[Callers] Callers Digest, Vol 34, Issue 11

Sun Feb 19 08:40:48 PST 2017

Ron,

I could not locate use of the word "bland" in the post you reference.

In any event...

Did you not read the paragraph following that which contained the reference
to diet soda? The author stated that others may disagree. Obviously, you
disagree. Please don't belittle the views of others as you demonstrate your
egalitarian viewpoint.

I happily agree with most of what Neal wrote. I don't go contra dancing to
dance with guys, primarily. I go to dance with women. Yes, for me there is
quite a (fortunate) difference between dancing with men & women. I'll dance
with men but those "sublime" moments have happened only when dancing with
women.

Couples dancing originated as gendered. I would argue that it continues to
be primarily gendered simply because couples are gendered whether
identified by physical difference or role predeliction. I know of
homosexual dancers who have preference for one role over the other; they
are not ambi-dance-trous in that sense. I.e. they do not get a similar
level of enjoyment dancing both roles.

Argue away, but please avoid the "holier than thou".

Ken Panton

Message: 1
Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2017 22:49:24 -0500
From: Ron Blechner via Callers <

I have danced at a bunch of genderfree dances, as well as my home dance
having a lot of people who dance both roles. I can't say I've ever had this
"diet contra" experience.

My home dance is widely known among musicians and callers as a lively crowd
who brings good energy to performers. Proper and improper have little
relevance, but that doesn't stop a seeming endless supply of new
choreography being generated and called by various callers. Does it really
matter if I'm allemanding or swinging with a particular gender? I guess a
person can still choose to only dance with one gender if they really felt
strongly.

But saying that genderfree dancing is bland? I mean, it's a folk community
dance. The whole point is we all dance in one big set together. If dancing
only to swing people of one gender means so much that contra is "diet"
without it, I would ask what exactly contra means to you?

Best regards,
Ron Blechner

On Feb 13, 2017 6:17 PM, "Woody Lane via Callers" <
callers at lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:

I basically agree with Neal. I would not want to replace gents and ladies
with other arbitrary terms. For many of the same reasons.

Woody

--
Woody Lane
Caller, Percussive Dancer
Roseburg, Oregon
http://www.woodylanecaller.com
home: 541-440-1926 <(541)%20440-1926> cell: 541-556-0054 <(541)%20556-0054>
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On 2/13/2017 2:51 PM, Neal Schlein via Callers wrote:

I do not want to replace gent and lady as terms, based on my own experience.

Some context: I've been dancing for between 29 and 37 years, depending on
how you count--my parents met at a square dance and I grew up dancing.  I
started calling about 18 years ago, and dance/call ECD, Scottish, squares,
contra, ballroom, and folk styles at varying levels of proficiency.  Seeing
a man dancing the lady's role, or a woman dancing the gent's role, has
never, ever phased me.  It's fun to swap, requires technical skill, speaks
well of a dancer who can do it well stylistically, and sometimes is
necessary to fill out a set.  It is also an important skill for any caller,
and one callers need to know how to handle when it happens in special
situations; the callers I grew up with talked about when they first
encountered gay or one-gender crowds in the 60s and how they struggled to
adjust on the fly.

That said, I first encountered "gender-free" dancing at a Heather and Rose
(?) ECD dance outside of Eugene, Oregon about 15 years ago.  I didn't know
what I was walking into, and thought it was a normal ECD event until they
lined up and started teaching.

They used several dances I was familiar with; I had been teaching some
older ECD dances for a graduate folklore class and recently returned from
Berea's Christmas Country Dance School.  Aside from momentary confusion,
adapting to the unfamiliar terminology and random line-up was not a problem
for me.

What I couldn't adapt to was how being made "gender free" changed the
character of the dances I knew.  They became less elegant, less
interesting, and were lessened overall.  Switching between an A and a B
position meant nothing aside from (possibly) a slightly different floor
pattern.  Proper and improper had no relevance.  There was no stylistic
mastery needed to switch dance sides because any clue as to historically
demanded or intended stylistic differences had been stripped out--there
weren't even ROLES anymore, merely positions; there was nothing to hold
onto even as a guideline for playacting.  The dances completely lost their
flavor and character.  They became like Caffeine Free Diet Crystal Coke.
(I mean, honestly...WHY WAS THAT EVER MADE?  Just drink water!)

Other folks may certainly disagree with me, and I have followed and agree
with the many counterpoints, but I personally believe that the terms
"gentlemen" and "ladies" (and their derivatives) positively influence how
people behave and relate, and definitely how a dance is done.  I don't
worry about that at special or family events, of course; I just want
everyone to get up and have a good time.  But encouraging folks to learn
both roles to become better dancers is only meaningful if there is a
meaningful difference between the roles.

I am a happily married man and prefer to dance with women as partners and
corners.  I don't mind dancing with men, but that's not what I go to dances
for; if I wanted to get close to a bunch of sweaty guys, I'd play
football.  If we're honest, we can admit that the vast majority of our
general dancers (both new and old) are probably similar.  So why not let
the dance reflect that?  That's more likely to win friends than taking a
wonderful dance with character and making it into  "gender free diet
crystal contra."

Just my 2 cents.
Neal

Neal Schlein
Youth Services Librarian, Mahomet Public Library

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Message: 2
Date: Fri, 17 Feb 2017 14:27:42 -0400
From: Dugan Murphy via Callers <callers at lists.sharedweight.net>
To: Callers List Serve <callers at sharedweight.net>
Subject: Re: [Callers] has anybody else written / similar sequences?
Message-ID:
        <CAAwnfF7ROuYD4r+jn-=tLaN4VYZ5jdHKTDfHHidtfJ8G59y7Gw at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

Hi, Tavi,

Thanks for sharing! I can't say if anyone else has authored these dances as
you have them, but I can think of two dances very similar to three first
one you shared.

The first is "Stop, Drop, and Roll," which I also wrote as a simple dance
to introduce the rollaway and half sashay to less experienced crowds:
http://www.duganmurphy.com/dances-i-wrote/

The other is "Roll Around A" by Cary Ravitz, which was the inspiration for
my dance: http://www.dance.ravitz.us/#ra

Dugan Murphy
Portland, Maine
dugan at duganmurphy.com
www.DuganMurphy.com
www.PortlandIntownContraDance.com
www.NufSed.consulting

(I drafted this message on a device that likes to autocorrect my words in
ways I don't always notice. Thank you for your understanding.)

Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2017 12:14:49 -0700
From: Tavi Merrill via Callers <callers at lists.sharedweight.net>
To: callers at lists.sharedweight.net, Ronald Nieman <nieman at cox.net>
Subject: Re: [Callers] has anybody else written / similar sequences?

danged Gmail sent when i tabbed! Checking in with y'all to share new chore,
confirm whether it is "original," and ask if others have sequences they use
for similar intents and purposes. Both are as yet un-danced, though i'm
certain enough they are sound to say feel free to use them. Additional
recently tested chore in the pipeline, though the rest has very low odds of
duplicating others' efforts.

Bread

improper

A1. Ring balance; Ladies Neighbor roll away (with a half sashay) along

       Ring balance; Gents Partner rollaway across

A2. Neighbor balance and swing

B1. Circle L 3 places; Partner swing

B2. Ring balance; Gents Neighbor rollaway across

       Ring balance and (either pass R or arch/duck) to meet new neighbors

(1/2017) Roll away with a half sashay is perhaps the purest distillation of
weight-sharing, yet compared to the more complex chain, conspicuously
absent from much of the choreography used with beginning dancers. In the
interest of teaching only one new move per dance, i sought here to use the
rollaway as a means of drilling weight sharing, building muscle memory, and
reinforcing key hall awareness concepts "along/across" in an early-evening
sequence. A2 can be articulated as either a ring balance or a two-hand
neighbor balance. For dancers already familiar with the petronella spin,
"Sourdough" variation: B2. Ring balance; Ladies Partner rollaway along;
Ring balance; all spin R 1.5 to meet new neighbors.

Water

improper: waves across, right hand to Neighbor, Ladies take left

A1. Waves balance, walk forward to new neighbors

       Right hand (wrist) star 3 places; Neighbor pull by R across

A2. Partner L hand alleman 1.5

       Partner promenade across

B1. Ladies R hand alleman 1

       Partner swing

B2. Gents L hand alleman 1.5

      Neighbor R hand alleman 1+ to waves

(1/2017) I've sought here to deconstruct both chain and R&L through,
focusing dancers on the A2 promenade and two exaggerated, hands-connected
"pass R" elements in A1. From A1 to A2, ladies may need a reminder to turn
left toward their partner for the alleman - better taught here than during
a square-through. ?Heavy Water? variation: If dancers are already familiar
with the courtesy turn, make A2 a Partner power turn and promenade across.
"Super-heavy Water:" That substitution, and gypsy (/whatever you prefer to
call it) in place of the B1 and B2 right-hand allemans, transform this into
a dance more suited to seasoned dancers and crowded spaces.
Courtesy twirls,
Tavi
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End of Callers Digest, Vol 34, Issue 11
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