By: Meaghan Roland
Jonesborough, the oldest city in Tennessee, is the storytelling capitol of the world, a promoter of vibrant music on the town’s square and the home of a repertory theatre, but in 2000 David Wiley saw that what this city lacked was a community dance.
After being introduced to contra dancing in the summer of 2005, Wiley was hooked. He quickly put together a simple business plan to bring contra to the Jonesborough community. He enthusiastically went to the director of tourism and said, “I’m gonna do this.”
That fall contra dancing began in Jonesborough with three workshops. By January 5, 2006, the Historic Jonesborough Visitors Center welcomed 150 people for its first dance.
Wiley and the Visitor Center have hosted over 220 dances since then.
Contra dancing is a combination of several folk-dancing styles set into a repeated pattern. This pattern changes with each song and is dictated by a “caller.” Each individual dance with a partner, as well as neighbors, and everyone continues the pattern of the dance down a line or in a square.
Last weekend was Contrathon XIV, which consisted of 12 hours of dance on Sunday, September 1, from 11 a.m. to 11p.m. Live bands such as ContraForce, Pigtown Alley and Celador accompanied callers Dean Snipes and Charlotte Crittenden. Dancers from the Mid-west, Georgia, Carolinas and Virginia flocked to this small town for the weekend event.
“People who enjoy contra dancing are willing to travel great distances from 300 to 500 to 1,000 miles to go to an event of this caliber,” said Wiley.
Personally, Wiley has danced in 18 states and recently returned from a conference in Quebec, Canada.
A definite future plan for contra is to continue the “Family Dance” every month. This dance teaches children about the entertainment as well as the history of contra, and then meshes the younger dancers with the older dancers the rest of the night, building a bridge in the age gap. Wiley advises that if younger generations don’t learn traditional art forms, such as traditional dance, popular culture will push them out of the way forever.
Other future plans include reaching out to the community of high school and local college students and other individuals such as military veterans, blind dancers and other special needs groups.
Wiley was proud to announce that the Historic Jonesborough Dance Society Facebook Group added their 1,000th member last Sunday.
Contra dances are held at the Historic Jonesborough Visitors Center, 117 Boone St, Jonesborough, TN 37659, on the first and third Saturday of every month. There is a beginners’ lesson at 7 p.m. and dancing commences from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., with a waltz and Klondike Bar break around 9 p.m. Admission for the general public is $7 and $5 for students and members of the dance society. Join the Historic Jonesborough Dance Society on Facebook to receive updates on dances.
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