Keywords: Dance structures, Participatory dance

In the Banat region of Romania the ‘traditional’ dance forms of the Banat mountain region are currently practiced in the social dancing within the urban context of Timisoara. Currently, in the city of Timisoara, there is a regenerated interest in dance practices in the ensemble context and for participation at public events. This paper considers an ethnochoreological example of the ‘contra-timp’ way of dancing which was popular in some villages of the Banat mountain zone, and the adoption of this into the ensemble repertoire during the early 1970s. This ‘contra-timp’ way of dancing has expanded in popularity in the city whilst declining in the villages. I have examined dancing in ‘contra-timp’ from the historical context using prior publications and research archives, and by analysing the repertoire and choreology using participant observation, and interviews with choreographers and dancers to examine their dance understanding in the ensemble and social contexts.