The contra dance made me feel included. At first I was very apprehensive at dancing in front of a room full of strangers. When I arrived, I was shocked at the amount of people that was there. I am a really shy person, but going to this dance made me come out a little. I was actually surprised with myself because I talked and laughed and smiled around so many strangers. If I had not been having fun, I would have been a wallflower and sat and watched. The dance made me feel like I was part of something. It did not matter that I did not know most of the people or that I was not close friends with any other the people around me. The people there, the people that had been coming to this dance for years just stepped up and asked me to dance. I got confused a lot with most of the dances, but that did not matter either. Every person that I got the pleasure of dancing with got just as confused as me at some point during the instructions. As I was dancing and made a wrong step I apologized to the older gentleman that I was dancing with. He told me, “Never apologize. Everyone was new once. You will get the hang of it eventually.” That completely lifted my spirits and every time I moved wrong again, I just laughed it off and kept going. As we danced, I got to talk to some amazing people. My first partner, Alan, was my age, but had been coming to this dance and participating for eight years. He was incredibly nice. He explained move names to me and how to do them correctly. I was very appreciative of such an amazing first dance partner. No one made me feel like I should not be there because I was not familiar with the dances. Every person I met and talked to was welcoming and friendly. It was not a big deal to anyone I met that I could not dance, or that it took me four or five times going through the moves to get the hang of it. No one cared. The dance surprised me with how much fun it was. I have tried to line dance and square dance before, but I could never get the hang of it. This was a section of my high school gym class. Our dancing affected our grades. However, at the contra dance I felt no pressure on being graded and being watched for mistakes. At the dance I could make all the mistakes I wanted until I got the hang of it. Without the pressure of being judged by the people around me, I found it easy to pick up the steps and understand what to do after a few mishaps.
If given the chance, I would most definitely go back to the contra dance. At breaks between songs and dances, I would go get a drink and check my phone. I was having such a good time that I told my friend about it and told her next time she has a Wednesday night off that she has to come up for a quick visit and experience the welcoming nature of these people. Before I had gotten there, I had been talking to her about my uneasiness with the whole situation. I am not the kind of person that joins in and dances with a bunch of strangers. But, I am unbelievably glad that I did on this night. I was and still am completely blown away at how friendly the people at the contra dance were. I want to share my wonderful experience at the contra dance with every single person that I know. I will probably end up bringing my little brother up and having him dance. We are extremely close, brother and sister, best friends, and love to share new experiences with each other and this is something that I would love to enjoy with him.
Participatory music is done by people help them learn news ways to connect with other people. Dancing, just like making music, is a way to create a connection. While I was dancing, people would introduce themselves and ask me how I was doing. It was nice to tell a stranger how much fun they were making me have because of this friendliness. As the night went on, I realized that it was not just the dancing that was causing me to have such a good time. It was the people all around me and the connection I felt with them. On the second dance, I seen Alan (my first dance partner) again and he complimented me on how much I had picked up of the dances. With my partner at the time, we would make our way down the line of people and get a chance to dance with everyone. I would get to dance with some of the same people as in other dances and we always said hello to each other like it had been ages since we danced together, when in reality it had only been twenty minutes. Another way I felt a connection with people was holding their hand. When I walked into the dance, I got a little nervous because I saw so many people holding hands. That nervousness was quickly diminished because Alan would hold onto my hand the entire time unless it was necessary for him to let go. I felt connected to every person that I danced with, and the people with whom I did not get a chance to dance with. We were all there to have a wonderful time and we did. Participatory music helps you feel a connection with the people around you by making music together. It gives you a sense of belonging because you are helping every person around you make music. You are connecting with people and helping them feel a connection when you participate. The same thing happens at the contra dance. I felt like a belonged with these people just because I was having such a great time dancing with them.
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