Welcome to the Contra Knights dance series, a joint venture of the Greater Orlando Contra Dance and Contra Knights, the contra-dancing club at the University of Central Florida in Orlando! Our dances feature high-tempo, gender-neutral dancing done to both modern and traditional music. We are Florida’s only weekly contra series and Florida’s only gender-neutral contra series. We dance weekly on Fridays:
- 2nd and 4th Fridays: All-In events in Greater Orlando, open to EVERYONE! FREE FOR STUDENTS!
- 1st and 3rd Fridays: UCF Campus dances for students and under-30s. You don’t have to be a student or attend UCF. These are FREE!
- Plus occasional road trips to nearby cities.
- Holidays, semester breaks, and regional events happen, so CHECK THE SCHEDULE!
What’s contra? Check out the video below or our What’s Contra? page!
Social media: Our student conversation is on Discord. Community conversation is on Facebook. See our photos and videos on Instagram and YouTube. #contraknights when you post about our events! You can sign up for email announcements. We use MeetUp, Reddit, and TikTok to bring people here!
Scroll down for details on our next few dances. Visit our Dances and Events page for the full schedule.
Here’s our first dance of the school year. Almost nobody here knew how to dance 90 minutes earlier!
We’re beginner-friendly and we’ll teach you everything you need to know. If you can walk, you can dance! No partner or experience needed. There are more videos on our What’s Contra? page and there’s an FAQ, too.
(Scroll down a section for our next Campus dance open to students and those under 30!)
NEXT OPEN DANCE:
| WHO | Everybody! (Dance is not restricted to students and under-30s.) |
| WHEN | FRIDAY MARCH 24, 7:00 – 10:00 pm. Door opens at 6:30 pm. Beginner lesson at 7:00 sharp! Dance 7:30 – 10:00. |
| WHERE | Winter Park Ballroom Dance Company, 6904 Aloma Ave., Winter Park, Florida (next to Jeremiah’s Ice Cream). The floor is wood. |
| PARKING | Plenty! |
| CALLER | Joe Harrington – calling is gender-neutral |
| MUSIC | Joe Harrington will DJ a mix of traditional contra and contemporary pop and rock music |
| LEVEL | Beginner/intermediate. Dances start easy and get more complex later. First-timers should be ready to dance for the lesson at 7:00. |
| COST | $15. Students and job seekers FREE! |
| ATTIRE | Wear what’s comfortable, see videos. This is athletic, so you will sweat. Hopefully a lot! Dress lightly and bring a water bottle. No perfumes, please. Stilettos and very high heels discouraged! |
NEXT STUDENT/UNDER-30 DANCE:
| FEATURE | Guest caller JoLaine from Gainesville will call and hold a calling workshop! The dance starts and ends at normal time. |
| WHO | Students and under-30s (roughly, we’re not checking) are invited. UCF affiliation NOT required! |
| WHEN | FRIDAY MARCH 31, 7:00 – 10:00 pm. Doors open at 7:00. Beginner-friendly contra lesson at 7:15 sharp! Dancing 7:45 – 10:00. Calling workshop for student callers in training in the afternoon. |
| WHERE | UCF Student Union room SU 218. |
| PARKING | Parking Lot H2. Our circular campus is confusing. Please note where your car is and map the walk in your favorite smartphone map app. |
| CALLER | JoLaine from Gainesville – positional calling – gender-neutral, along with student callers in training. |
| MUSIC | Joe Harrington will DJ a mix of traditional contra and contemporary pop and rock music |
| LEVEL | Beginner/intermediate. Dances start easy and get more complex later. First-timers should be ready to dance for the lesson at 8:00. |
| COST | FREE! |
| ATTIRE | Wear what’s comfortable, see videos. This is athletic, so you will sweat. Hopefully a lot! Dress lightly and bring a water bottle. No perfumes, please. Stilettos and very high heels discouraged! |
Contra is an aerobic activity done very close to many partners. We strongly advise COVID vaccines for everyone’s safety (not just your own). Masks are encouraged!