The Blue Hill Contra Dance has been held continuously since 1975. The family session starts at 6:30 p.m. and precedes the regular Blue Hill Contra Dance held the first Saturday of every month.—STAFF PHOTO BY JAMES STRAUB

Next Gen To Carry On Centuries Old Tradition

With its origins in 17th century England, contra dance remains a popular pastime throughout the world, especially in the United States.

A young couple, with their baby riding on the mother’s back, get out and enjoy the first Family Contra Dance held at the Blue Hill Town Hall on Jan. 3.—STAFF PHOTO BY JAMES STRAUB

Though its popularity waned after World War II as new forms of entertainment and socialization competed for Americans’ time, contra dancing resurged in the late 1960s.

New England became the cradle of the so-called contra dance renaissance, and that is no more evident anywhere than in Downeast Maine. Throughout the region for decades, the dance form has remained a popular form of year-round entertainment and a new generation of musicians and dancers have been furthering its continuance in recent years.

Generally described as a folk dancing style in which couples dance in two facing lines of indefinite length, contra dance and its accompanying music based on Celtic traditions provide the background for popular social events.

Brooklin fiddle player George Fowler moved to Maine in 1978 and quickly found the regular contra dance at the Blue Hill Town Hall led by The Boys of Blue Hill. The monthly event had been in place about three years when Fowler joined.

“It started about 1975, and it’s gone on every first Saturday ever since,” he said. “It has never been interrupted. I’m proud to say it’s the oldest, continuous running of a contra dance in Maine.”

Fowler was a founding member of the Oakum Bay String Band, which formed in Castine in 1981 and today serves as the house band for the Blue Hill contra dances.

Brooklin resident George Fowler (right) calls a recent Family Contra Dance preceding the regular contra dance at the Blue Hill Town Hall. Fowler has been a regular at the dance since 1978. “It has never been interrupted,” he says. “I’m proud to say it’s the oldest, continuous running of a contra dance in Maine.” —STAFF PHOTO BY JAMES STRAUB

Fowler recalls that in 1984, declining attendance threatened to end the contra dance in Blue Hill and Deborah Wiggs, a Blue Hill resident who helped organize the dances, asked Oakum Bay to move their contra dances from Castine to Blue Hill.

The Family Contra Dance was introduced to encourage a new generation of dancers.—STAFF PHOTO BY JAMES STRAUB

“There’s a lot of laughs when you’re in a contra dance,” said Bob McCormick, a health and physical education teacher at Blue Hill Consolidated School. “It brings generations together in a real cultural event, and it’s fun.

“The music is a lot of fun — a lot of jigs and reels. Some like to come just to listen to the music. Eventually they get drawn in. If you’re looking for recreation and entertainment, you’ve got it right here.”

Though the Blue Hill contra dance has been going strong for more than 30 years, it is always important to welcome newcomers.

“I think there has always been an interest in families — people who dance and want their kids to learn,” Fowler said. “It’s a family event. In one sense, one of the emerging models is that if we don’t encourage new people to get involved, it’s not going to be around.”

To that end, the Blue Hill contra dance started a family dance for beginners two months ago. The event, which features an all-comers band and offers basic instruction, precedes the regular, monthly contra dance.

McCormick and Bill Schubeck have woven contra dance into the curriculum at Blue Hill Consolidated and hope to help other area schools incorporate the folk art that offers great exercise and socialization into their schools.

Schubeck is the band director at Blue Hill Consolidated and teaches music at the elementary school in Castine. He, his wife, Heidi Daub, and their three daughters have been an integral part of the contra dance scene in Blue Hill.

“It’s a great tradition to be a part of,” Schubeck said. “It’s great for a family.”

He recalls that his eldest daughter attended her first contra dance while in utero, as her mother played piano. A few weeks later the infant was at her second contra dance, this time strapped to her mother’s back.

Schubeck said a middle school student’s parent started the family dances two months ago

“We’re trying to open it up to a broader audience,” he said. “It really has ebbed and flowed, depending on who comes to the area. It’s always been well attended, but some times better than others.”

Schubeck recalls his early days in Blue Hill and leaving home one bitter cold January night to attend the contra dance.

“I thought, ‘What am I doing?’” he said. “Then I got there and everybody was smiling and having a good time. It’s such a great activity. That’s why everybody comes out and does this. It’s such a social event. It’s healthy and a great way to spend a Saturday night.”

Contra dances are available throughout Maine, including several in the Downeast region.

Fowler said there are 18 contra dances in Maine each month, including six dances within an hour’s drive of Blue Hill.

“If you’re a dance junkie, you can do a lot of dancing,” he said.

A monthly schedule of area contra dances is available through Downeast Friends of Folk Arts on its Web site at deffa.org.

The widespread popularity of contra dancing in the United States and abroad has spawned numerous definitions, many of which have been compiled by Gary Shapiro, who has maintained a Web site since 1995 answering the question, “What is contra dance?”

“A contra dance is like an amusement park ride we make for ourselves,” offers one contributor.

While the analogy is bound to ring true to those who have participated in contra dances, most people involved with area dances likely would prefer the following from Shapiro:

“The only real answer to the question ‘What is contra dance?’ comes when you try it.”