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! (On hiatus until the Fall semester.)
  • 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 our first school year. Almost nobody here knew how to dance 90 minutes earlier. You can do it, too!

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:

WHOEverybody! (Dance is not restricted to students and under-30s.)
WHENFRIDAY JUNE 9, 7:00 – 10:00 pm. Door opens at 6:30 pm. Beginner lesson at 7:00 sharp! Dance 7:30 – 10:00.
WHEREWinter Park Ballroom Dance Company, 6904 Aloma Ave., Winter Park, Florida (next to Jeremiah’s Ice Cream). The floor is wood.
PARKINGPlenty!
CALLERJoe Harrington – calling is gender-neutral
MUSICJoe Harrington will DJ a mix of traditional contra and contemporary pop and rock music
LEVELBeginner/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!
ATTIREWear 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:

FeatureOpening Knight – Right after the UCF activities midway! TENTATIVE, check back in August!
WHOStudents and under-30s (roughly, we’re not checking) are invited. UCF affiliation NOT required!
WHENSUNDAY AUGUST 20, 7:00 – 10:00 pm. Doors open at 7:00. Beginner-friendly contra lesson at 7:15 sharp! Dancing 7:45 – 10:00.
WHEREUCF Student Union room SU 218. TENTATIVE!
PARKINGParking Lot H2. Our circular campus is confusing. Please note where your car is and map the walk in your favorite smartphone map app.
CALLERJoe Harrington – calling is gender-neutral
MUSICJoe Harrington will DJ a mix of traditional contra and contemporary pop and rock music
LEVELBeginner/intermediate. Dances start easy and get more complex later. First-timers should be ready to dance for the lesson at 7:15.
COSTFREE!
ATTIREWear 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!