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Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQ)Read Round Hill Country Dances By-Laws
Q: What kind of dance is the Round Hill Country Dance?
A: The Round Hill Country Dance is a New England contra dance.
Q: What is a New England contra dance?
A: A New England contra dance is an American traditional dance evolved from British and European folk dances. For a more detailed description, see
Gary Shapiro's definition
and Wikipedia
(Contra Dance)..
Q: Is this like line dancing?
A: Not really. Most country line dances are danced to country-western type music and mostly without a partner.
Q: Is this a western square dance like we learned in school?
A: No, although some of the square dance moves will be familiar (for example, the do-si-do). We sometimes will dance a traditional square or circle dance during the evening.
Q: What kind of shoes should I wear?
A: Bring a clean second pair of shoes to change into -- no street shoes please. Men and women wear flat, low-heeled shoes. Some people prefer to dance barefoot.
Q: What is the dress code?
A: Informal but nice. Women tend to wear light, cool dresses. Most people find blue jeans too hot and restrictive. Men wear lightweight shirts and slacks; some wear shorts, and a few men even prefer to wear skirts.
Q: What is the style of dancing like?
A: Dances vary in energy level from lively to aerobic, but you can dance at a personal energy level appropriate for you.
Q: Do you have live bands?
A: Yes, all our dances feature exciting live bands.
Q: What age group typically comes to a dance?
A: Contra dances are enjoyed by ALL ages.
Q: Are there lots more women than men or vice versa?
A: Our dances tend to be well-balanced compared to other types of dances you may have been to. Sometimes more so, sometimes less so.
Q: Is there smoking or drinking at the dance?
A: Our dance is smoke- and alcohol-free.
Q: Do you serve refreshments?
A: Water is available throughout the dance, and refreshments are served at the break.
Q: Must I bring a partner to the dance?
A: No partner is required; many dancers come alone or in groups.
Q: Can women ask men to dance?
A: Yes, despite the best-selling book The Rules, it is a contra dance tradition for women to be able to ask men to dance.
Q: If I dance with one person, should we dance every dance together?
A: We tend to change partners after every dance -- you are dancing with a community. However, it is not uncommon for married couples (or equivalent) to dance together several times in the course of the evening.
Q: What is a "figure"?
A: A figure is a short dance "step" or "move", sort of a choreographic building block. Most contra dances consist of a sequence of about six to twelve individual figures.
Q: What are the names of the figures?
A: Here is a list of some of the figures:
The length of this list may seem daunting, but in fact many of these figures appear only rarely, so it's not necessary to know them all to enjoy contra dancing. The overwhelming majority of contra dances consist mostly or entirely of the first few of these figures.
Q: Is public transportation available?
A: Alas, no. However, taxis are available at the Metro-North train station (take the New Haven line to Greenwich). Bear in mind that Greenwich Taxi charges EACH passenger full fare: no splitting the ride. You may be able to hitch a ride back to the station -- just leave a message with the cashier to be announced at the break.
Q: It sounds like fun, what is the atmosphere like?
A: It is fun! Round Hill is a friendly community. Many people travel from all around the area to come to our beautiful and engaging dances.
This page maintained by
Bruce
Meyer.
Last modified