Fancy Footwork

Call it soul for the sole.

For nearly a decade, the California Dance Co-Operative has sponsored “Contra Dances” at several Westside venues.

Contra dancing, a fast-paced form of country dancing, is done with a partner in a line formation.

It is a fun alternative to the smoky club scene.

And it lets everyone dance, whether they are experts or just beginners.

Novices need not fear.

Before each dance begins, instructors are on their feet and ready to teach the basics.

All dances are taught and easily learned.

“You have to learn the patterns rather than what you do with your feet,” said Leda Shapiro, a longtime dancer and one of the cooperative’s organizers. “You have to learn to move to the music and dance with other people because you are dancing in a line.”

Contra dancing, as it is commonly called today, evolved from several different variations of English and French country dancing that were popular about 300 years ago.

It reached the colonies in the 1700s; Thomas Jefferson was known to host dances at Monticello.

Throughout the next century, contra dancing in America moved from its traditional roots and developed a more international flair, incorporating Irish jigs and Scottish reels.

Although numerous dance crazes have raged during the 20th Century, the spunky dance form has remained sure-footed in American culture with a few changes.

Today’s dances, Shapiro says, are more intense and include livelier musical scores.

Besides a caller, the California Dance Co-Operative always features a group of musicians: a banjo player, a pianist and a fiddler.

They play such tunes as “Tanglewood” and “Nail That Catfish to a Tree.”

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Dances are held regularly in Culver City and Brentwood.

Lessons usually begin at 7:30 p.m. followed by dancing at 8.

Flat-soled shoes and comfortable clothing are essential.

A partner is not required.

“As a single woman, I could go by myself,” said Cheryl Gordon, a 29-year-old Santa Monica resident. “It’s fun and good exercise.”

The next “contra dance” will be at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Brentwood Youth House, 731 S. Bundy Drive . Admission is $6. Information: (818) 951-2003.