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Quiz about Contra Dance Basics
Quiz about Contra Dance Basics

Contra Dance Basics Trivia Quiz


Here is a basic quiz on my favorite social activity, contra dance.

A multiple-choice quiz by HairyBear. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
HairyBear
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
360,604
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
211
Last 3 plays: Guest 195 (10/10), colbymanram (3/10), matthewpokemon (8/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. Where can you find a contra dance? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. How long do you have to take lessons for before going to your first contra dance? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. What should you wear to go contra dancing? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. What type of music are you most likely to hear at a contra dance? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Who can ask someone else to dance at a contra dance? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. How do you know what to do during a contra dance? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. How many people will you interact with during one dance? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. What happens if you get really good at contra dancing? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. How old is contra dancing? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. What happens if you like contra dancing, but there's only one a month where you live? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Sep 23 2024 : Guest 195: 10/10
Sep 04 2024 : colbymanram: 3/10
Sep 02 2024 : matthewpokemon: 8/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Where can you find a contra dance?

Answer: All over the world

While contra dance is most popular in the Appalachian and New England areas of the US, there are contra dances all over the world, including (last time I checked) New Zealand, Israel, and even Japan.
2. How long do you have to take lessons for before going to your first contra dance?

Answer: No time at all

Some square dances want you to take six months of lessons before you are "ready" to square dance. Many ballroom dancers take years of lessons before they feel they are good. But you can go to a contra dance and start right away. Every dance is taught before starting, and most contra dances have a beginners' lesson at the start of the evening.
3. What should you wear to go contra dancing?

Answer: Light, comfortable clothes and flat, comfortable shoes

Contra dancing is a high-energy activity that involves a lot of movement and the tendency to get a person hot quickly. Comfortable clothes are a must. There's no dress code and many people wear t-shirts and sneakers. Many women wear knee-length flowy skirts because they twirl, but it's not a requirement.
4. What type of music are you most likely to hear at a contra dance?

Answer: Old-time

Old-time music is derived from bluegrass and Irish fiddle music, and often features fiddle and banjo, but neither instrument is required for contra dance. And while some of the tunes are very old and very popular, musicians continue to write new music in the old-time music style, often for contra dances in particular. Country music does not figure in contra dance, despite the similarity in terminology.

There are contra dances using "modern" style music called techno-contras, but these are more the exception than the rule.
5. Who can ask someone else to dance at a contra dance?

Answer: Anyone

Many square dances require you to have a partner to dance at all, and many women are reluctant to ask men to dance at ballroom dances, but at a contra dance, asking others to dance is acceptable for both sexes. It's a great singles activity, too, because it is an encouraged practice to dance with as many other people as possible during an evening.
6. How do you know what to do during a contra dance?

Answer: The caller will tell you

Like square dancing, there is a caller who tells you what the next move is. Unlike square dancing, the moves are repetitive during each dance, so once the dancers have "got it," the caller can stop calling and just let the dancers enjoy the music and the dance. You are moving too much and turning too often to watch what anyone else is doing during the dance.

This reduces embarrassment, too, since few people will ever know you screwed up.
7. How many people will you interact with during one dance?

Answer: Everyone in your line

Unlike square dancing which has sets of 8 people, and unlike ballroom where you only dance with your partner, contra dance has you interacting with your partner and with everyone else in your contra dance line. For small contra dances with just one line, this may mean you dance with everyone in the room in a single dance!
8. What happens if you get really good at contra dancing?

Answer: You get asked to dance a lot

There is no competitive contra dancing anywhere, and being a group activity, being really good at contra dancing just means you follow directions well and interact with others well, so it's unlikely you'll ever be featured in anything other than the lifestyle section of your local newspaper, no matter how good you get. You will get asked to dance a lot, however, which can be quite gratifying.
9. How old is contra dancing?

Answer: Over 200 years old

Contra dance dates back to colonial America, originating from English, French, Irish, and Scottish country dancing. The dances done now are much more energetic and lively, and usually have everyone moving the whole time instead of standing still like in more traditional country dances, but the basic pattern is still the same as in those colonial dances.
10. What happens if you like contra dancing, but there's only one a month where you live?

Answer: You can go to contra dance weekends and weeks

Many places around the US host contra dance weekends where you can dance Friday night, all day and night Saturday, and half the day Sunday. A few even host contra dance weeks, where you can go and stay for a week and contra dance every night, or try a variety of other styles of dance, like Irish ceili (pronounced kaylee), English country dance, clogging, etc.

As far as I know, there has never been a cruise featuring contra dancing. And if there was a never-ending contra dance in Barrow, Alaska, I might just decide freezing cold weather year-round isn't all that bad.
Source: Author HairyBear

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
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