Several dozen dancers from around the Midwest came to Jefferson City this weekend to share their love of traditional dancing.
The 18th annual Spring Breakdown Contra Dance Weekend was held at Capital Ritz. The event started in Jefferson City, but hasn't been held here in more than a decade.
"It's to have fun," said Jan Harcourt, a member of the board of Mid-Missouri Traditional Dancers who served as chairwoman of the organizing committee. "You see all the smiling faces. We all enjoy live music and moving to the music, and it's all about traditional dance and music."
Nick Martino came from Tulsa, Oklahoma, for the event.
"I go all over the place for this," Martino said in between dances.
Contra, a type of folk dance, was a featured dance style this weekend, but the event also featured English country dances and waltzing.
STEAM!, a contra band featuring two members from Arizona and two from Kansas, provided music for the weekend.
"Contra dancing is dancing that's done in long lines and facing your partner, thus the word contra," said Claire Zucker, a singer/instrumentalist in the band. "And it's kinda like a square dance and a swing dance met in a bar and had a baby. It's got a lot of swing dance moves and it's also got some of the elements from square dancing."
The attraction to traditional dancing is that they are communal, Harcourt said. They're social dances that focus on interacting with various people, not a single dance partner.
"It gets your heart rate up, so everyone's feeling energized and smiling and connecting and moving with the music. And it's fiddle tunes; it's Irish tunes or old-time fiddle tunes. So you can't help but at least tap your feet."
Peter Price, of Rolla, a member of the Mid-Missouri Traditional Dancers Board of Directors, concentrates his efforts on applying for grants for funding from agencies including the Missouri Arts Council and Columbia City Office of Cultural Affairs.
He said the appeal to traditional dancing is that it's friendly, casual and doesn't require bringing a partner.
"They teach the dances at each dance session, and all the other dancers who are experienced will help the beginner along," he said. "One of the rules is you change partners with each dance, so you end up dancing with just about every other person in the room, so it's a great social event. And it's good exercise."
The weekend cost of the event was $80 or $45 for students, but dancers had the option for paying to attend individual events and workshops.
For dancers who missed the event this year, it will take place again in Jefferson City next year on March 27-29. Next year, music will be provided by Roger & The Nethertones.