Monday Evening Contra Dances in Ashford, Kent, UK

Every Monday evening.
We will be closed on Boxing Day (December 26th).
We close once a month on the Monday after a weekend dance.
We will also be closed for part of January.
So future closures in 2012 are January 16, 23, 30; February 20; March 19; April 30; May 28; July 2; Jul 30.

Where

Hothfield Village Hall, Park Drive, Hothfield, Ashford TN26 1EQ.
Only five minutes from M20 J9.

map

When

8pm to 10:30pm every Monday night.

Doors open at 7:45pm so that we can start promptly at 8pm.

Only £5.00

What

Each evening will start promptly with a short lesson on the basics of Contra Dancing and swinging. Then we will spend the evening dancing.

All dances will be walked through first and called while you are dancing so that everyone will be able to join in.

There will be further teaching during the evening. We will introduce beginners to all the figures and the basic techniques. We will also be teaching American styling - spins, twirls, variations and how to add more style to your dancing.

Music

We will be using music from some of the top Contra Bands in the USA and the UK:

Contrazz
Fiddlin' Around
Rodney Miller's Airdance
Notorious
Susan Kevra
The Moving Violations
Vertical Expression
Wild Asparagus
and lots more...

We are interested in expanding the range of music that we use. The music needs to provide phrasing that allows 8 steps at around 120 bpm, in groups of 8 (32 bars). Please contact us if you have any suggestions.

Frequently Asked Questions
What Should I Wear?
Whatever you feel comfortable dancing in, there are no rules. Skirts and dresses can look great when you are spinning, but trousers are fine too.
Make sure you have comfortable flat or low-heeled footwear that you can balance easily in and that won't stick to the floor when you try to spin.
No stilettos please - they won't be comfortable and they might damage the dance-floor.

Do I Need To Come Every Week?
Hopefully you will enjoy it so much that you want to come back every week! But, no, missing a week is not a problem. We will start each week with easy dances, and teach the harder figures before we use them in a dance. You can start coming any time you like and come as often or as little as you like.
We will try to make sure that whenever you come, no matter how much or how little experience you have, you will always learn something new and have a great time.

Do I Need To Bring A Partner?
No, everyone asks everyone to dance, and during each dance you will dance with lots of people. By the end of the evening you will probably have danced with everyone in the room!
At contra dances it is perfectly acceptable for ladies to ask men for a dance as well as men asking ladies.
Most people at contra dances ask a different person for every dance and we will be encouraging this. It is lots of fun, you meet lots of people, and you will learn more quickly.
Couples usually dance together for the first one or two dances, and for the last dance, but dance with lots of other partners in between.
During each dance you will get to swing with lots of different partners. It is very common for people to ask, during the swing, or at any other convenient time, "Would you like the next dance?".

Is There A Bar?
We will only be providing water. You are welcome to bring your own drinks with you, but spinning and alcohol don't go well together!