Rochester Freedom Dance
English

Get ready for our next English dance!

Stay tuned for details in your inbox;
in the meantime, here's what our English country dance is all about.

WHO

All ages welcome!
English is for everyone -- if you can walk you can do English!
Please supervise any kids young enough to need supervision.

Your medical information is none of our business, so we welcome everyone!
If you're not feeling well, we expect you'll stay home, rest, and recover (we look forward to seeing you next time!); otherwise we welcome your entire face!  English country dancing is a thoroughly social activity. Dancing with a mask on is off-putting and inconsistent with the spirit of the dance; therefore, there are no masks allowed.

WHEN

Stay tuned for upcoming dates!

WHERE
Stay tuned for location!

DETAILS

Wear comfortable clothing. Bring a pair of clean, dry shoes to protect the dance floor, or dance in stocking feet.

Please bring a simple snack or sweet treat to share at the break!

No alcoholic beverages, please.

ABOUT ENGLISH

• All dances are called -- you don't need to know them ahead of time.
• Each time the caller announces that it's time for a new dance you'll find a new partner -- we mix it up throughout the evening!
• We'll start out with very simple dances to help you learn the terms and moves.
• The experienced dancers are friendly and happy to help!
• Your smile muscles could be sore by the end of the night!
• We'll have a waltz right before the break and at the very end.
• English country dance is like contra dancing, but generally more subdued & graceful.  It's the kind you see in Jane Austen movies, such as in this scene from Pride & Prejudice (and this more boisterous one).
• Why do people love English Country Dance (ECD) so much?
  For many, it's the music -- hauntingly beautiful tunes that make the heart swell. Some dance tunes are taken from old ballads and political satire; others come from classical music and operas. This gives ECD music tremendous variety; sometimes sweet and melodic, sometimes melancholy, and sometimes absolutely driven with a pulsating beat. All local dances feature live music, played by many of the area's most accomplished musicians. Others love ECD for the grace and elegance with which you glide as you dance. At times, you simply get swept away as you become one with the music. Many people love the beautiful patterns that you create as you dance and weave. Through it all, there's an indefinable quality to ECD that makes it energizing, mesmerizing, and just plain fun. (attribution)

Questions?
Contact us at:  r o c c o n t r a @ r o c c o n t r a . c o m !

About us

Rochester Freedom Dance was born when the contra & English dance group whose dances we'd been attending for years, and supporting with our hearts, hands, and time, decided to re-start post-Covid without those of us who had made informed medical decisions they didn't agree with.  Attempts to reason with and educate them went nowhere, so we started our own contra dance!

We knew that, despite what the government propaganda (and many citizens) were demanding -- staying home, injecting experimental technology, and wearing muzzles -- we were free!  Free to connect with others, free to promote our families' health with proven methods, free to research the truth about current events, free from believing lies, free from fear, free to dance!

We started with a handful of experienced dancers and dozens of friends who were willing to give it a try.  After humble beginnings, with the addition of faithful, experienced, and enthusiastic musicians and callers, we've got ourselves a dance we can be proud of. We're building a whole new dance community of informed, freedom-focused people!  We hope you will join us and give contra a try!

Looking forward to seeing you at our next dance!
~ Jeanie