strathspey@strathspey.org:27682

Patricia Ruggiero

RE: Contra dancing

Oct. 3, 2001, 3:10 a.m. (Message 27682, in reply to message 27655)

Adam wrote:
"Contra dance is Eastern US longways set dancing.  The word Contra is a
corruption of Country."

There are two theories about the word.  One is as you suggest, and comes
from the French who liked "country" dancing so much that they adopted it and
called it by its cognate "contre"danse.  The other theory, seeming to be
fading from favor, is that it refers to lines opposite, or contra, one
another.

Pat