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Show V U p ptai 'H- i - Thursday, June Remember the Alamo! Following is a message front John and Vivian MCcCannnon, General Chairmen concerning the 1974 23rd National Square Dance Convention. Texas big to square HOWDY and round dancers around the world. The Texas State Federation of Square and Round Dancers, your host organization, John and Vivian McCan-noGeneral Chairman and all the square and round danters of Texas invite vou to DO SA Howdv, THE ALAMO. Travel Texas Trails to historic DO BY the Twil l me around again you ol Scarecrow! Yee-ha- w! History of the Contra reasons for contras are variation and beauty. By Walt and Louise Cole Caller and Taw Ogden, Ut"h Want to have some different fun? Then take a couple of squares, line em up in two rows facing their partners and here begins one of the most intriguing, inviting variations of square dance that we know. Did I say a variation of square dance? Actually, the square dance probably is an outgrowth of this line dance called Contra. Some dancer or caller probably got the idea to .take the figures done in contra and use them in a quadrille (or square) formation and square dancing was bom! w What is contra? A contra is one of six geometric forms of American folk dance, in which the dancers form in sets of two parallel lines and go through a certain sequence of figures that are repeated. Each repetition results in some of the dancers progressing toward one end of the set and the others moving toward the opposite end. If the sequence is repeated enough times, every dancer eventually progresses to each end of the line and finally back to where he started. Why dance contra? First, and simply one should dance contras for sheer enjoyment. Many of the pleasures of contras are the same as square dancing. The number of couples in a contra can be innumerable, though sets are usually shortened to about 12 to 24 couples so that everyone gets a chance to be an active. Contras are very democratic dances because there is always room for one more couple at the foot of a set and everyone gets a chance to dance with everyone else in that set. There is never a problem of needing one mo,e couple. The contra dance is precise; every contra goes well with the music so that it takes a certain number of beats to execute each figure. This then is one of the greatest joys of any the feeling of being dancing with the music. chalThis alone should lenge the dancer to start and end each action with the musical phrase (this also applies) to the contra caller). Other Contras have been, are, and should remain he frosting on the cake. Today, more and more contemporary square dancers are this several- discovering hundred-year-ol- Why, d We turn activity to Don . Armstrong (nationally . recognized contra and square dance leader) for an explanation; Square dancers find them just a little different, a little something extra, and a round done with square dance figures. The dancer moves to the musical phrase, yet the music is quite exhilarating, and the bonus of styling comes with contra the of pleasure dancing. A short history. Contra dance longways for as many as will. From this beauty came the square dance, via a quadrille routine, and this longways dance is older than man can remember The English developed the longways, and in it is almost every conceivable square dance step and pattern. Actually, as square dancing has evolved today, such is an expression of todays living, and this, after all, is merely normal evolution, according to Armstrong. However, contras and quadrilles have not evolved as rapidly as squares, and their use today provides a most enjoyable interlude or flashback to our traditional background. Contras give us a link to our dancing background, keep us in touch with a growing America, 1 reported Armstrong. two There are basically schools of thought on the derivation of the word contra. One claims that the root from the word is country English Country Dance, with a possible intermediate form in Contra the French name, Danse. The other school of thought, preferred by experts such as Dorothy Shaw (Lloyd Shaw Foundation) takes the root found in such words as con- trary, counter or contra- which carries the vene, implication of opposition; an idea which teflects the onnn-inlines found in the contra dance. Reference to the Country Dance appears in English erature as earlv as 1593. g V These early compilations were principally composed of the dance type called, Longways for as many as will. Thomas Wilson, a dancing teacher in England during the 1880s, noted the many applications of contra . . re- ceived from Captains and Gentlemen going to the Colonies. . This probably is the manner in which these dances were introduced into the United States. Originally, dancers in the English Longways worked in sets of two and sometimes three couples. Didnt two couples have a familiar ring as forming a square? Then is it any wonder that many of our present-da- y square dance figures are found among the movements of the Longways Dance? For example, right and left through, chains, square through, cast off, and ocean wave-typ- e balances are present in these dances. At .the turn of the 18th Cen-turthe English Country Dance crossed the Channel into Europe as the Longways for as many as will and literally took France by storm. of All the European countries had their respective country or folk dances, but it was the Longways that had the exceptional feature of couple after couple being able to enter this dance. Historian Curt Sachs describes it as the pleasing of the choral combination dance and the single couple dance. , When the Longways Dance crossed the Channel, it was a boisterous, clogging type and it took the French to gentle it and describe it as Contre. Thus, the wedding of the country longways and the courtly contra produced figures, sequences, and patterns found throughout the family of dance. Finally contra crossed back to England (but will manners and courtesy) and on to America. The traditional American Contra Dance of the colonial period and early 19th Century survived chiefly in New England, growing and waxing fat on popularity. Eventually, the dance migrated West with the settlers; no group did a better Continued on p. 8, Col. 8 A old San Antonio, one of America's four unique cities and enjoy the sights and friendship. Take a leisurely stroll or a water taxi ride from your hotel along the beautiful Paseo Del Rio to the magnificent air conditioned llemisfair Convention Center at the base of the 750 foot high Tower of the Americas, with its observation tower and revolving restaurant. Come dance in cool comfort on the centers wood parquet floors to the finest sound. Look for more in 74. 28, 1973 Dance Therapy Continued from p. 6 To show you how easy it is for elementary' children to learn square dancing. Bruce Elm of Provo, Utah, will demonstrate with a square of elementary school age children on the stage of the Assembly Hall. Teachers join together with physical education of children, grades K through 12, will want to see how easy it is to teach. You need not know how to square dance yourself. Complete instructional materials are available to teach this remarkable recreational dance. To show you how valuable this activity is for the mentally retarded, there will actually of retarded chiK who will dance during seminar. Leaders who with the retarded will to see how these youngsters respond to this type of social recreation. be a dren this work want square Plan now to attend. The vice chairmen of this activity are Alma and Marie Heaton of 235 So. 900 East Provo, Utah. You can contact them for further information. All interested people need only show up at the Salt Palace Assembly Hall on" Saturday the 30th at 10 a m. for free admission to this semi nar |