In the US, what we classify as "Emglish Country Dance" is the whole genre that starts with Playford, and goes to the recently composed dances/ tunes that use the same moves. The pairing of dance to tunes is a key component of most of these. Though it can be more stately than contra dance, it needn't be any less aerobic than contra in some of the dances.

American contradance uses a tune repertoire that pulls from English, Irish, Scottish, Quebequois, southern Appalachian old time, and occasionally farther afield. The band will do a set of one sort of tunes that they think will go well - jigs, reels, polkas, hornpipes played like reels. Seldom is a tune wedded to a particular dance.

I danced ECD and contra for over 20 years, and have played both for over a dozen years when my dancing capibility was done (To answer Leenia - Autoharp on rhythm and Anglo concertina on melody) In the contra dance I play in, several of the end- of- the- evening waltzes we play come from the ECD repertoire ( Flowers of the thorn, Margaret's waltz). Several other musicians play both, but the thing that makes the ECD repertoire distinct is the absolute passion we have for this music. Peter Barnes has provided great fuel for this passion in his splendid books.

So, um, what I umpdty dumpty music? Am I guilty of it when we play "Off She Goes" for a contra?

Joanne in Cleveland