Contra dancing: The most fun you can have while staying on two feet!
Contra dancing is a little like square dancing -- they share some moves -- but it's in lines, not squares and there are no poofy dresses. It's also (imho) a lot more fun with room for some improvisation once you have the basics down. It's a very aerobic activity so makes for a fun workout. Recent research also says that this kind of dancing is good for the brain!
If you can walk to the beat of the music and count to eight, you're golden! If you hold a little tension in your arms so you can sense your partner, it'll be easier to lead and follow.
You dance with a partner in contra (though no need to come with a partner), but you also dance briefly with other people in the line, so it's a great opportunity to discover who else you like to dance with! People of all ages contra dance.
Contra dancing is wildly popular with those who do it; I think you'll get a sense for that from seeing the joy on people's faces below.
Here's a 2020 article about contra in Madison (with yours truly in the photo).
Here's the Madison dance schedule. I helped to organize our annual weekend contra Squirrel Moon from 2007 - 2018. And here's a list of national (and beyond!) dances.
Sometimes I take pictures and videos at dances; scroll thru these for some highlights. Lots of smiling faces!
It's a little challenging to take pictures at contra dances since:
there's often not a lot of light, so sometimes the pictures are a little grainy;
people are moving fast, so sometimes the pictures are a little blurry.
But people seem to enjoy them, so I keep taking them.