Contra Dance photographs and videos

Contra Dance / Contradance
Photographs and Videos

Back when the first version of the contradancelinks web site was created, there was no Facebook (at least in the way it is today) and, in some ways, the internet and world wide web was a much smaller version with fewer opportunities to post photographs and videos. As I write this in 2017, there may be a couple of dozen new sets of photographs published on Facebook every week and far more on other web sites. At this point, trying to keep track of it all is impossible.

Consider the following as a very small selection of collections of photographs and postings of videos and, in some ways, a window frozen on the internet at a certain time. I will try to post videos that are particularly worthwhile and happy to take suggestions.

What follows is a very incomplete list of sites that have a significant number of photographs of contra dancing. In many cases, the photographs are grouped together based on a specific event such as a particular dance, weekend or festival. The list is in order of location (state, community). If you are aware of sites that should be on the list, please e-mail me.

Photographs

George Hodgson.

Bob Bennett
Doug Plummer
Doug Plummer's series of photographs from Joy Unconfined! Contra Dance in America: A Photographic Journey, which was shown in Portland, Oregon in the winter of 2007-2008. New entry (April 17, 2008)
Doug Plummer published the photographic essay: The Contra Dance in 2013. New entry (March 17, 2018)
Sean Reid
Karl Senseman
ContraDance PhotographyA Facebook group for photographers to share shots and albums from various dances and events. New entry (February 3, 2017)

Videos

Contra dance on YouTube
Dancecase.com has collected a number of contra dance videos. New entry (March 14, 2015)
Dennis Merritt has conducted a number of interviews with Musicians and Callers on The Art of Contra Dance Music and Calling featuring performers who have participated in the dances at the Old Farmers' Ball dance series in Asheville, North Carolina. New entry (October 18, 2014)
The Many Faces of Contra Dance. New entry (May 13, 2011)
The Country Dance and Song Society, working with David Smukler, David Millstone, and a number of other callers, has established a catalog of videos of what are called "Chestnuts", the classic contra dances of New England. New entry (February 1, 2017)
The site ContraUSA.com features a variety of videos to show what contra dancing is all about. New entry (October 14, 2007)
The Ottawa Contra Dance has a good list of videos of various contra dances. New entry (May 9, 2011)
The Contra Dance Dialogs 1: Animated hosts, Lon Lions and Blanche Ann Swain discuss the top ten things they wish every Contra Dancer knew. New entry (February 1, 2017)
Partners, A Wonderful Film About the Inclusive Revival of Square Dancing Through Gay Clubs New entry (February 23, 2017)
CulBlu Vlogs has a series of 14 videos entitled What is Contra? New entry (February 24, 2017)
Contrasyncretist has four videos about Contra Dance Flourishes. New entry (February 25, 2017)
"Light Reaction," a contra dance about photosynthesis along with the walk-through. New entry (February 25, 2017)
The Lavender Country and Folk Dancers have a promotional video for a full-length documentary that will be released in 2017. New entry (February 25, 2017)
Mightyhappy has produced a series of seven "commercials" about contra dance:
- Part 1
- Part 2 - A short history cf contra
- Part 3 - What contra looks like
- Part 4 - Contra in the news
- Part 5
- Part 6 - What people are saying about it
- I've not found a part 7
Contra Dancing and Why We Contra Dance - A few Contra Dancers tell why they like to Contra Dance. Produced by the Chattahoochee Country Dancers in Atlanta, Georgia.
Doug Heacock has a YouTube channel devoted to videos he has produced. New entry (March 30, 2017)
The Lavender Country and Folk Dancers have produced a short video about the LCFD. New entry (March 30, 2017)
A teacher at the Oxford School in Berkeley, California has developed a square dance program for third graders which mixes students with a variety of levels of social and neurological development. New entry (March 31, 2017)
A TEDx talk by Joe DeMers explores the power of partner dance to create community. New entry (August 12, 2017)
The Chattahoochee Country Dancers have a two-part video of a beginners' session with Seth Tepfer: Part I; Part II. New entry (October 27, 2017)
Nancy Kane has a Tedx talk: Traditional dance in a digital era that covers that mix in this 2013 talk. New entry (November 8, 2017)
Beth Molaro discusses her views on calling squares at a contra dance when to call them, when not, what times, how many, what sorts. New entry (November 8, 2017)
Beth Molaro describes her approach to walk throughs, being as efficient as she can with the instruction and getting the ideas across in a single walk through. New entry (November 25, 2017)
The Old Farmers' Ball has a collection of videos with musicians and callers discussing and demonstrating the art of contra dance music and calling. New entry (November 8, 2017)
Courtney Hermann produced Not So Square a light-hearted portrait of an aging square dancing community and its assertion that young people would love it if they would just give it a try. New entry (November 22, 2017)
Fiddle player Jamie Laval discusses 5 Points for a Good Dance Experience that, from a melody musician's point of view, make for an enjoyable dance experience. New entry (November 22, 2017)
CulBlu Vlogs created a series of short video interviews asking What is Contra?. New entry (November 25, 2017)
Doug Plummer explains How To Take Dance Photos That Don’t Suck. New entry (November 25, 2017)
Jim Crawford has a produced a wide variety of contra dance videos including a number of various dances in Atlanta. New entry (November 29, 2017)
Doug Plummer created a mixed media presentation called "The Contra Dance" in 2013 shot at the 3rd Sunday Tacoma Contra Dance. New entry (December 17, 2017)
In 2014, Dave Pokorney published Contra Dance Etiquette for the Guys featuring Andrew VanNorstrand and Noah VanNorstrand from a presentation at the Contradancers Delight Holiday in December 2013. New entry (December 27, 2017)
WMUR in New Hampshire has a short interview and video of fiddle player Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki. New entry (December 30, 2017)
Great Meadow produced a series of videos with the overall title of "The New Contra Commercial":
- Part 1: Introduction
- Part 2: A Short History of Contra
- Part 3: What Contra Looks Like, section 1
- Part 4: Contra in the News
- Part 5: What Contra Looks Like, section 2
- Part 6: What People Are Saying About It
David Millstone discusses the work done by two videographers for contra dances: Doug Plummer and John-Michael Seng-Wheeler. New entry (January 7, 2018)
The Dance Video Archive, hosted by the Childgrove Country Dancers of St. Louis, MO, displays videos of dances from the member organizations of the Country Dance and Song Society (CDSS). New entry (February 19, 2018)
During the Dance Flurry in 2012, there was a panel titled "New England Contra Dance History - Old Timers Talk": Part 1 (Bob McQuillen), Part 2 <(Ralph Sweet), Part 3 (Dudley Laufman), Part 4 (Bill Spence), Part 5 (Andy Spence, Part 6 (continued discussion). New entry (February 19, 2018)
Steph Hodge produced this montage of photographs entitled Welcome to the Contra Dance in 2011. New entry (March 23, 2018)
Dave Foster has posted hundreds of his videos recorded at various contra dances. New entry (April 10, 2018)
Arizona, Prescott - Posted in December 2011 with dancers demonstrating some fancy twirls during a Folk Happens Contra Dance New entry (February 1, 2017)
KALW's Sound of the Week featured the Circle Left contra dance in Oakland, California in August 2016. New entry (February 25, 2017)
California, San Luis Obispo - Contra Carnivale - 2007 (1)
California, San Luis Obispo - Contra Carnivale - 2007 (1)
California, Santa Barbara - William Noack has posted more than 100 videos, mostly of events happening at the dances in Santa Barbara. New entry (February 2, 2017)
Colorado, Roaring Fork Valley - posted in 2011 (approximately) - Old Time Music with the Last Minute String Band in the Roaring Fork Valley in Colorado's Rockies captures the music and history of a time not forgotten. Year after year, the simple magic of live music brings this community together. New entry (February 1, 2017)
Connecticut, Greenwich New entry (July 6, 2007)
Connecticut, Greenwich - 2007/06/09 (1) New entry (July 6, 2007)
Connecticut, Greenwich - 2007/06/09 (2) New entry (July 6, 2007)
Georgia, Atlanta - Videos explaining contra dancing. The Chattahoochee Country Dancers in Atlanta, Georgia have produced a series of videos that explain contra dancing. You can also purchase them on a DVD.New entry (October 9, 2008)
Georgia, Gainesville at Fly the Coop, August 11-13, 2017 New entry (August 17, 2017)
Illinois, Chicago
Rima Sliat, from the CDNY group, brought the beautiful Contra and EC dances back to Jordan in this video which also features Jordanian folk dances. New entry (March 17, 2018)
Kentucky, Louisville - 2014/10/18 with caller, Kate Power and band, Zeke's Fancy. Dance is California Twirlin' by Janet Levatin. New entry (March 15, 2015)
TV station WAVE in Louisville, Kentucky broadcast Healing from PTSD one do-si-do at a time in 2016 about the Dancing Well: The Soldier Project. New entry (January 6, 2017)
WGBH has a seven-minute piece on Contra Dancing in Maine from March 18, 2016. New entry (February 24, 2017)
Newscenter Maine posted this video about the downtown dance in Portland, Maine, "An old tradition attracts new generations of dancers", in March 2018. New entry (April 4, 2018)
Maryland, Glen Echo - videos from the 1980s with the Greater Washington Ceili Club and Glen Echo Contra Dance New entry (April 6, 2017)
Lindsey Dodson is shown teaching a beginner's lesson at the Friday dances in Glen Echo, Maryland in 2013 in three parts: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.
Photo essay by MassLive.com about the Massachusetts, Amherst - Contra dancers return to Downtown Amherst dance for friendly atmosphere. New entry (August 13, 2017)
Devon Geary and Ian Stahl of Amherst (MA) College produced "Take Hands Four": Contra Dancing in the Pioneer Valley, an ethnomusicological film, in about 2013. New entry (March 23, 2018)
WWLP ran a story about CDSS' 100th anniversary with a contra demo in its studio in 2015 in Springfield, Massachusetts. New entry (April 8, 2017)
George Marshall was filmed running a introductory session at a dance in Greenfield, Massachusetts in 2011. New entry (November 29, 2017)
Taunton (Massachusetts) Community Access Media ran this 365FYI segment on contra dancing with Linda Leslie in December 2015. New entry (April 1, 2017)
Michigan, Clawson
Michigan, Holland - 2006/12 New entry (April 21, 2008)
Journalism students from the University of Missouri cover contra dancing in Columbia, Missouri is this combined photo/video essay. New entry (November 25, 2017)
Montana, Bynum: The Today show has a brief story about a school in Bynum, Montana that starts the school day with music and dancing. New entry (February 12, 2017)
Benajil Rai at Keene State College produced this 2018 video story aboutcontra dancing in New Hampshire. New entry (March 17, 2018)
Dr. Tarrin P. Lupo produced this 2016 video about What is Contra Dancing? - Nelson & Peterborough - New Hampshire Tourism which includes some history and how contra dance band music is evolving. New entry (February 24, 2017)
The Monadnock Folklore Society produced "Gents Bow, Ladies Know How" - 3 Centuries of Traditional Dance in the Monadnock Region of NH, an introduction to the traditional music played for dances in the Monadnock region. Beginning with English Country Dance music of the 18th century and ending with Scotch, Irish, and French-Canadian tunes of more modern times, this annotated soundtrack traces the history of the music played for square and contra dances. New entry (August 12, 2017)
David Pasternack's video of part of the Fall Ball in 2016 in Peterborough, New Hampshire. New entry (August 13, 2017)
New Hampshire, Richmond - 1961(?): David Millstone wrote about this dance filmed by David Hoffman: "The caller is Dudley Laufman. The dance is in Richmond, NH. Musicians are Joe Ryan (1:37) and Nicholas S. Howe (1:46), fiddles; Sylvia Miskoe, accordion; Cynthia Laufman, Dudley's wife at that time, on piano. There were occasional dances in Richmond, and lots of contra and square dances in Fitzwilliam, NH, the next town to the east. The tune is Washington Quickstep (aka Steamboat Quickstep) though halfway through they are dancing Petronella, which would have its own tune.
The Wall Street Journal posted this 2015 video Young New Yorkers Line Up to Contra Dance that more millennial New Yorkers are choosing to spend their Friday and Saturday nights dancing in circles with strangers.
Video shot by John-Michael Seng-Wheeler and Julian Ashbee during the fourth annual Great Bear Groove Dance Weekend, May 31 - June 2, 2013 in Oswego, NY featuring the Great Bear Trio playing Benton's Hallucinations. New entry (January 7, 2018)
New York, Rochester - 2016/06/21 Country Dancers of Rochester celebrating 40th anniversary New entry (February 27, 2017)
New York, Saratoga Springs - The Flurry - 2017/02/18 (local news report) New entry (February 23, 2017)
As part of her series "Bare Feet", Mickela Mallozzi visits the The Flurry Festival in Saratoga Springs, New York in 2013. New entry (January 8, 2018)
The Callers' Collective in Asheville, North Carolina was featured in this video by WLOS-TV entitled Calling all dancers: Group aims to bring folk dance into 21st century on December 15, 2017. New entry (January 4, 2018)
North Carolina, Greenville (1)
North Carolina, Greenville (2)
WECT television produced this 2017 story about the dance series in Wilmington, North Carolina. New entry (March 17, 2018)
A flash mob at the Farmers' Market in Coos Bay, Oregon in September 2016. New entry (April 4, 2017)
Doug Plummer's Contra Dance Photo Project gets the credit for this creative masterpiece: a time lapse of the Portland Megadance in 2014 using 20,194 images from 5 cameras. Doug explains how this was done. New entry (November 25, 2017)
Doug Plummer produced Not Your Grandparents Square Dance about old-time music and square dancing in Portland, Oregon in 2009. New entry (March 30, 2018)
Morris dancing pirates attack a contra dancing barge in 2004. New entry (April 21, 2008)
Marie-Michèle Fournier, one of the organizers of the dance series in Montreal, Quebec was interviewed about the series. New entry (February 19, 2018)
Tennessee, Chattanooga - Times Free Press series of photographs from a Mardi Gras dance on February 25, 2017 New entry (July 25, 2017)
Informative video about contra dancing in Tennessee, Jonesborough from November 2015. New entry (April 1, 2017)
Washington, Seattle - December 2011 video about The Seattle Subversive Square Dance Society New entry (February 1, 2017)
West Virginia - Buffalo Gap - Family Week - 2004 New entry (April 21, 2008)
West Virginia - Charleston - report by WCHS about the Mountain Dance Trail in West Virginia New entry (April 6, 2017)

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

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Contra Dance / Contradance Photographs and Videos

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http://www.contradancelinks.com/photographs.html Produced by Charlie Seelig This page last updated on April 10, 2018.

Contra Dance / Contradance
Photographs and Videos

http://www.contradancelinks.com/photographs.html
Produced by Charlie Seelig
This page last updated on April 10, 2018.