Contra Dancing

This New Year's we went to a contra dance party that was open to anyone who wanted to come. It was the most enchanting evening! Contra dancing is like square dancing, only couples move throughout the room instead of staying in their separate squares. It took place in a boat workshop. The owner had the old, wooden shop cleared out with carpeted benches lining the walls along with his personal tools. The room filled quickly with people bearing food. The ceiling was decorated with paper lanterns and painted soundboards and the in the corner sat a live band. We ran into many men who we knew but didn't know danced, and some of them even owned their own dancing shoes. And the best part was that John, who builds log houses and uses flamethrowers to garden, danced every dance while we were there- including a polka.