Contra_dance Contra dance (also contradance, contra-dance and other variant spellings) refers to several folk dance styles in which couples dance in two facing lines of indefinite length. Contra dances can be found around the world, though they are especially popular in the United States . Contra dance is also referred to as traditional New England folk dance. There are regularly scheduled contra dances in many North American cities, as well as in Belgium, Denmark, England, Czech Republic and Australia.