Hume has some thoughts on Contra Dance Technique, especially on the contrasts between styles in the United Kingdom and the United States.
• John Turner writes about efforts to prevent the further decline of folk dancing in England in Further Dance Matters and the importance of dance etiquette in retaining dancers.
• John Turner continues to write about Dance Etiquette and its practical application, Part 1 and Dance Etiquette and its practical application, Part 2.
• The Miami Valley Folk Dancers have a list of dance etiquette tips compiled by Leslie Hyll along with a list of other sites for dance etiquette information.
• While your mileage may vary depending on the type of dance and the geographic location, those who want some advice on Finding Dance Partners at a dance, may find this article by Steve Harris helpful.
• Don't know that dance step? Well, after reading the Charlotte Dance Gypsies guide, you'll Know That Dance Step. (pdf file)
• Blain Nelson and others detail the Ten Stupid Things Beginners Do to Mess Up Their Contradance Experience.
• Some background to the names of dance steps is presented by Rebecca Jones in Terms of the Dance.
• The Cincinnati Contra Dancers provide some information about Contra Customs.
• The Foothill Country Dancers present Ten Reasons Not to Book Ahead. (pdf file)
• People dance in a variety of outfits from tuxedos to running shorts, but the Santa Cruz Dance has some answers to those who ask the question But What Should I Wear to the Dance?. New entry (January 10, 2008)
• Richard Powers presents some ideas about social dancing in Going Out Dancing Ð Some Suggestions. New entry (May 10, 2008)
• In Ultimate Partnering, Richard Powers writes about leading and following and why those terms might not today's dancers. New entry (May 10, 2008)

Organizing Dances

• So you want to organize a dance camp? Henry Morgenstein writes about The Trials and Tribulations of Dance Camp Organizers for those who already have, those who might, and for those that find out about some of the events that happen behind the scenes.
• Okay, how about running a dance weekend? In Organizing Dance Weekends, Henry Morgenstein includes some of the issues which organizers deal with in trying to put one together.
• At the 1997 edition of NEFFA, Larry Jennings led a discussion about The Story of One Successful Series, using the NEFFA Thursday night series in Cambridge as an example.
• Michael Young has a short piece on lighting at contra dances called Bright Lights, Big City, Zesty Contras.
• Nancy Mamlin writes about Dancing From a Former Organizer's Perspective and how it looks once you have changed your perspective.
• Jenny Beer and Joanna Reiner led a discussion at NEFFA in 2002 concerning Dancing on College Campuses including how to start a group and what you might expect.
• Chris Kermiet describes Building a Dance Community
• Secrets of a Successful Series contains notes from a NEFFA workshop in 1997 and is penned by Larry Jennings.
• Greg Rohde explains how to start Spontaneous Waltzing [and Contra Dancing] in Public Places a new activity sponsored by the dancers in Childgrove.
• While each dance series does it differently, Gordy Euler of the Portland Country Dance Community, writes in the January-February 2006 and March-April 2006 issues of Footnotes about the mechanics (booking a hall, caller, musicians, sound engineer, etc.) (pdf file).
• Jenny Beer and Joanna Reiner describe some of the challenges and provide some guidance about Dancing on College Campuses. (pdf file)
• Cathie Whitesides describes Let's Dance Weekend, which was held in 1996 which was specifically devoted to callers, musicians, dance organizers, and dancers, with the goal of enabling people to organize or facilitate their own community dances. New entry (May 4, 2008)

Dance People

• The North Bay Country Dance Society furnishes an interview with Erik Hoffman.
• The members of the band, Round the House remember fellow band member Mike Smith who passed away in 2006.
• Bob Barrett writes an Appreciation of Jim Robb, a leading member of the Friday Folk group in St. Albans, England who passed away in 2006. He traveled widely in Britain and American to attend dances and festivals.
• Lisa Sieverts lists the Iron Dancers of the Dawn Dance weekends in Brattleboro.
• The members of the band, Mando Mafia, remember Kelly Perdue, their bandmate, who passed away in 2005.
• The Harvest Moon Folk Society remembers Leon Chapman who owned the dance hall, the River Falls Lodge.
• Dan Pearl writes about the funeral of caller Ted Sannella which was held on November 22, 1995.
• Susan Michaels writes some words about Gene Hubert on his passing in 2006. (pdf file)
• FolkWorks provides some information about musician Nancy MacMillan on her passing in 2006. (pdf file)
• Tony Parkes writes In Praise of Herbie Gaudreau who he credits with introducing the couple-facing-couple formation with "Becket Reel" along with many dance compositions.
• An interview with caller and dancer Jonathan Sivier published by the News Bureau of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
• You can hear Bob McQuillen talk about contra dance on a program from New Hampshire Public Radio.
• Clark Baker supplies Ralph Sweet's talk at a meeting of the New England Council of Callers Association which includes his history of playing music and calling and covers a wide range of other topics. Fascinating.
• Phantom Ranch presents a biographical page on Ralph Page, noted caller.
• Phantom Ranch has a biographical page on Don Armstrong, noted caller.
• Phantom Ranch provides a biographical page on Graham Hempel, caller and international folk dancer.
• Phantom Ranch has a biographical page on Rickey Holden, caller.
• Phantom Ranch has a biographical page on Chris Kermiet, caller from Colorado.
• Phantom Ranch has a biographical page on Jack McKay, caller.
• Phantom Ranch has a biographical page on Lloyd Shaw, noted square dance caller.
• A biographical piece on Dudley Laufman appeared in Fiddler Magazine in 2002.
• Carol Fey writes about Sandra Wong, a Colorado fiddle player in the September/October 2005 issue of Attic Windows, the newsletter of CFOOTMAD. This is a .pdf file.
• Dot Kent interviews Mark Gunther of the Chicago Barn Dance Company in the Old-Time Herald.
• Caller and dance organizer Larry Jennings was honored with the CDSS Lifetime Contribution Award in 2004 and the CDSS provides some of his background.
• The Childgrove Country Dancers have excerpts from an interview Drew Beisswenger and Liz Amos did with fiddler Bob Holt on December 21, 1999.
• An obituary for Ozark fiddler Bob Holt, who passed away in 2004, is posted on the Childgrove Country Dancers site.
• Chiff & Fipple, a whistle/tinwhistle/pennywhistle web site has an interview with flute and whistle player Sarah Bauhan. New entry (April 17, 2008)
• Theresa Ludwuck writes about Dudley and Jacqueline Laufrman, dance musicians in New Hampshire. New entry (April 17, 2008)

Dance History

• Henry Morgenstein tries to determine Where Do Contras Come From in this essay.
• From Down Under and 1995, Peter Ellis writes about Australian Social Dance, its roots and early influences, the music and the types of dances.
• Jacqueline Laufman writes about New England dances back in the mid-20th century.
• Dudley Laufman writes about The Perils of Prosperity: Why Some Dances Are Having Low Attendance in this article from 2000.
• Tony Parkes writes about when folk dancers shouted Absolutely No Contras!" and how that compares with the present day.
• Dudley Laufman writes about The Bahn Dance and what it was like and what it might be like today.
• Tony Parkes provides a History of the New England Folk Festival Association (NEFFA) from 1944 to 1994.
• Dudley Laufman gives a history of Petronella, the dance from which the twirl originated.
• So, Why Are They Called Chestnuts? David Millstone tries to answer that question.
• Heiner Fischle has written a short History of Contra Dance.
• Heiner Fischle presents an excerpt from Henry Ford's Today and Tomorrow concerning Henry Ford's opinions about music and dancing.
• Emily Flounton writes about the History of Monroe Hall one of the dance venues of the North Bay Country Dance Society. (pdf file)
• David Millstone writes about the dance Genet's Recall in Genet's Recall: Roots of an Early Country Dance Found in an American Foreign Policy Crisis.
• David Millstone's essay Hull's Victory: The Rest of the Story covers the actual circumstances of the "Victory" for this dance title.
• David Millstone briefs us the 19th century dance, Money Musk, in the essay, Money Musk Through the Ages.
• John Bunyan wrote Everyone Dances, From the Angels on Down and Rebecca Jones has some history behind dancing in America.
• Dancing in the Cuyahoga Valley has a long history and Rebecca Jones has some details in Dance in the Valley.
• Burt Feintuch's Fiddle Music, Dance, and Community in New Hampshire was originally written in March, 1999 for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival Program Book. This is a .pdf file.
• The New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, amongst articles on the traditional arts of New Hampshire, has an article about the Music & Dance Traditions in New Hampshire and in particular the music and dances associated with old-time dancing.
• The Along the River web site has a bit of history of contra dancing in the Connecticut River valley.
• Dudley Laufman asks if there are any differences among Contra (Contre) Dance? Square Dance? Folk Dance? Barn Dance? Country Dance? and provides some history on the subject.
• In addition, Alan provides the thoughts of Gene Murrow on How Heys and Gypsies got into modern contradancing
• Don Ward and John Brant hypothesize that Square Dancing is the Great Grandchild of Contra Dancing.
• Chip Hedler writes about the past, present and future of contra dancing in Where Contra Dancing's Been---and Where It Might Go.
• Becky Nankivell has written An Outline of the History of American Contra Dance.
• Phil Jamison makes the case for old-time square dancing in Community Dances in the Eighties: Dare To Be Square! published in the Old-Time Herald in 1988-89.
• Robert Reed responded to Phil Jamison's 1988 article in the Bay Area Country Dance in 1989.
• Phil Jamison updated his 1988 piece in 2004 in the Old-Time Herald with Old-Time Square Dancing in the 21st Century: Dare to be Square!.
• Hilarie Burhans responds to Phil Jamison's 2004 article.
• Connie Rockman has compiled a history of the contra dance series in Greenwich, Connecticut.
• Lawrence White writes about The Heroes of Dance Flurry '06 when storms and power outages threatened the annual festival in Saratoga Springs, New York.
• David Smukler writes about the dance British Sorrow a triplet unearthed by caller Ralph Page.
• David Smukler compares the dynamics of the triplet minor and the duple minor in discussing the dance Careless Sally.
• While it is a chestnut, Chorus Jig remains a favorite among many a contra crowd and David Smukler writes about it in this essay.
• The Christmas Hornpipe has titles and variations from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and many times is featured as part of a night of dances in December, says David Smukler.
• Dandies' Hornpipe was found in a nineteeth century dance manual by Ralph Page and can be danced as a triplet or duple dance writes David Smukler.
• David Smukler provides some notes on Devil's Dream, a dance with no swing.
• Genet's Recall has been danced for more than 200 years and David Smukler provides some notes about it.
• David Smukler writes about an earlier version of Hull's Victory than the one that is usually danced now.
• is a triplet that is a rarer chestnut than many other "chestnuts", but is worth dancing writes David Smukler.
• Lamplighter's Hornpipe is the original "long wavy lines at the sides" contra dance writes David Smukler and he discusses various aspects of it in this essay.
• While certainly a chestnut, Money Musk with all its variations of spelling and choreography has always found a home in the dance community writes David Smukler.
• Not just a dance step, Petronella is also the name of the dance that gave the step its name and David Smukler provides information about it in this essay.
• Queen Victoria, while an attractive and satisfying dance, can be more than that if the dancers (and musicians) concentrate on various aspects of the dance states David Smukler.
• Another dance that has a signature move, the name Rory O'More is used for more things than the dance itself writes David Smukler.
• The Tempest has many variations but a unique formation and David Smukler writes about it in this article.
• The Young Widow is one of those dances that bridges the gap between contra dancing and English Country dancing writes David Smukler.
• Where Is Sackett's Harbor? David Millstone tries to answer that question. (pdf file)
• Many dance groups hold homecoming dance. Caller and dance organizer Mac McKeever writes about the effort by the Childgrove Country Dancers in Homecoming Dance. (pdf file)
• Tara Stetz writes about the roots of various forms of square dancing in Dancing with Deep Roots. (pdf file) New entry (March 5, 2008)
• Chris Bueker provides A Short History of the Harvest Moon Folk Society. New entry (May 4, 2008)

Composing Dances & Choreography

• For help in Composing Dances, try Colin Hume's article on the subject.
• Tom Lehmann writes about starting places for The Composition Process.
• In this transcription of a dance workshop from 1977 (mildly edited 20 years later), Jack Perron provides some ideas on Contra Dance Choreography.
• Cary Ravitz has generated a series of Notes on Choreography for Duple Minor Improper Contra Dances.
• Penn Fix reviews Contra Dance Choreography by Mary McNab Dart, published in 1995.
• Jenny Beer has some observations about the Changes in (contra) dancing and choreography.
• Tom Lehmann writes about Glossary dances which says are simple arrangements of the basic figures of contra dancing.
• Moving beyond Glossary Dances, Tom Lehmann writes, composers can create dances without new features that exploit repetition with variation and can be quite distinctive and memorable.
• Becket Formation, a type of contra starting with a slightly different orientation amongst circles of four.
• What are Proper and Improper Contras and why dance to both? Henry Morgenstein has some answers.
• In A Controversial Contra Dance, Henry Morgenstein writes about "Stoolie's Jig" which includes a move that generates some debate.
• Hugh Stewart has some notes about the move 'sliding' a move from English Country Dancing that was found, lost and found again.
• Analysis of a Bad Contra is Henry Morgenstein's point by point review of a specific dance.
• Nan Evans and Fred Nussbaum et al. present some thoughts about Working and Communicating with the Band. (pdf file)

Calling and Surviving the Evening

• Caller Jim Saxe tries to list some Words and Confusion in Teaching and Calling.
• Learning the calling trade? Here are some of Henry Morgenstein's thoughts about how to Prepare to Call an Evening Dance.
• Henry Morgenstein riffs on Mary Dart's Contra Dance Choreography in Great Callers - How They Prepare.
• Letter to Another Caller is Henry Morgenstein's analysis, to another caller, of his experience in calling an evening of dances.
• Center-set syndrome and other topics are covered in Larry Jennings' Set Management.
• David Cottle suggests ways in Improving Problem Dancers.
• Callers Gene Hubert and Dot Kent write some Notes on the Three Minute Rule for callers and walk-throughs.
• Caller Erna-Lynne Bogue has some advice on Matching Dances to Tunes.
• Practice...and practice...and practice includes Henry Morgenstein's thoughts on practicing for calling and the benefits (and some detriments) that follow.
• In the The Barn Dance, Valerie Cooley writes that you never know what mix of newcomers and experienced dancers will show up for a contra dance and what the results will be. (pdf file)
• As part of the Lavender Country and Folk Dancers site, Chris Ricciotti has supplied Welcome to Gender-Free Dancing which is a manual on how to call for participatory social couples dancing without regard to gender roles. It also covers the history of gender free dancing.
• Larry Jennings writes his own notes about the tribute night, A Salute to Larry Jennings in 1997 which featured various callers calling dances composed by Larry and was part of the Thursday night dance series at the VFW in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
• Larry Jennings provides some notes on two discussions as NEFFA in 1998: Callers' Problems, "Identifying Opportunities" and Callers' Problems, "Ploys That Work".
• The Chattahoochee Country Dancers have created a Callers Evaluation and Promotion Process for their dances in Atlanta. (pdf file).
• David Kaynor has some Some Thoughts about Long Walk-Throughs to Teaching Experienced Folks to Dance.
• Colin Hume has a series of notes for dance callers, either beginner or experienced, covering a wide range of topics.
• At his Dance Rhapsody site, Seth Tepfer includes a series of .pdf files on calling, including Added more essays (May 10, 2008):
  • The Beginners Workshop
  • Programming an Evening
  • Programming an evening, part 2
  • Checklist for a gig
  • Effective walkthrus
  • Calling for Non Dancers
  • The Big Picture
  • What kind of caller are you?
  • Fun contra dances for a mixed crowd
  • Interesting contra dances for Novice Callers
  • Groovin' Contras to End an Evening
  • No brainers - surefire dances to have in your back pocket in case of a busload of new dancers walk in, or after muffing a walkthrough
  • Dances for NonDancers
• Cary Ravitz has generated Notes on Calling Contra Dances.
• Karen Fontana has included Suzanne Duffy and Jeff Spero's On Respectful Communication with Stage Talent as a .pdf file on her site.
• Tom Lehmann discusses what are the distinctive characteristics in Choreographing a First Dance.
• In Master Teacher, Henry Morgenstein writes about how to bring inexperienced dancers to a level at which they can dance a dance that experienced dancers will enjoy.
• David Kaynor directs an eye on people's Assumptions Relative to New and Old Contras.
• Anthony Stone writes about calling English Country Dances at The Round in Cambridge, England, but the notes are valuable for callers calling contra dances, especially beginning callers.
• Jonathan Sivier provides some Resources for Callers including advice on programs and teaching tips.
• David Kaynor writes about Teaching Experienced Folks to Dance.
• From a newsgroup discussion, Thomas Green compiled these Suggestions for callers who are calling a dance that you haven't dance yourself.
• Are you going to be calling a dance? Use Hugh Stewart's A Caller's Check List to see if you have the answers you need before you call.
• Dance teacher Richard Powers has some teaching tips for leaders and instructors that are relevant for contra dance callers.
• William Watson supplies some ideas to help you decide Should You Call Dances?
• William Watson has some advice for Calling Your First Contra Dance.
• Here are some examples of Calling Cards as presented by William Watson.
• Walk-thru blow up on you or you need an easy, reliable contra dance right now? Try these Back Pocket Dances compiled by William Watson.
• You're a caller about to do a walk-thru for a century (or centuries) old dance. What are the differences in calling one of these versus a more modern dance? David Smukler writes about it in How to Call a Chestnut.
• Susan Songer, one of the co-authors of the The Portland Collection (1 and 2) writes about what she had to do to get authorizations to include tunes in the Collections in Tracking Copyrights and Composers. (pdf file)
• How do you plan a program? Colin Hume writes about this in Program Planning--A Look at One of the Caller's Jobs (pdf file)
• What are the tasks for The Perfect Caller during a dance session. Keith Connes has some ideas. (pdf file)
• Your dance is so successful that the hall has become crowded. How do you keep dancers safe and continue to make the dance enjoyable? Brad Foster has some tips in Crowded Dance Halls. (pdf file)

Caller Workshop Notes

• Bill Olson provides his notes from a callers' workshop he ran for the Washington, DC Callers' Collective in 2002. Change of URL (March 22, 2008)
• Karen Fontana, on her site, includes Notes from a Peter Amidon calling workshop. This is a .pdf file.
• Dosido.com has a transcription of Ed Gilmore's Square Dance Callers Instruction Course from 1949.
• Bob Archer has a series of notes from the Sidmouth Callers Workshop that he and Mike Courthold ran in 1998.
• Thomas Green has some Notes from a Caller's Workshop presented at the Sidmouth Folk Festival in 1996.
• Bill Martin includes A Caller's Workshop: A Look at Southern Squares at the Old-Time Music in Portland, Oregon site.
• Heiner Fischle presents some notes from a caller seminar run by Don Armstrong.
• william Watson provides a brief Outline for a New Callers' Session.

Calling - Other Topics

• Love-Hate Calling is Henry Morgenstein's essay about his opposing thoughts on the subject of being a caller.
• I Hate Calling. Or Do I?--Two Thoughts by Henry Morgenstein and Jo Mortland is a different version of the essay mentioned above. (pdf file)
• Dudley Laufman explains Why I Don't Teach Chorus Jig at Public Dances in this 1997 article.
• Hilary Johnson describes The Perfect Caller covering all types of callers.

Learning and Playing the Music

• Deborah Clark Colón of the band, Changeling, provides some advice about Learning Fiddle Tunes Straight From the CD.
• Kiran Wagle lists some of his Favorite Tunes along with recordings on which they can be found.
• David Kirchner, Brian Rost, Cari Fuchs, Jon Weinberg and Carol Compton team up to give advice on Choosing Tunes for Medleys.
• Eric Anderson presents his notes from the Bear Hug Contra Dance Piano Workshop from 2003.
• Phil and Vivian Williams write about several aspects of Contra and Square Dance Playing for musicians.
• Vivian and Phil Williams provide some advice for Fiddling for Old Time Contra, Square, and Couple Dances.
• Phil & Vivian Williams advise bands on how to play for contra dances and squares dances.
• Mickey Koth has edited a "dialog" from the Fiddle-L mailing list on What makes a good contra dance band?
• Mickey Koth, from work done by the band The Last Gaspé, provides information on Playing Together with Style
• Mickey Koth has edited a "dialog" from the Fiddle-L mailing list and the rec.folk-dancing newsgroup about Choosing Tunes for Contra Dance Medleys
• FolkMads lists 10 Commandments of Jamming.
• Vivian Williams goes over Jam Session Etiquette.
• John Kilpatrick wrote Medley Mania on the question of whether it was better to stay with one tune for one dance and the reasons why.
• Dudley Laufman has written about Ingredients of Fiddle Tunes on the elements of fiddle music that are not part of the music.
• Mark Simos writes about The Subtle Energetics of Accompaniment covering some of his thoughts on the subject.
• Mark Simos writes about Traditional Fiddle Music and the structure in Irish tunes.
• Eric Anderson has written up some Materials on playing contra dance piano.
• WoodPussy & WhistlePig help you if you are a musician who Accidentally Books a Square Dance, Here's What You Do with a basic guide of tunes to play, working with the caller, making it through the evening and stage decorum.
• How to Play Mud Music Before You Can Play Mud Music is a really detailed guide to how to play along with the band (Mud in Your Eye, a Cleveland, Ohio open band) as you're coming up to speed. (pdf file) New entry (May 10, 2008)
• Steve Hudak explains How To Start playing Mud music (music played by the open band from Cleveland, Mud in Yer Eye, and playing at speed during a performance can feel overwhelming. (pdf file) New entry (May 10, 2008)

Composing the Music

• Colin Hume has some advice Composing Tunes including the creative and mechanical parts of the process.
• Gary Reynolds has some pointers about Creating Fiddle Tunes.

Musical Experiences

• Peter Barnes has some Gig Tales and Quotes from his experiences as a musician.
• Several of the members of the band Childsplay write about their experiences with Childsplay.
• Mark Simos writes About Me and Old-time Music as to how he was exposed to it, learned it and learned from it.
• Mark Simos provides some of his Thoughts on New Old Time Music, pre "O Brother".
• Donna Hébert writes Why I Play Franco-American Fiddle Music which includes some background about her musical heritage.
• Donna Hébert shares her experience with The Joy of Music - playing in the Great Groove Band which plays at the Old Songs Festival in Altamont, New York.
• Donna Hébert writes about My Life and Times in Contradance Music.
• While it is a work in progress, David Kaynor discusses Unplugged: The All-Comers' Band at The Montague Center Dance.
• Ryan Thomson writes about various musical topics, and experiences in playing music.
• In Finding the GroovePamela Goddard discussed musicians and bands crossing musical boundaries, experimenting, improvising and fusing musical traditions. (pdf file)
• Jessica writes about her experiences in playing piano for contra dances in Alaska. New entry (April 20, 2008)
• Melissa Kacalanos writes about one of her bands, Jiggermeister, playing at a gig in Binghamton in 2006 where the music turned into a Psychedelic Contra Dance. New entry (May 14, 2008)

Music Reviews

• Ben Rotenberg reviews The Syncopaths first CD, Rough Around the Edges. (pdf file)
• Nancy MacMillan reviews Nightingale's 2004 CD, Three. (pdf file)
• Sharon Goldwater has an article entitled Contradance Music: A New Musical Genre in the November-December 2002 issue of Folkworks (a Los Angeles, California publication). This is a .pdf file.

A Mix of Musical Matters

• Rebecca Jones, in her "Contra Conversations" discusses The Sort of History of the Dulcimer.
• Rebecca Jones, as part of her "Contra Conversations" talks about fiddles and violins in Fiddling Around.
• Rebecca Jones, in one of her "Contra Conversations" writes about the history of tune names in Name That Tune.
• Joyce Cauthen, Susan Davis, and Scott Russell ask about The Squeal Index: Can Old-Time Bands Make It on the Contra-Dance Scene?
• Karen Missavage includes an article by Jim McKinney about a computer program for transcribing music on her site.
• Stan provides a progress report on the work to make MIDI contra dance music.
• A 1996 on-line discussion in rec.music.country.old-time covers the topic of whether Contra Bands Are Old-Time?
• Rebecca King writes about a CD produced by the Bay Area (San Francisco) Country Dance Society in Yes, You Too Can Produce a Compilation CD--Swinging on the Gate. (pdf file)
• Susan Songer, one of the co-authors of the The Portland Collection (1 and 2) writes about what she had to do to get authorizations to include tunes in the Collections in Tracking Copyrights and Composers. (pdf file)
• In a related article, Pat MacPherson answers the question of Do We Have To?--Copyright Basics with a guide to obtaining permissions to use various works. (pdf file)

Tales of the Dance

• How about contra dancing during a parade? John Gintell writes of his experience in Contra Dancing at Boston Pride March in 2002.
• Andy Shore tells the story of Contra Dancing, from a Modern Western Square Dancer and his visit to the LCFD Spring Weekend/Camp in 2005.
• In A Lovely Dance Community is about one wonderful aspect of the dance community that happened to Henry Morgenstein.
• Henry Morgenstein says he is a member of the Mad Dancers, but meets someone else who is more so.
• In The Two Connies, Henry Morgenstein finds that being included in a directory of dancers leads to wonderful experiences.
• Gender Free Dancing includes Henry Morgenstein's experience at the Jamaica Plain (Boston) English Country Dance in 2002.
• Interested in the Chippenham Folk Festival in England? Henry Morgenstein acts as tour guide.
• While the Sidmouth Folk Festival has gone through several incarnations, Henry Morgenstein has gives some details of what this event is like.
• Australian Jeanette Mill asks if New England USA Ð is this the most thriving folk scene in the world? based on her experiences in New England.
• Paul Tyler and Gene Hubert write about a Square Dance Party at Breaking Up Thanksgiving, a dance weekend near Chicago.
• Chrissy Fowler has written several articles about the Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend which is held in Durham, New Hampshire each year.
• Dance-a-Runi includes a number of dancers' first impressions of the contra world.
• Among photographer Doug Plummer's writings is an entry on contra dancing in New England from 2004.
• Henry Morgenstein, in Dance Gypsy provides some thoughts about his experiences as a dance gypsy.
• Dance Across the USA includes Henry Morgenstein's experiences with traveling from dance to dance and meeting up with old and new dance friends.
• Ryan Thomson reviews dance and music camps and festivals on a reguar basis.
• Jonathan Watterson writes about the Marathon Medley dance that occurred near Greenville, South Carolina in 2005. Change in URL (March 22, 2008)
• Dave Marcus provides his notes about the 2005 event in Marathon Contra Medley Makes History at River Falls. (pdf file)
• Karen Missavage includes an article about an upcoming Thanksgiving weekend dance in 1997 on her web site and an article that was printed after the dance.
• In the March-April 2003 issue of FolkWorks, Valerie Cooley tells the story of the Sturtevant Dance Weekend in 2000 and how forest service volunteer Peter Bergonzi was brought into contra dancing. (pdf file).
• Neda, one of the students participating in the US Trek back in 2000, wrote about visiting a contra dance in her essay, The Country's First Dance Craze.
• Rob Kellerman writes about a Twelfth Night Contra Dance held in Hallowell, Maine in January 2008. New entry (April 17, 2008)

The Dance Experience

• In the collection of short essays, Brasstown 1991?, Henry Morgenstein writes about a variety of topics from waltzing to the calling of David Kaynor.
• Caller John Meechan presents his Vision about contradancing in the UK written in 2002.
• In Deciding to Choose Happiness, Henry Morgenstein discusses how this topic relates to dancing.
• In his Brasstown 1996 Radio Talks, Henry Morgenstein writes about some of the people who attended this camp and their stories.
• Ah, Dancing in Gym Class. Henry Morgenstein writes about why this may be a good idea.
• Dean Allemang writes about gender-free contra dancing as a New Direction for Contra Dancing.
• Dean Allemang comments on Dancing and Sex and the charge that some dancers get from dancing with others.
• Do exceptions to the rules prove the rules (perhaps relating to dancing)? Henry Morgenstein explains why this might be so in Married Men.
• Henry Morgenstein has some thoughts on Gender Balance at dance camps and other events.
• Henry Morgenstein writes about The Pleasure of Getting It Wrong at a dance and being able to laugh about it.
• Starting off with the line from Passover, "What makes this night different from all other nights?", Henry Morgenstein writes about Why Contras Are "Different".
• Changing Partners: England & America includes Henry Morgenstein's thoughts about how dancers switch and do not switch partners in each country.
• For those Americans visiting England, Henry Morgenstein provides some guidance in Contras & Ceilidhs in England.
• And for British citizens coming to the United States, Henry Morgenstein has some advice about Dancing in America for Brits.
• For advice for folks from the UK dancing contras in the US, check Henry Morgenstein's Explaining Contras to Brits.
• Brits & Contras has some of Henry Morgenstein's ideas about how British dancers view contras.
• JoAnne Rawls explains Why I Love Contra Dancing in response to a thread on the rec.folk-dancing news group.
• In the short essay, Fear of Looking Foolish, Henry Morgenstein discusses how fear may help encourage people to do something well, including dancing well.
• How You See a Situation, including a possible time to dance, writes Henry Morgenstein, may tell much about ourselves.
• Cynthia Van Ness has some thoughts about taking advantage of the home town dances along with those special dance weekends and festivals in Best of Both? Some of Each?.
• Susan Kevra writes about the culture and practices of the Greenfield, Massachusetts dance (1995 edition) in Letter to the Greenfield Contra Dancers
• David Millstone writes about the possible dangers of emphasizing Complex Dances in contra dancing.
• In this 1995 essay, Chris Kermiet has Some Thoughts on Experienced Dances.
• Cynthia Van Ness writes about Contra Dancing and the Consumer Mentality in this 1999 posting and David Kirchner has some additional thoughts as A Political Scientist Replies: Contra Dancing and the Consumer Mentality.
• Rebecca Jones presents some reasons as to Why We Dance!
• Laurel Horton writes about Material expressions of communality among dance groups, a scholarly article that includes contra dance groups in its examples.
• Jane Heinze-Fry writes about Contra Dance Community of the Commonwealth and the elements of the dance and the dance community that she enjoys.
• Why I Love Contras is Henry Morgenstein's brief essay on the subject.
• Henry Morgenstein writes about one aspect of contra dancing in Attention Without Intention.
• Henry Morgenstein, in Couples Dancing, writes about some of the aspects which prevent him from liking it more.
• In Contra Metaphors, Henry Morgenstein has some brief thoughts about not thinking about dancing while dancing.
• Contras Reflect Society contains some of Henry Morgenstein's ideas about how changes in dancing reflect changes in society.
• Henry Morgenstein discusses Dancing as a Woman and what he learns from his experiences.
• Seeing Yourself includes Henry Morgenstein's views on seeing yourself through your own eyes and through others while dancing.
• Caroline Fahrney writes about "[missing] the chance to be part of shaping the traditions and culture in a particular dance community in her essay "There's no place like home...". Change of URL (March 22, 2008)
• Karen Berquist writes about Contra Culture and how it can be different than anything else that someone has encountered before.
• Bruce Abedon writes about the Tao of Contra Dancing.
• Sheridan Hill writes about Stokin' the Contra Fires an essay about some of the feelings that people experience when contra dancing.
• Donna Hébert writes about Ecstasy at the Contradance on the communications and feelings that flow between and amongst dancers and musicians at a contra dance.
• The Dance-A-Runi site includes short notes about people's first experiences with contradancing.
• Bill Pope has Three Tales of Rare Mishaps at contra dances.
• JoAnne Rawls asks What's So Great About Contra Dancing and finds a fair number of things.
• In an academic article from the journal "Western Folklore", Paul Jordan-Smith explores About that swing: "Sleaze" dancing and community norms at River Falls Lodge.
• Laurel Horton and Paul Jordan-Smith comment on a collection of essays about Communities of practice: Traditional music and dance from the journal, Western Folklore.
• Rebecca Sachs writes about Embodiment and Community in folk dancing in this article from Western Folklore.
• Laurel Horton provides some ideas about the Material expressions of communality among dance groups from the academic journal, Western Folklore.
• Richard Treitel writes about the four elements (fire, air, water, earth) and dancers in What's Your Element.
• Dean Allemang discusses his first experiences with Gender-Role Free Contra Dancing.
• The Northeast Music, Art and Dance aka NOMAD is held in Connecticut each fall and Barbara Ruth believes that it and other like events have become more important and writes why in NOMAD: Now More Than Ever--A Personal Reflection. (pdf file)
• Dancer Marcia Michael learns to employ the philosophy of finding beauty in that which is not perfect in Contra Wabi-Sabi. (pdf file)
• Bennett Konesni writes about the Brattleboro Dawn Dance, the band Nightingale, why contra dancing has become so popular in America and how the lessons learned in this case might apply to rescuing other aspects of traditional culture. This is the English version of the introduction to the article. The entire article was published in the Italian language Slowfood magazine. You can read the original article in Italian (Italian version is a pdf file).
• New Hamphsire caller and musician Peter Yarensky tells the Story of How and Why I Started Calling Dances. New entry (January 4, 2008)
• Warren Argo his decades of experience with contra dancing in the Pacific Northwest in So What Is It About This Contra Dancing Anyway?. (pdf file) New entry (January 10, 2008)
• Robin Shapiro discusses ntersubjectivity and Contradance looking at the dance from her view as a therapist. New entry (April 17, 2008)
• Rhinoceraptor has some thoughts about last waltz on New Year's Eve gave her a different perspective about the new year. New entry (April 17, 2008)
• Naturalist has some thoughts about the good points of contra dancing after going to one in Colorado in 2006. New entry (April 20, 2008)
• Hannah discusses some of the things she does not like about contra dancing from this blog entry in 2007. New entry (April 20, 2008)
• Michael Schneider writes about Rethinking Square Dancing based on his experiences in the Pittsburgh area in the 1980s. New entry (May 10, 2008)

Close Relatives (Irish Set, English, Scottish, Squares, Ceili, etc.)

• Bob Archer writes about English / American dancing - a comparison discussing English Country and contras in the United States and the general dance scene in England along with a section about ceilidhs.
• In Countries Divided by a Common Language, Henry Morgenstein explains that a Ceili is not a Ceili and English Country Dancing is not English Country Dancing, depending on which country you are dancing.
• In the essay Contra Dancers & Squares, Henry Morgenstein has some ideas about why some contra dancers dislike squares and how changes in the calling and composition of squares may change this attitude.
• Bill Ackerman provides A Guide to Learning Western Square Dancing for Traditional Dancers.
• A close relative to contra dancing is Bush Dancing in Australia. Find out all about it at Alastair Wilson's Bush Dance Site.
• Art Harvey writes about how How Contras Fit Into Square Dances although the emphasis is how contras fit into Modern Western Square Dance programs.
• Alan Winston writes about English Country Dance and Its American Cousin: History and Comparison.
• ECD [English Country Dancing] & Contras, a Comparison is Henry Morgenstein's analysis of the differences and similarities between these two types of dances.
• Henry Morgenstein has some thoughts about why contra dancers might like Irish Set Dancing.
• Scottish Country Dancing may be the most difficult dancing a contra dancer may encounter but Henry Morgenstein has some reasons why contra dancers should try this form out.
• Mark Stibich discovers that My Parents Were Undercover Square Dancers.
• Julie Mangin writes concerning The State Folk Dance Conspiracy: Fabricating a National Folk Dance.
• Chip Hendrickson discusses the rise and decline of club squares and how this might relate to other types of dancing in Keeping Those Traditional Roots.
• Clark Baker provides an excerpt from Ralph Sweet's article: Western Style Square Dancing is in trouble which while describing events from the mid-1960's, has some important points for all social dance groups.

Miscellany

• Ivars Peterson writes about Bernie Scanlon's fascination with Contradancing and Matrices in a MathLand article. Another version of the article is available. And, there is a response from Ted Crane in a column a few months later. And Larry Copes brings in Representations of contra dance moves and he has more articles about the mathematics of contra dancing including Counting Contra Dances. Dr. James V. Blowers writes about Mattresses, Contra Dancing and Quilts. And Ivar Peterson returns to the conversation with his Contra Dances, Matrices, and Groups.

Humor

• The Cyberspace Monkey Contra Classifications by Carol Thompson and Steve Satterfield attempt to differentiate between various "styles" of contradancing.
• Take the What Kind of Country Dancer Are You? quiz, produced by Dean Allemang.
• Bill Meyers has some examples of "do's" and "don'ts" in Guns at the Dance and Issues of Etiquette.
• Ed Bugel writes up one version of The History(?) of Contradancing.
• Richard Maurer takes a not-so-serious look at the Origin of the word "contradance"
• Dance-a-Runi covers various therapies for contra face caused by excessive smiling at contra dances and weekends.
• Wayne Winders analyzes the Theory of Dancers as Ice Cream Flavors.
• Erin Weaver writes as a member of Contraholics Anonymous and the associated symptoms.

This page is part of the Contrdancelinks.com web site. For more information about contra dancing, visit these other site pages:

http://www.contradancelinks.com/essays.html
Produced by Charlie Seelig
Last updated on June 4, 2008