Each group of two couples steps through the dance one time before progressing either up or down the line to dance with a new couple. The eight to ten figures in a dance are then repeated. Participants dance with everyone in the line. New dance figures have been developed by choreographers, yet some of the oldest dances are still popular. Dancers today add their own flourishes and especially enjoy the opportunity for flirting that the dance provides.
Children often pick up dancing more readily than adults.
Newcomers often dance an entire evening when they discover how easy it is to learn the figures and how much help is available from others. Lately more and more teen-agers and young adults are filling the ranks along with the babyboomers and grandparents. Contra dancing came to Glen Echo in 1977 when the historic Spanish Ballroom was reopened by the National Park Service and a Saturday night dance included several types of folk dancing. The Ballroom had closed when the Amusement Park came to an end in 1968. In 1983, a group of dancers led by callers Lou Shapiro and Bruce Strand moved their dance to the Spanish Ballroom on Friday nights.