Dancing

I learned to contra dance as a young girl, accompanying my family to monthly dances held in the Staunton/ Harrisonburg area. (I think I was about 8 years old or so.) My family and I fell in love with the contra community... the warm, friendly people, the wonderful live music, and the interesting dance patterns brought us back again and again.

I have many memories of contra dances, squares, sicilian circles, and mixers. I loved them all. Going with my family, I could be assured of a dance or two with my Dad and maybe one with my younger brother (although he was more reluctant). I also remember late night jam sessions, dance parties at a barn or someone's home, and celebrating a wedding with a potluck and contra dance!

With my family, I continued dancing into my teen years and sometimes even convinced a few school friends to try out this form of dance. As a shy young woman, at dances I found a role that fit and that I enjoyed. I also met many wonderful adults who expressed genuine interest in me and who fostered the development of my positive self-image and confidence in relating to others.

During my college years I didn't get to as many local dances but continued to go with my family occasionally. One especially fun event through my college years was participating in the annual "Drift and Dance" event that my Dad organized. For several years we had an event that combined camping, musicians jamming, a lazy float down the S. Fork of the Shenandoah River, and an evening dance. Fred Parks and Rob Craighurst are callers I remember especially from those events.