A contra dance: four beat music, a sequence of stars, allemandes, circles, gipsies (intense eye-to-eye), doe-see-does, California swing, balances and swings, new corners but same partner, round and round, up and down the chain, waiting out a set at the top or the bottom of the line, then back into the braid in the other direction.
Where are my feet? Is the circle round or oblong? Oh right, I should be doing a hay. One time around with the swing, or two? Is she leaning outward or keeping her weight centered? My new corner is a guy in the ladies part. How does this work? I'm getting hot but there's no time to dab the brow. The music, repetitious and insistent, drives us on and on. My partner and I apologize to each other with our eyes as we make mistakes but find our places again and carry on. A hilarity infects us all, a mix of slap-happiness and strict routine. A final chord just as I confront a new corner and prepare to take hands, a bow to corner, a bow to partner, a relieved laugh, then "pick a new partner and get in long lines."
All evening I'm on the edge of disorientation. The music is regular but each person is different and has to be danced with. My style changes over the night, progressively less prancy.
Watching the waltzing at the end, I see something I've never noticed before: a two part step structure. He moves two, three steps, then she swings around with two... I don't quite understand but there's more for me to learn. Always more for me to learn.
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