San Diego Contra Dance

Wife and I went to Contra Dancing because we wanted to do something for a reception and found the San Diego Contra Dance via Google. Although this was our first time, everyone was super nice and eager to teach us. We soak up all their movements and spun among them with smiles and laughs.

I am at this dance almost every week! While the dance is not as large as what I am used to on the East Coast, it is very friendly, very fun, and very diverse. We have all ages and abilities and work hard to make new dancers feel comfortable.
Honestly, it is worth the price of admission for the live local bands + free snacks, but three hours of a dancing + a beginner lesson is a steal at their prices!

Contradancing is held every 1^st & 3^rd Fridays, and 2^nd & 4^th Saturdays.
Sponsored by the San Diego Folk Heritage, it’s lots of fun.
Join the fun!

I’ll just echo Akemi’s review, fantastic fun, exercise and people!
Great tips on wearing comfortable, non-​marking shoes, and cool clothes, the hall isn’t air conditioned.
Easy to learn, simple walking in time to great live music after listening to the caller. Before starting Contra (18+ years ago), I did NOT dance at all. This is EASY, and everyone knows what to do so the man doesn’t need to decide what step to do and know how to lead it for the woman. Yup, women ask men to dance and vice versa, it’s EXPECTED. And you generally switch partners each dance. Not an issue since you’ll be dancing with lots of folks up and down the line in each dance as well.
Note, there generally are a few more women than men, especially earlier in the evening but many of the experienced women dance the man’s part so usually all who want to dance, can dance. Do don’t take that as an indication NOT to come if you’re female. When there have been a shortage of women, I’ve even danced the female part so it’s very un-​sexist… :)
Personally, half the reason I’ve continued to do this type of dance (and you’ll get great exercise too), is the people. VERY friendly, and helpful during the dances. As long as you’re trying, no one will berate your or make you feel stupid for not «getting» it. Even after 18 years, I still screw up, but the dance continues and I pick it up and just enjoy.
At the break for included refreshments (no alcohol, no smoking), folks tend to clump together with folks they’ve known, but please don’t take this as being a clique, they just haven’t seen these folks for a week or more and just want to catch up. Many are talking about the dance and if you can get the courage, please do NOT hesitate to just walk up to any of the groups and say something like «Hello, I’m new». And/​or hang out near the goodies and there will be other’s just chatting that you can join.
Kids are welcomed, but ideally should be old enough to listen to and understand simple instructions like circle left, as well as have an attention span of a half hour to go through the included 7:30 lesson given before the 8pm dance start time each night. But many younger folks have come and their parents have lead them through the dance and I think they enjoy it.
If you want to see what one of the dance weekends (3 days of dancing!) are like, just check out youtube and search for contra dance, or one of my favorite weekends, «May Madness».
Come and have fun, say HI to Rich (that’s me, tall fellow with huge smile) if you do!
Oh, and be prepared to smile the whole night too!

A couple of people have reviewed San Diego Contra on the Trinity Church page, but the two aren’t affiliated. SDC just rents space from the church. This has nothing to do with religion, so don’t let that scare you off.
Contra dancing is kind of like square dancing, but done in lines. Think of the first dance scene from Pride and Prejudice (the «new,» anachronistic Hollywood one), but with a caller. There are only about a dozen basic steps that get strung together in different ways, so it’s very beginner-​friendly. Your first time you should definitely come to the lesson (starts at 7:30, a half hour before the official dancing starts at 8), but the experienced dancers are great about giving the newbies a gentle shove in the right direction or an extra verbal cue. The general crowd is older, but I’ve danced with adorable little elementary schoolers and folks in their 80s. And I’m hoping that if I say enough glowing things, I can convince more people my age to give contra a try!
Everyone here is incredibly friendly. I’m shy and a bit socially awkward, but I feel perfectly comfortable asking guys to dance. Sometimes people want to sit because they’re tired, but otherwise no one will ever turn you down. The only «special» equipment you need is comfortable shoes that won’t mark up the floor. For women a twirly skirt makes the spins really fun, but I’ve danced in jeans too. Just come prepared to sweat!
You get live music, hours of dancing, homemade goodies on the break, and a surprisingly good workout for just $ 8 or $ 10. What’s not to love? Oh, a if you’re new to contra you get a pass to dance again for free. So you have no excuse not to come back!