Question: What’s your contra “origin” story? (When did you start, what drew you to contra, why did you keep coming back, etc) Elizabeth: 1) I came to contra after a couple friends told me about it. I had always wanted to go out dancing for fun, but 1) clubs aren’t really my thing and 2) I need dance steps; my free-styling is not pretty. I came on a random Thursday I had free last summer and had a ball! The live music, the kindness and patience of complete strangers, and the challenge of learning something new and fun are what brought me back and keep bringing me back!

 One of my favorite contra memories was attending the Thanksgiving Festival in Rochester and dancing with a gentleman who I believe was from the Syracuse area. He was a really fun person to dance with! A few months later, I attended the Flurry Festival in Albany, and saw him in the crowd! I reintroduced myself, and we got to dance again! People had told me that the contra world was pretty small, and I got to see that first hand. I am anxious to return to contra one day- I miss the human connection, live music, and fun!