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Although it is by far most popular in America today, contra dancing comes to us from the intermingling of French and English country dances. More than four centuries old, contra refers to dances where participants start out in long, single-sex lines, partners facing each other and then follow a specific sequence of steps between 20 and 30 times. Musically influenced by American folk and bluegrass music, a band of acoustic instruments play songs called “jigs” or “reels” as accompaniment. With dancers and a band in place, the only missing ingredients are a caller, who keeps the dancers focused by calling out the next move right before you need to make it, and a small school gymnasium or recreation center to dance in.