For as many as will: Deciphering the folklore of contra dance and English country dance events

Folk events such as community dances are situations with many participants, a variety of social roles, and numerous overlapping and even contradictory meanings. A central problem in analyzing folk events is determining those elements of an event that are significant for its participants. Using historical studies, surveys, participant observation, and interviews with key informants, I present analytical descriptions of two related types of community dance, namely American Contra Dance and English Country Dance, as they are presently found in Seattle. Some descriptions and comparisons with Scandinavian dance, as well as contra and English dance elsewhere in the United States, are included. This section includes an analysis of the communicative characteristics of these events, focusing on the group as well as individual significance for their participants. Though I use community dances as primary examples, the approach I develop can be applied to other kinds of group folk events. The main concern is the many factors which need to be taken into account in deciphering complex folk events---those with many participants and several simultaneous or sequential activities---and in giving an account of their significance for participants.