Do-si-do, little darlin’. If you are unfamiliar with calls like “Balance and Swing”, “Ladies’ Chain”, “Hey for Four” or the more lively “Gypsy Meltdown”, do not fret. Callers will teach you the moves before you shuffle your feet.
So, what’s the lure of contras dance? It’s learned quickly, because the same sequence repeats up to 30 times in any given song—great for folks with two left feet. Contras isn’t fanciful or pretentious, just plain, simple contras.
However, dress for this event can be “elegant” if so desired. It is a living tradition, evolving from 17th-century English-Scottish dancing, surviving near extinction in 19th-century New England, then slowly spreading across rural America. Now, Salt Lake City has monthly shindigs. At Wasatch Contras’ end-of-the-year potluck and dance, flute-based Bandage a Trois will play jigs, reels and old-timey tunes. ’Tis the season for do-sido-ing, and you are sure to catch some Scottishinfused Christmas favorites.
Wasatch Contras Holiday Ball @ Ladies’ Literary Club, 850 E. South Temple, 801- 278-8765, Dec. 18, 7:30-10:30 p.m., WasatchContras.org
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