California Dance Coop

The California Dance Coop hosts a FREE annual Contra Dance here on December 26^th, aka, Boxing Day!
After all the food parties, potlucks, dinners with friends and family, it’s time to get some exercise and burn off some of that pie we ate.
Each year, the Contra Dance caller is different. This year’s caller was fantastic! The live folk music band was terrific! They worked in tidbits from Gilligan’s Island and other popular sources making the evening a ton of fun.
My fiancé and I Contra and Square Dance regularly. My sister was in from Boston where there’s a huge Contra Dance community. This Boxing Day free dance made it possible for her to sample Contra Dancing again after a long respit. She had a great time!
People always bring along some finger foods, noshes to share. There’s always plenty of water, and you do want to hydrate while dancing!
When Dec 26^th falls on a weekend day, the dance is a night time dance, 8−11pm. When the 26^th is on a weekday, the dance an afternoon tea dance.
If you have any health impediments as I do for now, in Square Dancing, you just put your arms down straight, and the men don’t swing you.
In Contra, I have a sign on my chest to NOT swing me and to dosy do (fills in the same time) instead as a modification.
Most of the men just complied. Some wanted an explanation during the 7 secs I was dancing with them. Sigh. It’s none of their business, but I gave the simple fast explanation, «It hurts.»
However some even as they understood what I’d said threw their arms around me and insisted on swinging me. I finally had to yank his arns from around me loudly reiterating, «Don’t swing me!“and stepped out of the line.
This was an experienced 10+ years Contra Dancer. It’s certainly possible he’s hard if hearing.
We’ll be back again, for sure. Hope they host additional dances here other times of the year!