Every spring, dancers and musicians gather in Hales Gymnasium for a weekend of contra dance, folk music, and an array of creative workshops. Oberlin’s Contra Dance Club organizes an annual contra dance event, the Dandelion Romp, that brings together experienced dancers, curious undergraduate students, and members of the broader folk dance community.

Contra dance is a social American folk dance where couples dance in long parallel lines. Live folk music is played by bands while a caller shouts out the steps for the dance. The style focuses on building community, as participants are encouraged to find a new partner each dance. At Dandelion Romp, the caller first walks the group through the choreography without music to ensure everyone understands the sequence. 

Summer Shay, a dancer from Madison, WI, comes to Oberlin for Dandelion Romp each year. She commented on the communal atmosphere of the event and why Dandelion Romp is so special.

“I love the energy here,” Shay said. “You have a combination of seasoned dance travelers, some really experienced undergrad dancers, and then some folks who just wander in and are like, ‘Hey, what’s this?’ So, it’s a really beautiful experience.”

Dandelion Romp is a notable contra dance weekend and draws in dancers from all over the country, from New York to California. Many dancers who travel to Oberlin for Dandelion Romp are veteran attendees. Isaac Izzy Stein came from East Lansing, MI, with her 91-year-old grandfather, who also danced at the event. 

“I’m part of a multigenerational folk dancing family,” Stein said. “I’ve been to plenty of places all over, and Dandelion Romp is one of the few places where, every year, I have to come back. I love the community.”

Activities at the Dandelion Romp ranged from traditional contra dances to vocal harmonies workshops, creating many lively spaces for the diverse community of attendees. The event began last Friday with beginner lessons and bloomed into a variety of themed contras throughout the weekend, like Wake Up Contras, Funky Contras, and Challenging Contras. Saturday and Sunday were packed full of other sessions, including Kerry Sets and calling workshops.

The first evening of the event concluded with Techno Contra, a high-energy dance session. The room was darkened, illuminated only by neon LED lights that cast a vibrant glow across the dancers. Once the caller decided the crowd seemed ready, the music — a blend of folk traditions and electronic dance beats that motivated the dances into a fast-paced, joyous rhythm — started to play. Bands Countercurrent and Dam Beavers played the event, with the occasional addition of student bands.

Alex Sturbaum, OC ’13, first experienced contra dancing at Oberlin in 2009 as a student musician at monthly contras. They — now a member of Countercurrent, which has played the event for the last several years — reflected on the growth of their relationship with contra and Oberlin. 

“There is so much magic in this hall and in this community,” Sturbaum said. “There’s always that fresh-faced energy, and it’s really wonderful. It’s always fun to play tunes with the student bands and to see that the tradition is alive and well and thriving, growing stronger year by year.”

After spending Saturday morning doing contras, the event shifted to square dancing, a form that differs in structure and flow from contra dance. Instead of parallel lines, dancers organized themselves into groups of four pairs to form squares. Similar to contra dance, a caller introduced the steps before the music started. However, square dancing allows for slight variations in timing between groups, so some squares may lag behind others without disrupting the overall experience. The music supported a steady, enjoyable pace, creating an environment where both beginners and experienced dancers could participate effortlessly. Throughout the event, more experienced participants offered guidance, which made the space feel inclusive and supportive of all dancers.

There was also waltzing between the sessions. Dancers paired up and moved to graceful and flowing music. This gentle transition set the stage for the next session, Flow and Glide, which returned to contra dancing. Once again, dancers found partners and formed parallel lines, but this time the dancing was smooth and fluid, providing a contrast to typically high-energy contra dancing.

Michael Hamilton, who frequently calls the monthly Oberlin contra dances, has been working to teach current undergraduate students how to call. Hamilton is taken by the magic of having a contra dance weekend that is organized and run by students. 

“It’s a dance that’s meant to bring us all together,” Hamilton said. “Anybody can walk in from the street into a contra dance and immediately be dancing within the first 15 minutes that they’re there.”