That's a great question! I expect a lot of us will have interesting stories to share.
(One thing to keep in mind in reading all of these is that they are going through a filter of which of us got enough into contra that at some point we decided to subscribe to an organizers mailing list, presumably because we were organizing a dance, so less than fully representative of dancers as a whole.) I started dancing at NEFFA when I was quite little: my parents had met dancing, and while they mostly didn't dance anymore, they still went to the festival every year. I was initially very shy about partnering with strangers, even through early high school, and only danced with family and friends. Asking stranger to dance was a terrifying prospect, totally out of the question. Being asked by a stranger was also pretty worrying, lots of saying no. Sometime about halfway through high school I got more comfortable with dancing with strangers, but was still pretty wary of adult partners and not that into dancing overall. I tended to get too hot while dancing, and would usually sit every other dance out. I gradually got more comfortable, and then got very into dancing my second year of college after breaking up with my high school girlfriend when my younger sister started dragging me to lots and lots of dances. Jeff On Fri, Nov 10, 2023, 9:24 PM Jerome Grisanti via Organizers < [email protected]> wrote: > My first time, I attended at the invitation of a friend and coworker. She > basically invited the entire staff at our workplace during our weekly > meeting. This was in Louisville. > > I was recently separated, and I knew I needed some positive socialization, > so I showed up. I didn't see my friend, but I was swept into the dance, one > woman after another asking me for the next dance. It definitely made me > feel not only welcome, but actually wanted. I decided that night to attend > as often as possible (luckily, it was weekly). > > Jerome Grisanti > > > > On Fri, Nov 10, 2023, 7:52 PM Robert Matson via Organizers < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> You all, I'm curious to hear YOUR first experiences at a contra, whether >> when young or not. >> >> As I think back, it took me three attempts over about 15 years, from >> young to less young, to get over the threshold and really start enjoying >> myself (not counting those grade school square dance classes). My first >> experiences stunk. Once I got into contra, I was always concerned when I >> brought friends who were new to contra whether they'd have fun. The most >> perilous moments were 1) when they (or I) needed to find a partner and, >> then, 2) absorbing the disapproval of hot shot dancers when one messed up. >> Now, as an organizer, I'd like to stay aware of the confusion and concerns >> of first-, second- and third-... timers. >> >> Would anyone mind sharing? >> >> Rob >> Dancing in Arkansas >> _______________________________________________ >> Organizers mailing list -- [email protected] >> >>> To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] >> _______________________________________________ >> Organizers mailing list -- [email protected] >> To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] >> > _______________________________________________ > Organizers mailing list -- [email protected] > To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] >
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