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 Ripshin Ramblers, so named because three of its members live on Ripshin Mountain near Roan Mountain, Tennessee, specialize in old time string band music of the southern Appalachians and elsewhere.  They play contra and square dance music with great rhythm, energy and expression. Band members include: Art Lang, Fiddle:  Art has been playing either fiddle or banjo for contra and square dances for many years.   Art also plays guitar and harmonica and has been playing old time music in a duo with his partner Cathy Ciolac for 20 years.  Michael Jones, Banjo, Mandolin:  Michael has played the banjo, guitar and mandolin in various genres of music for years but is now devoting himself to old time clawhammer banjo.  Michael plays the banjo in a manner that serves well to complement the fiddle. Gary McWherter, Guitar:  Gary has been playing guitar for several years and plays backup guitar in a style well suited to contra dance that lends a good and solid rhythm to the music. Cathy Ciolac, Mountain Dulcimer:  Cathy plays mountain dulcimer and autoharp.  Cathy plays the dulcimer in an unusual backup style that lends a real drive to the Ramblers music.  She also plays in a duo with her partner Art Lang. Jim Miller, Bass Fiddle:

 

Jim has been playing and performing traditional music for the past 35 years.  He has played with Celtic, Bluegrass, Swing, Blues and Old Time bands, and has done session work on many recordings.  Jim plays just about every stringed instrument known to man and is famous for his workshops and his "off-the-wall" instruments. 
Calling the dance will be Frederick Park.  Park has been teaching and collecting dances for more than 35 years. The traditions one may experience or revisit under his direction include American circles, squares and contra dances, English country dance, French traditional dance from Chavignol (Sancerroise, Cher), Cajun French two-step and waltz, Scandinavian turning dances and play-party or singing games from Appalachia and the Sea Islands of Georgia on America's southern Atlantic coast. Be it a regular community dance, a special event where dance may facilitate "community" amongst diverse peoples or an educational environment where interest in traditions may include dance, you'll find an energetic and eclectic approach to fun in his capable hands. Frederick Park has been a teacher, dance instructor, humorist and Master of Ceremonies at every major dance festival in the USA and several overseas. Park is also a master storyteller.

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, the Tennessee Arts Commission, and the National Endowment for the Arts.  For more information, call (276) 645-0111 or visit online at www.birthplaceofcountrymusic.org
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