Don't be nervous about making mistakes when learning to contra dance. Every person on the dance floor was a beginner at one time and even experienced dancers make mistakes. We highly recommend that newcomers attend a beginners session 30 minutes prior to the beginning of our dances. You'll catch on more easily and have a lot more fun. Men and women are equal on the contra floor.
Men ask women to dance and women ask men equally.
In order to minimize newcomers stress, it's usually a good idea for two newcomers not to dance together the first couple of dances. Ask an experienced dancer to dance with you. It is typical of contra dancers to dance with a different partner each dance. As lines are forming for a dance, you and your partner join in at the end of a line. It's a very good idea to listen to the walk-thru's.