Colonial Country Dance

In colonial America, the country dance was far more than an evening's entertainment — it was one of the central social institutions of community life. In towns and villages from New England to the Carolinas, neighbors gathered in taverns, meetinghouses, and barns to dance in long lines and circles, set to the playing of fiddles and the calling of a dancing master. These gatherings were where courtships began, where news was exchanged, where civic ties were strengthened, and where rich and poor, town and country, often met on something approaching equal footing. To honor that tradition, the Colonial Heritage Festival hosts an evening Country Dance to which the public is warmly invited. The event is free of charge and open to all; dancers of every age and ability are welcome, and no prior experience is required, as a caller will walk every dance through before the music begins. Eighteenth-century attire is encouraged and adds greatly to the atmosphere of the evening, but ordinary clothes are perfectly acceptable. For those who would like to come prepared, the festival offers a number of country-dance classes throughout the day, where the basic figures, steps, and etiquette are taught in a relaxed setting — more than enough preparation to step confidently onto the floor when the fiddles strike up that evening.