First real try at English country dancing

[meanfreepath]

I went to Yardley, PA for the Lambertville Country Dancers English dance tonight. I had a lovely time even though this was my first real try at English (other than tripping through a bunch of things at the English-Scottish Ball).

I've liked contra since freshman year, when Sikandra (crystalpyramid's roommate) dragged me along to one. I was somehow convinced (probably by crystalpyramid) to show up to the E-S Ball this spring, and thus got exposed to English.

The band tonight, with Swat Russian prof Kim Fedchak (is she Kira?) playing piano and recorder, was excellent. Joanna Reiner called a series of really hard dances, including one called Companion, but taught pretty well. I found most of English to be similar to contra but did have some trouble with the triple minor dances.

English versus contra... English definitely has a stately, Jane Austen kind of feel. It's on the whole a lot more sedate than contra. On the other hand, contra is a much better workout; you can quickly work up a nice hard sweat. There's nothing quite like the pleasant slight dizziness of a good hard swing in the arms of an experienced person. Having done both, I think I do prefer contra, as English feels a bit too much like walking around and around.

Dare I suggest, also, that somehow contra is more sexual than English? Perhaps it has to do with the closer and more vigorous physical contact, the mutual sweatiness, and the dizziness all together...

Comments

[crystalpyramid]

Yes, of course contra's more sexual. But so's waltzing, and waltzing isn't close or fast.

Kim is indeed Kira.

[meanfreepath.livejournal.com]

Is waltzing more sexual? I guess it depends on who you're waltzing with. I've always found waltzing to be romantic, but not sexual in the way contra feels.

Part of it, too, is that waltzing brings up silly memories. In high school freshman biology, in the genetics unit, we talked about "running mice" and "waltzing mice." It's some genetic trait, where the former move in straight lines and the latter move in circles. Still, the thought of mice dancing to some Strauss waltz sometimes gives me the giggles...

[blaketh.livejournal.com]

Oh, and Argentine Tango. Everyone should do Argentine Tango. Waltzing is often quite stately, and the only time I've ever seen it seem sexual was in the version of "Dracula" made in '79. Not a bad version, either. Evil hypnotic vampire waltzes rock.