Last night my classmates and I attended the Bloomington Contra-Dance. I’m
not sure what I expected it to be like, but I will definitely remember this
night for a long time. The music was created by a small band in the front of
the room. It’s upbeat and simple phrasing reflected the fluidity of the
dancing. Each played off of each other and it was easy to learn and feel the
beat. At each repetition, the excitement of a new partner was both interesting
and awkward at the same time. It was a lot like meeting a new friend for the
first time. The host taught everyone the dance while carrying her baby around
with her which said a lot about the atmosphere of the room. I learned on a
personal level the power of participatory musical experience while making me
feel connected to all attendees and the entire community of Bloomington.
The strangeness of the evening
was highlighted by forced interaction with complete strangers. Normally I
wouldn’t hold hands or embrace a woman I just met. But the whole situation pushed
me out of my comfort zone and was exhilarating. This same aspect of the dance is
witness in participatory music making. By introducing my unique personality to
the dance, I contributed to the collective energy being produced by the group.
It’s also safe to say that this is a style of dance I’m not used to. Yet, I
felt accepted into a group of individuals I have never met. By teaching and
guiding me through the dances I got to know certain faces. Once I successfully
completed the dance with someone, I felt connected with them without knowing
their name or background. The Contra-Dance allowed me to meet people I normally
wouldn’t be exposed to. For an hour I was able to forget my worries and immerse
myself in the culture of this dance. I belonged to a specific cohort, and I
felt like I contributed a lot to the energy of the group. In the same fashion
as the Farmer’s Market or the Runcible Spoon, I connected with the town of
Bloomington and learned something new by stepping outside of my comfort zone.
I would definitely attend the
dance again. It allowed me to let go and be silly while connecting with my classmates.
It made the time fly by and I got to learn a new dance. All for free! There’s
also no pressure to be an amazing Contra-dancer. The entire evening challenged
my view of how I should be dancing in public. In a modern setting dancing is
limited to, quote David McDonald, “mobile spooning.” At clubs we usually keep
to ourselves or the group we came with and would never hold hands with a
stranger. I think this type of dancing represents the values of a specific cultural
formation. The partiers in society communicate their lack of desire for
anything more than a casual hookup through their dancing. The lack of eye
contact, hand touching, or communication doesn’t really allow for a connection
greater than the physical level. I think that if more people participated in
things like the Contra-Dance our culture would be more open and accepting of
diversity.
Over the course of these two
weeks, I’ve learned an incredible amount about participatory music and its
effects on people. My evening at the Contra-Dance allowed me to personally
experience its powerful effects. Letting myself go and having fun made the
dancing easy, it also allowed to connect with the other dancers more. In the
moment, it didn’t matter than this was my first time dancing or that I was
dancing with women my mothers’ age. It was about losing my inhibitions in new
social interactions. I was rewarded for being myself and taking part in the
dancing, which wouldn’t be the norm in our society. I hope that the
Contra-dance inspires other participatory events in the community. These
situations inspire humans to connect on many different levels which is a rare occurrence
in our culture.
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