For those who’ve felt cooped up or uninspired throughout the pandemic, the Salem Folklore Community has a way to bring back some excitement this fall and help the community reconnect.
The local nonprofit promoting folk music in Salem welcomed people to put their best foot forward through contra dance.
The dance on Thursday, Oct. 6, was the first of the group’s community dances to be held over the next couple of months, and the first time coming together since before Covid.
Contra dance involves people forming long lines and dancing to folk music together, and it comes from England, said Shawn Morford, one of the organizers. Square dancing is another form of community dancing.
The music comes from a live band, with extra emphasis on the fiddle. Morford is part of the Pringle Creek Band, which plays with folk instruments such as the mandolin, accordion and bass.
“It’s high-powered, fast wheels and jigs and the dancers are dancing patterns that fit the music, and it’s all taught so they start from the beginning. As the evening goes on, it gets a little more complicated… And it’s a hoot,” said Morford “It’s really a wonderful social way to spend an evening.”
Anyone can find a partner sitting on the sidelines, join the long line and learn the dance from the caller. Then after about 10 minutes of teaching, the music starts and it’s time to move.
In one evening, people will learn about 10 dances.
There are contra dancing groups all over the state, including in Portland, Eugene and Corvallis. The Salem Folklore Community was founded in the early 1980s. Morford started contra dancing in Portland in the late 1970s.
“We want to keep the tradition of contra dancing alive, so people aren’t forgetting,” she said. “During the pandemic a lot of people have been closed in, so we want to make sure that people still have a chance to try doing this, and we want to bring it to Salem.”
The element of a live band is crucial for contra dancing, she said. It brings people to the dance floor in a different way than recordings, and allows them to incorporate music from different cultures, such as Celtic, Irish, Scottish, French Canadian and Appalachian-style music.
“It’s good exercise, it’s social, and you get to celebrate this traditional music,” Morford said. “There are hundreds of beautiful songs. Most of these tunes are traditional and come from a long, long history. So it’s like living history – listening to these tunes and dancing to them.”
The organizers hope the social aspect of the dancing will bring younger dancers to the floor to preserve the appreciation for folklore music and community dancing.
Due to continued Covid concerns, dancers are required to wear masks, but Morford said the routines are nonetheless lively.
The next community dances will be held on Nov. 3 and Dec. 1 at the VFW Hall, 630 Hood St. N.E.. The festivities begin at 6:30 p.m. and cost $5.
Contact reporter Jordyn Brown at [email protected].
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Jordyn Brown is an Oregon journalist who formerly worked for the Eugene Register-Guard.
