Contra dancing is all about community. That seems to be the opinion of everyone interviewed for this article. Dancers, musicians, callers all agree: it’s the friendliness, the acceptance of everyone, beginners and experienced, young and old, that sets contra dancing apart.
“With contra dancing, the culture is pretty open, and the community is generally pretty open,†said Ethan Plunkett of Pittsfield. “I think one of the things that sets it apart from many dances is how social it is – you tend to dance with different people.â€
Joe Baker of Monterey, a member of the contra band Mountain Laurel, said, “I like contra dancing because for the dancers, it’s a non-threatening way for everybody to dance with everybody. At our dances, we’ve always featured teaching and dancing for everyone.â€
“It seems to be a way to counteract the decay of communities, in a way,†said Eric Buddington, a North Adams dancer and fiddler with the Flying Garbanzos. “People used to have more reasons to see each other, front porches and maybe everybody in the neighborhood working in the same place, which doesn’t happen so much anymore. Contra dancing can work the other way.â€
Contra dancing is a traditional New England dance, according to Plunkett. In many ways, it is similar to square dancing. It is a partner dance, and many of the moves, such as do-si-do, swing your partner and promenade, are shared with square dancing. The tunes, usually jigs, reels or hornpipes, are similar to familiar square dance tunes such as Turkey in the Straw, Pop Goes the Weasel or Arkansas Traveler. There is even a caller like in square dancing, telling the dancers what to do next. Plunkett, who has been calling contras for about 5 years, said there are some differences as well. “In square dancing you start out with 4 couples in a square and in contra dancing you start out in long lines opposite your partner,†he said. “In a square you dance with just those 8 people, but in a contra, you progress either down or up the line with your partner, coming to new people every time through. So functionally there’s a difference. I think there’s a less easily defined stylistic difference. I think contra dancing as it’s practiced tends to be a little higher energy.â€
That energy is especially apparent among the younger dancers, according to Elena Traister, another musician and dancer from North Adams. “Contra dancing is moving around, and a lot of young people will move themselves around very vigorously and enthusiastically. A lot of the older people will be a lot more subtle about what they’re doing, but when you dance with them, you still feel that they’re moving in exactly the right direction.â€
At least part of the reason for that exuberance is the energy that the musicians put into the dancing music. “For me, it’s dance groove," said Liz Stell of Lanesboro. She is a contra dancer and the flutist with the band Spare Parts. "If a tune doesn’t have some innate swing or drive, then we have to put it in there, which we can do. Driving is what the dancers respond to most.â€
Spare Parts consists of Stell and her husband Bill Matthiesen, as well as other Spare Parts scattered around the country including musicians in Albany, Seattle, Arizona and Boston. They are nationally known as a ragtime and Victorian ballroom dance band, yet they still like playing contra dances. “It’s my first love, even though I like all this other music,†Stell said. “I can just mess around with contra and have such a good time. It’s where I learned to play music really.â€
Jared Polens of North Adams is a dancer and hammered dulcimer player with the band Wintergreen. Hes been dancing and playing contra tunes for 18 years. Asked what he liked about contra dancing, he replied, “The energy, the community and how everyone just dances together with the music. The connection with the music and with all the different people – there’s a very set structure to it, but within that structure, everyone is doing their own variations.â€
There are several contra dances each month in Berkshire County. Mountain Laurel has been holding contra dances at the Sheffield Grange on Route 7 for 24 years. Their dance is on the fourth Saturday each month except December. The Flying Garbanzos have a dance at the St. John’s Episcopal Church Parish Hall on Summer Street in North Adams on the third Friday each month. The Country Life, Dance and Music Society of Pittsfield sponsors a dance on the second Saturday of each month September through June at the Pittsfield Grange on Upper West Street. There are other dances in the county not on a regular schedule, and there are dances every weekend in the Greenfield and Albany areas. More information about dances in the area can be found at http://www.tedcrane.com/DanceDB/ and http://www.dancegypsy.com/
Plunkett, who frequently calls at the Garbanzos’ North Adams dances, said, “There are plenty of dances around where you can find a lot of young people dancing, and I find that really exciting. It’s great that there’s energy but it’s also great that it’s not a dying dance form. It’s thriving and it’s definitely changed for the times. It’s different but it’s a wonderful thing.â€
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Berkshire County Homes Celebrating Holiday Cheer
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
There's holiday cheer throughout the Berkshires this winter.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
We asked the homeowners questions on their decorations and why they like to light up their houses.
In Great Barrington, Matt Pevzner has decorated his house with many lights and even has a Facebook page dedicated to making sure others can see the holiday joy.
Located at 93 Brush Hill Road, there's more than 61,000 lights strewn across the yard decorating trees and reindeer and even a polar bear.
The Pevzner family started decorating in September by testing their hundreds of boxes of lights. He builds all of his own decorations like the star 10-foot star that shines done from 80-feet up, 10 10-foot trees, nine 5-foot trees, and even the sleigh, and more that he also uses a lift to make sure are perfect each year.
"I always decorated but I went big during COVID. I felt that people needed something positive and to bring joy and happiness to everyone," he wrote. "I strive to bring as much joy and happiness as I can during the holidays. I love it when I get a message about how much people enjoy it. I've received cards thanking me how much they enjoyed it and made them smile. That means a lot."
Pevzner starts thinking about next year's display immediately after they take it down after New Year's. He gets his ideas by asking on his Facebook page for people's favorite decorations. The Pevzner family encourages you to take a drive and see their decorations, which are lighted every night from 5 to 10.
In North Adams, the Wilson family decorates their house with fun inflatables and even a big Santa waving to those who pass by.
The Wilsons start decorating before Thanksgiving and started decorating once their daughter was born and have grown their decorations each year as she has grown. They love to decorate as they used to drive around to look at decorations when they were younger and hope to spread the same joy.
"I have always loved driving around looking at Christmas lights and decorations. It's incredible what people can achieve these days with their displays," they wrote.
The Wilsons' invite you to come and look at their display at 432 Church St. that's lit from 4:30 to 10:30 every night, though if it's really windy, the inflatables might not be up as the weather will be too harsh.
In Pittsfield, Travis and Shannon Dozier decorated their house for the first time this Christmas as they recently purchased their home on Faucett Lane. The two started decorating in November, and hope to bring joy to the community.
"If we put a smile on one child's face driving by, then our mission was accomplished," they said.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
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