Contra Dance in Historic Downtown Bristol to feature Contra Cowboys & Jesse Edgerton
 
Contra dancing is a form of American dance in which the dancers form a set of two parallel lines that run the length of the hall. In each dance, couples dance a sequence of moves that take them up or down the set. As the sequence is repeated, a couple will eventually dance with every other couple in the set and through the course of an evening, with nearly every other dancer. Many of the basic moves in contra dancing are similar to those in traditional square dancing (swings, promenades, dos-à-dos, allemandes). A square dance set comprises only four couples whereas the number of couples in a contra dance set is limited only by the length of the hall. A caller, working with a group of live musicians, guides new and experienced dancers through a variety of dances. The caller teaches each dance before it is actually done to the music. 

The Contra Cowboys (Joel Keebler, Mike Knowles, and Sid Jackson) are a brand new band on the contra dance circuit.  Each member of this group has years of experience playing for dancers and listeners alike in a wide variety of musical styles and venues. Joel Keebler is featured on upright bass and melodica. He spent earlier days in Knoxville, where he performed with Robinella and in the group The Stringbeans. He currently resides in Mendota, Virginia and teaches horticulture at Virginia Highlands Community College in Abingdon. Mike Knowles of Johnson City is featured on guitar, mandolin, and the occasional vocal. Currently performing with the New Orleans rhythm and blues outfit the Mudbugs on piano and vocal, Mike also has been employed as member of a 10 piece band on a cruise ship. Several other bands have included his guitar and vocals, including Matrix, the Groovemasters, and the Normaltones. Sid Jackson rounds out the trio with his excellent banjo picking. Sid makes his home in Piney Flats and makes dance hall appearances with the Ransom McCoy Band. He also has many years and genres of musical experience including Rock and Roll in the fifties, folk music in the sixties and bluegrass in the seventies and eighties. Sid also performed with the Rainbow Valley Boys, the Cherokee Mountain boys, and Snake and the Grass. Along the way he found some time to play Dixieland, hot jazz, and teach mathematics.

Calling the dance will be Jesse Edgerton. Currently residing in Boone, he is a graduate of Warren Wilson College.  He started his contra dancing career at the Old Farmer's Ball at Warren Wilson and the Grey Eagle in Asheville and started calling at open mics at the Old Farmer's Ball around 2002.

The Birthplace of Country Music Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to telling the story of the living musical heritage of the Appalachian Mountains and the cultural traditions that sustain it.  The Birthplace of Country Music Alliance and Bristol Ballet are funded in part by grants from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the Tennessee Arts Commission.  For more information, call (276) 645-0111 or visit online at www.birthplaceofcountrymusic.org or www.believeinbristol.org