[Callers] Ralph Page Style

[John Sweeney via Callers]

Hi Neal,
	Thanks.  But I don't understand what Ralph's smoother style was.  To
me, modern contra dancing is beautifully smooth.  Larry Jennings defines the
style in Zesty Contras as "zesty, purposeful, extroverted, smooth,
meticulously phrased, strongly connected, vigorous, New England, contra
dancing" and goes on to define "Smooth: Refers both to the way the dancers
carry their bodies and to the flow from one figure into another."

	If anything I would say that modern choreography has made much
smoother dances; many of the Chestnuts have disjointed flows.

Happy dancing,
John

John Sweeney, Dancer, England john at modernjive.com 01233 625 362
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent

Neal Schlein said:

This might shed some light on the subject -

https://www.library.unh.edu/find/archives/collections/ralph-page-dance-legac
y-weekend

Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend

The Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend (RPDLW) is held every January at the
University of New Hampshire in Durham. It takes its name from the man who
was perhaps the single most important figure in the preservation of
traditional dance in New England and was conceived to keep his legacy alive.

Begun in 1988, the RPDLW celebrates the music and dance of New England:
contras, squares, and more. From the beginning, the emphasis has been on
preserving the smoother style of dancing that Ralph Page favored.