| Twice a year there is a "Dawn Dance" in Brattleboro, Vermont, where English dancing starts in the afternoon,
then contras begin in the evening and go all night, until 7:00 AM on Monday.
An unknown number of years ago, some folks decided to expand that thrill to include other local dances, creating a five day dance-a-thon that, in 2004,
became known as the Iron Dancer series. Of course, I had to get the award while I was on this adventure - a real medal,
forged from pewter, that will swing from my passenger-side grab-bar as I travel the county, spreading the good news about contra dancing :-)
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The rules are a bit fuzzy, as is appropriate for the contra dance community, but they go something like this:
- You must contra dance for the five nights, Thursday through Monday, that contain a Brattleboro Dawn Dance weekend.
- You must dance at Brattleboro on Sunday and at Nelson on Monday.
- If you can't dance the traditional opening night (Thursday at Scout House in Concord), then Lisa Sieverts (the person most in charge) can give you permission for another dance to count,
but it's best to ask in advance.
- If Lisa is at the dance you attend, find her and the "official" Iron Dancer sign in sheet.
- If Lisa isn't at the dance you attend, be sure some other Iron Dancer Wannabe sees you.
- You don't have to dance every dance at every dance ... but some folks believe you need to do two-thirds of them for it to "count". Exceptions are made if the dance floor is particularly crowded
and/or the gender imbalance is against you. And surely the Dawn Dance doesn't have that expectation... does it??
- The idea is to have fun and celebrate the joy of contra dancing, so use good sense and take care not to over-do.
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Iron Dancer, Labor Day Weekend 2008 
