Is there much Contra dancing in the New England states?
Yes, absolutely. As you may know, there are Contra dances all over the US (and abroad), but I would guesstimate that there are more Contra dances per-square-mile in New England than in any other part of the US. For instance, if you live in New London CT (halfway between New York & Boston), then you have about seven 7 different dances per month within an hour’s drive. That number doubles if you’re willing to drive two hours. And that’s not even counting upstate (Vermont, New Hampshire) where you can’t swing a dead fiddle without hitting a Contra dance. A few more thoughts on its popularity and ubiquity: … one of the biggest folk festivals in the US, called “NEFFA”, takes place annually in Natick, MA, around April (http://www.neffa.org/~neffa/)… three days, about 10,000 people, hundreds of different things happening… … the mecca of Contra dancing in New England is arguably Greenfield, MA, at the Guiding Star Grange (http://www.guidingstargrange.org/)… … there are 12-hour-long
