JimLucas Posted May 28, 2004 Share Posted May 28, 2004 Are there any special steps or anything goes,within the framework of the dance. Only one "special step" these days, that I can think of... the balance. Personal style on that can vary from just rocking back and forth to wild swings and stomping with the feet. But for the rest, there's no "gesturing" with the feet; it's just a walking or skipping step, or a buzz step on the swings. There's an older New Hampshire style in which the inactives would do a very relaxed kind of "clogging" -- just shifting the weight and brushing the free foot, -- but I think that's practically extinct,... maybe because so few modern contras have any truly "inactive" sections for anybody? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyBits Posted May 28, 2004 Share Posted May 28, 2004 I once heard English Country dancing referred to as Contra dancing without the "fun". (no offense to you English fans ) Contra gets much more whooped up and fast moving, which is great in a hall with 200 people. When everyone does the "balance" step the whole building shakes. You can be creative within the form of the dance by adding extra twirls and spins, which in English is a no-no. It's a rolicking good time! You may have to come over on a field trip, Al, so that we can get you dancing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Brook Posted May 28, 2004 Share Posted May 28, 2004 So it's definitely nothing to do with Iran or South American rebels then? How did it arrive at such a weird name? Is it an abbreiviation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimLucas Posted May 28, 2004 Share Posted May 28, 2004 So it's definitely nothing to do with Iran or South American rebels then? No, except that during the political uproar over American support for the Contras, the dance band "New York Pro Contra" had to change their name. How did it arrive at such a weird name? Is it an abbreiviation? What's weird about it? Anyway, I think there are various theories. One is that it's a double corruption of pronunciation, a return to English of the Frenchification of the English term "country dance". I personally like the idea that it refers to the two sets of dancers moving "contra" (against, or contrary to) each other, thus moving through each other as the dance progresses. But I also doubt that that's the true origin of the name. Like many other terms, the true origin is lost in the mists of time. But does it really matter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Brook Posted May 28, 2004 Share Posted May 28, 2004 No it doesn't really matter I was just curious. I don't mean to be a complete baffoon but is Contra the same think as Zydacote (or however that is spelt)? If so is it similar to Cajun music? I have never heard of Contra (in a musical context) except for on this website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Day Posted May 28, 2004 Author Share Posted May 28, 2004 I agree with you Peter,I had never heard of it until Lisa said she had a great weekend doing it. While we are at it what are Hambo`s and Zwiefaches.Sounds like fast food. Is there any recordings of these please and where do they originate.Or where can I taste it? Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Besser Posted May 28, 2004 Share Posted May 28, 2004 (edited) Boy oh boy, this thread has led to some serious confusion. No, contra dance music isn't similar to Zydeco music, which is a modern form of Cajun music blended with urban blues. If you're an Irish trad player, you'll recognize many of the tunes used for contra dances, tho you might disapprove of the liberties taken with them. Also plenty of Scottish, traditional Appalachian, and modern tunes. But then again, some French Canadian tunes popular at contra dances could be easily mistaken for Cajun tunes I"m not an expert on the other dances, but I've played plenty of hambos (3/4 time, with an extra beat somewhere) and Zwiefachers, which are 3/4 and 2/4, alternating every few (two?) measures. If you're interested, there's a wonderful book called "A Little Couple Dancemusik" by Peter Barnes that contains hundreds of these musical oddities, many of which are great fun on the Anglo. Edited May 28, 2004 by Jim Besser Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimLucas Posted May 28, 2004 Share Posted May 28, 2004 (edited) I agree with you Peter,I had never heard of it until Lisa said she had a great weekend doing it. If you hadn't heard of contras, then you're a latecomer to Concertina.net. Nothing wrong with that, though. While we are at it what are Hambo`s and Zwiefaches. A hambo is a Swedish couple dance in 3/4, but quite different from a waltz. In the turning part of a hambo (or of a Polska, of which a hambo is a particular variant), each measure (set of 3 beats) starts on the same foot. With three beats and two feet, you may want to think about that a bit before I say more. The zwiefacher is a German couple dance, with some measures of 2/4 and some measures of 3/4. The 2/4 measures are done with a pivot step, and the 3/4 measures with a waltz step. Each zweifacher tune seems to have a different sequence of 2's and 3's, but that doesn't seem to faze the dancers. Is there any recordings of these I can't tell you where to get recordings without googling, so I'll let you do that. I expect there are many recordings with tunes for each kind of dance, probably even some British-issued ones. Edited to remove misinformation (it's late here). Edited May 28, 2004 by JimLucas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimLucas Posted May 28, 2004 Share Posted May 28, 2004 ...is Contra the same think as Zydacote (or however that is spelt)? Not even close. I'm curious as to what prompted you to think they might be related. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimLucas Posted May 28, 2004 Share Posted May 28, 2004 ...I've played plenty of hambos (3/4 time, with an extra beat somewhere)... Sorry. No extra beat. Not anywhere. But the placement of stress in the tunes is quite different from a waltz. ...and Zwiefachers, which are 3/4 and 2/4, alternating every few (two?) measures. The pattern of "alternation" in each tune is different. Changing every other measure is about the simplest one can get, but much more complex patterns are the norm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Besser Posted May 29, 2004 Share Posted May 29, 2004 >Sorry. No extra beat. Not anywhere You're right; I looked at some music. Is the pattern always the same in a hambo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellowbelle Posted May 29, 2004 Share Posted May 29, 2004 A few years ago (or, several, maybe!) when I had to wait for my daughter at her cello lesson (no, she never did do much with that instrument), the mother of another student taking a music lesson invited me to check out a contra dance that goes on about just 10 miles from my home, in nearby Berlin, MA. I was all set to go, even just to listen to the music, but then I got quite sick and was out of it for weeks. Still haven't felt like I can actually manage contra dancing, but...maybe I'll brave it, finally. If I actually get to one of the dances, I'll do my best to try it out and let you know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimLucas Posted May 29, 2004 Share Posted May 29, 2004 (edited) Is the pattern always the same in a hambo? In my experience, yes. What disinguishes a hambo from a standard polska is 1) the fixed pattern of repetition in the dance, and 2) the tempo. Polskas in general tend to be slower, and the transitions between the walking step and turning step are at the whim of the dancers, which means that some people will be walking while others are turning. I say "in my experience". Considering where I now live, I should be an expert, but I'm not. I know that there are regional differences in hambo style within Sweden, but I'm pretty sure that what I've said above is true across the board. There are, of course, other Swedish dances, including polka, schottische, waltz, slangpolska, and engelska. The latter means "English", and is different from other Swedish dances, with both stepping and a hey like in an English 4-hand reel. Edited to add the following and a photo: It occurs to me that Jim B. might have meant the pattern of the music, but yes, in my experience hambo tunes are also quite regular, with repeating 8-bar sections. By the way, the hambo seems to be a minor dance form in Sweden, or at least in my area. (I don't live in Sweden itself, but that's Skåne -- southern Sweden -- in the background of this photo from my balcony, Denmark in the foreground.) It's quite possible for an entire evening of traditional dance to go by without a single hambo. Polskas predominate. Edited May 29, 2004 by JimLucas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Timson Posted May 29, 2004 Share Posted May 29, 2004 I once heard English Country dancing referred to as Contra dancing without the "fun". (no offense to you English fans ) This was probably true-er 30 years ago than now. ECD (in England, I'm talking about, I know nothing of the US interpretation) went through a bad patch when, under the guidance of EFDSS (English Folk Dance and Song Society, sometimes referred to as the Ding Dong and Prance) social dance did seem to be a very joyless business. It was danced to mainly celtic tunes using a peculiar gliding running step. Horrible. Anyway, people like John Kirkpatrick and the English country music revival bands led something of a rebellion against this sort of thing, using English tunes for English dances and re-introducing stepping (which you now had time for witrh the slower tunes). All good stuff, and nowadays even the Ding Dong society go along with it. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Mills Posted May 29, 2004 Share Posted May 29, 2004 Very nice view, Jim L., but I shudder to think of the winter wind doing a hambo across the Oresund strait (no thread drift here!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimLucas Posted May 29, 2004 Share Posted May 29, 2004 ...I shudder to think of the winter wind doing a hambo across the Oresund strait... Oh, we do sometimes get fairly strong winds here, but they most often blow along the sound, not across it, and I have yet to see a twister here (the hambo is a turning dance). Also, it doesn't get nearly as cold here as it does in Boston, Buffalo, or even Baltimore. (no thread drift here!). No snow drifts, either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Day Posted May 29, 2004 Author Share Posted May 29, 2004 I totaly agree with you Chris,the changeover period was dramatic,bands like Flowers and Frolicks.The Hop.Albion band was refreshing.I think the tempo upped slightly,but it was the use of brass,woodwing, base,new tunes and great arrangements, that altered the dance style.With it came new dances,which must parrallel Contra style.The dancers were split down the middle some who wanted strict tempo and the other half ,including new dancers enjoying folk music and dance for the first time. At Cecil Sharp House at a Gig I can well remember some saying play faster and some slower. Sidmouth was never without Flowers and Frolicks they were there every year and their popularity will never be forgotten and Sidmouth`s popularity grew on strength of that fun band.(Roger Digby playing concertina) I cannot see any dance being better than The Willow Tree a split the willow from both ends.My best dance in the World. Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Brook Posted June 2, 2004 Share Posted June 2, 2004 Not even close. I'm curious as to what prompted you to think they might be related. I present this evidence! This line from Jim Besser Guitar players who don't know jazz chords are in real trouble and this one from Brian Humphrey Many of the tunes have Celtic, New England, Appalachian, or Quebecois roots or influences Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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