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A young lady dressed in a new satin gown walks with her escort into a magnificent ballroom lit by the hundreds of candles in the crystal chandeliers overhead. She scans the room, hoping to see the young man she met during her afternoon stroll in Kensington Park yesterday. She bubbles with excitement when she spots him but maintains her external demur, and she hopes his name will end up on one of the lines on the dance card around her wrist. Meanwhile, a farmer opens the door to his barn at the end of another long week and welcomes his neighbors as they enter. In their small Massachusetts community, the days are long and the work is hard, so he always looks forward to these occasions to invite some cheer into their otherwise mundane lives. The owner of the general store tunes his fiddle, and the blacksmith's apprentice pulls out his pennywhistle, and soon an evening of merriment commences. Despite their differences in social status and being an ocean away, the young lady and the farmer have one commonality: bringing people together through dance. The young lady and the other guests at the London ball would be participating in English country dance. This is a style of social dance in which couples perform a predefined series of figures, which repeats until the end of the song. Figures are groups of dance steps. For example, a right hand star involves all couples in a set putting their right hands into the center and walking in a circle. Unlike many forms of dance, English country dance doesn't require fancy footwork. If you can step to the left, step to the right, and turn around, you can do most English country dances. It's even easier since you don't have to remember what order to do the figures in. A caller tells dancers what to do next throughout the dance. Often there is an instructional period before each dance so participants can get comfortable with the figures before adding music. Historically, this was less common at formal balls, but at Clockwork and Gears Vintage Dancing, we always go over the figures if those present don't feel confident with a dance. Hopping across the pond to the Massachusetts farmer, the townsfolk's festivities would include contra dance. This is an American social dance style that evolved from English country dance, so the two are very similar. There are some differences in figures and terminology, and contra dance has less variety in formations. Dances typically occur in lines. Like English country dance, contra dance is known for the presence of a caller and the simplicity that makes it easy to learn. At Clockwork and Gears Vintage Dancing, we teach historic dances from both English country dancing and contra dancing, in addition to other styles, as we continue the tradition of bringing people together through dance. Come dance with us! Everyone is welcome regardless of experience-level. View our schedule for times and locations.