THE WEB PAGE OF THE

URBANA COUNTRY DANCERS

URBANA, ILLINOIS

Welcome What is Contra Dance? Our Schedule Special Events More Info on UCD Email Lists Useful Files More Info on Contra Dance

Welcome to the Urbana Country Dancers

Welcome to the Web Page of the Urbana Country Dancers (UCD). The UCD is a community of people in Champaign-Urbana and central Illinois who support and promote the history, artistry and enjoyment of contra dancing. The Urbana Country Dancers host dance events mostly on the first and third Fridays of each month and occasionally on Saturdays. Our primary dance venue is the Phillips Recreation Center, (217-367-1544), located at 505 West Stoughton Street (off Springfield Avenue) in Urbana, Illinois. We also hold some special dances during the course of the year. One is the Illinois All Night Dance in McLean, Illinois. Another is our annual January Jam.

What is Contra Dance?

Contra dance is a traditional American dance. It is similar to square dance, is derived from English Country dance and has been done in this country since the 1700's. The phrase can also refer to an evening of traditional dancing which can include square, circle and couple dances as well as contra dances. We contra dance to live fiddle and string band music with featured callers in an atmosphere friendly to singles, couples, groups, and families. All dances are taught (walked-through) prior to dancing. We ask dancers to wear clean, soft soled shoes to protect the lovely sprung-wood dance floor. Comfortable clothes are also recommended. Dances are generally from 8 to 11 P.M., though we occasionally offer pre-dance workshops. A $5.00 donation is requested for most dances to fund the fees for the bands, callers and dance hall. A higher contribution may be requested for special events.

Our Current Schedule

We generally hold dances on the 1st and 3rd Fridays of each month. There are occasional exceptions to this rule with dances on Saturdays and other days. All dances start at 8 P.M. and go to 11 P.M. unless otherwise noted. Most dances are held at the Phillips Recreation Center, 505 W.Stoughton, Urbana. A $5.00 donation is requested for most dances. A higher contribution may be requested for special events.

Special Events

Directions to the dances

Weather and Road Conditions

Further Information on the Urbana Country Dancers

UCD History

The UCD Board of Directors
invites you to join us! Please communicate to us your ideas and suggestions to make our organization and dances better for you.

The Urbana Country Dancers periodically publish a directory of dancers in our group. It includes, name, address, phone and email. If you would like to be listed or would like to change your information contact Jenny Barrett at 217/333-1929 (w), 217/352-2714 (h) or by email at jennyb@uiuc.edu

The Urbana Country Dancers have dedicated the book entitled Midwest Folklore and Other Dances to Orace E. Johnson in appreciation of his many contributions to the contra dance community in Central Illinois. This book is a collection of 112 contras, squares and other dances arranged by composer (with cute titles such as Dean's Delight, Merle's Magic, Shake, Rattle and Stroll etc.) and indexed by difficulty, title and type. The dances were compiled and edited by our very own prolific contra dance writer Michael Fuerst. Copies may be purchased by sending $15 per book plus $3 for shipping to:

Orace E. Johnson Memorial Trust
C/O Laura Sleade
1601 West Park
Champaign, Illinois 61821
United States of America

Email Lists

Announcements Only

To get announcements only of future dances go to https://mail.prairienet.org/mailman/listinfo/contra-announce-l to subscribe to the UCD announcements email list. This will enable you to receive schedules and special dance announcements.

Announcements Plus Discussion

We also have an email list for announcements as well as open discussion of contra dance, music and issues relating to the Urbana Country Dancers. Go to https://mail.prairienet.org/mailman/listinfo/contra-l to subscribe to the UCD discussion email list.

Only subscribe to one of these lists at a time. All announcements sent to contra-announce-l will be passed on to the discussion list, contra-l. You can also unsubscribe from these lists using the same link.

Useful Files To Download

Links to more information on contra dance

If you want to learn more about contra dancing, visit our list of links to more contra dance information. We have links to pages where you can find resources about contra dance history, information about dances held in communities all over the United States, dates and details for special dance weekends and camps, and links to other Web pages devoted to contra dance.

You might also want to check out the Usenet group rec.folk-dancing to follow discussions about contra and other traditional dance forms.

We also invite you to join the Central Illinois English Country Dancers for another type of dance event. English Country Dancing was the precursor of contra and square dancing and was popular in England and America in the 1600's, 1700's and early 1800's. If you've seen any of the recent Jane Austen movies you've seen this form of dance. It's similar enough to contra dance to be familiar, but different enough to be interesting.

The Web Page of the Urbana Country Dancers is maintained by
Jonathan Sivier.
Send any inquiries or suggestions to
jsivier@uiuc.edu.

The Urbana Country Dancers is affiliated with the Urbana Park District and the

CDSS logo
Country Dance and Song Society

CCCC logo
and is a member of the Champaign County Cultural Consortium.

IAC logo The Urbana Country Dancers are partially sponsored by a grant from the
Illinois Arts Council
 
 

The Urbana Country Dancers' website and mailing list are hosted by Prairienet

http://www.prairienet.org/contra/ was last updated on April 21, 2008