Julie Levy-Weston describes contra dancing as “one of the few dance forms that thrusts a person of the opposite sex into your arms every 30 seconds.”
Levy-Weston, the events planner for the MSU Museum, is coordinating the contra dance with the Looking Glass Music and Arts Association, an area organization dedicated to bringing arts back to Lansing.
The festivities will be held at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Bailey Community Center, 300 Bailey St. Admission price for students is $3.
The contra dance, which has developed from English country, Scottish country and Irish set dance styles, is most similar to country square dancing and uses a caller to give directions to participants.
Levy-Weston has been participating in the contra dance for nine years and said it’s easy to learn.
“It takes two dances at the most to learn; it really is very simple and fun,” she said. “It’s a fun interaction with people - that is really hard to find nowadays.”
Contra dancing involves dancing to folk music with a partner and your neighbor in a series of moves and then progresses to a new dance partner.
Callers, who verbally give instructions, help dictate the flow of participants by yelling steps and instructions.
Kim Zebrowski, a chemistry junior, began contra dancing nine months ago after being exposed to the dance at a folk festival.
“It is a great chance to do something different,” Zebrowski said. “It is a different atmosphere, different music and different people.”
Contra dancing attracts people of all ages, ranging from college students to senior citizens.
It is the diversity of the crowd at contra dances that attracts Susan Butterworth, a botany and plant pathologist graduate student.
“The crowd is always fun,” she said. “And the experienced people are always helpful in teaching me.”
Butterworth said after learning the basic steps to the dance, individuals can add their own unique variations to the dance.
“It gives you a chance to make something your own and make it original,” she said.
Butterworth said the change of scene is nice from normal campus life.
“It definitely beats studying, period,” she said.
