New York City Favorite: Barn Dance

New York City Barn Dance brings a unique array of old-time music and dance to a surprisingly broad range of NYCers.  For those interested in vintage, historic, contra and square dancing, it a great, monthly, not to be missed event.  But what makes it really special isn’t that it’s a great and varied dance night, but that it attracts participants new to this typo of social dancing and is broadening the traditional social dance community in a really exciting way.

Each month the dance, which is held at Hungarian House on the Upper East Side, combines live music and callers on a specific theme.  Past dances have focused on Appalachian music, dances and clogging, as well as New England, French-Canadian, Celtic and Cape Breton dance and music traditions.  January’s dance will focus on Irish fiddle and dance.

Each barn dance has had at least 40 participants of various skill levels and all ages.  To attend dance events like this and see participants from their 20s into their 70s is rather unique.  There’s a certain hipster edge to the participants lately, thanks to promotion on the Nonsense NYC mailing list (a great source for unusual events and classes in the city), but every is clearly there to be silly and have a good time.

If you are unfamiliar with these styles of dance, I would recommend comfortable shoes that you can move in well (ladies, I’d avoid high heels that you have to think about – unlike ballroom dancing a small heel or less works well for most of these dances, but a high one can be very problematic).  Additionally, you can also contact the organizers prior to each month's events and find out what’s best if the style of dance being offered is new to you.

It’s important to remember that social dancing is really just that – using dance to socialize.  Don’t feel you need to attend with a partner, but if you do, understand that it’s more polite and more fun to dance with others as well.  The event has largely had good gender-balance, and while not explicitly gender role free as some of the city’s contra dances are, same sex pairings, either because of gender imbalance or personal preference have been welcome in this space.

If you are interested in traditional and old-time dance and don’t know where to start, these barn dances are a friendly, low-key option that allows you to sample lots of different styles and see what suits you best.  The live music is also a treat and a great introduction to the New York area’s surprisingly active old-time music scene.  In fact, there’s a great list of dance and music resources on the Barn Dance’s website for those who want to explore further.

Admission to each barn dance is $15 ($10 for students and seniors) and there is a café on site that allows for purchase of snacks and drinks.  You must be eighteen or over to attend.  For more information on New York City Barn Dance you can visit their website at http://www.nycbarndance.com/

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