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Contra Dancing to Tensta's My Cool... some are confused, the music in the video is what we are dancing to.

Song: Adam Tensta - My Cool
Director: Forrest O.
Caller: Charlotte C.
Dancers: YDW 2008 (youthdanceweekend.org/)
Choreography: neighbor balance and swing, chain, half hey, partner balance and swing, chain, half hey, start over with a new neighbor...

While the progression is based on contra, a kind of folk dancing, the music is Swedish hiphop and the dancers pull from swing, hiphop, sexy, tango, dirty... anything goes really, as long as it is on the rhythm. Mixmashing cultures and styles to our whim is what we are all about. The basic progression is agreed upon, and every thing else is improv around it.

I think that there should be more social dance frameworks for techno/hiphop/club dancing. You almost never see men and women dancing together in music/dance videos; it is usually taking turns to strut your stuff, then maybe grinding a little bit.

This kind of choreography is simple enough that calling could be integrated into the lyrics of a song. Somewhere between Crank Dat and singing squares I think that there is a niche like this waiting to be filled. If I were a dance music producer, I'd consult with me on making an album of this. Or at least a music video.

PS: after the cameras went off Girl Talk came on and we danced another for 40 minutes straight, thanks to the endless mix.

Credits

9 Likes

  • Ginger Anyhow 1 year ago
    nice! -ginger
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  • Steve T. 1 year ago
    Can't help but think this is one of the greatest Contra videos ever. Good song too. Great editing.
  • Forrest O. 1 year ago
    heh most of the contra videos vimeo.com/tag:contra are of the nes game anyhow... we'll have to change that
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  • Ludovic Jolivet plus 1 year ago
    Hey... love the mixing of different dance forms... swing, dirty dancing, etc...
    And everyone looks great, really into it... yes definitely the best contra dance video I've seen here.
    Where is this contra happening?
  • Forrest O. 1 year ago
    right here: tinyurl.com/ydwmap
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  • Ames Bielenberg 1 year ago
    I randomly came across this video, like completely random, stumbled. On Facebook.
    But I was like, hey, I know that room. You see, I went to that camp for four years, and worked there last year. It kind of totally blew my mind. I was eating in that room about a month before this took place.
    wow
  • Forrest O. 11 months ago
    That place has some good energy.
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  • headurwatts 1 year ago
    Wow! So inspiring people! This is what I want to do in my town!
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  • Doug Plummer plus 9 months ago
    I am completely thrilled at where contra is going. I'm a geezer dancer and I couldn't be happier that the tradition is alive and well and changing to something I'm not going to recognize.
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