Contra Callers October 2015

contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net

1 participants
34 discussions

by Jacob or Nancy Bloom via Callers

For those interested in the historical derivation of our terms: As Alan said, the Allemande was a couple dance from the late 1700s. In it, both hands were held, and the arms moved through various positions. This put the couple in much closer contact than they were in the minuet, in which the only physical contact was through hands held at arm's length. This makes the Allemande an important part of the transition of couple dancing from the minuet to the waltz. The dance form known as Germans was shortened from German Cotillions. These were musical games which were popular in ballrooms in the 1800s. Here's a link to an example of the Allemande being danced: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3ay1kAK0YA Jacob On Thu, Oct 29, 2015 at 6:00 AM, Alan Winston via Callers < callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > > > On 10/29/15 2:45 AM, Jeff Kaufman via Callers wrote: > > On Oct 29, 2015 4:24 AM, "Erik Hoffman via Callers" < > callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > > > > > > No Hand Allemande (and I do think Allemande comes from "The > German," a dance) > > > > I wonder what we'll do if we discover that to some Germans the French term > "Allemande" is derogatory and they prefer to be called "Deutsche". > > Given that "allemande" is an incredibly-overloaded term in different dance > genres - it's a progressive figure for two or three couples in Scottish > dancing; it's a kind of 1700s couple dance; it's a pretzel-armed turn in > cotillions, it's a not-100%-clearly-understood-thing-with-a-circular-track > in Regency-era longways dances, it's an elbow turn, it's a hand turn - it > wouldn't ruin my life if we started saying "hand turn" instead of > "allemande". > > Just sayin'. (Although I would miss "allemande left with your left hand, > walk right in to a right and left grand" and the allemande alphabet.) > > -- Alan > > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net > >

9 years, 1 month

Advice about "gypsy"

by Amy Wimmer via Callers

Hello All, I taught a dance this evening that included a ladies' gypsy. I received the email below a few minutes ago. In teaching it I wanted to convey that it is a flirty, eye contact sort of move. This person was obviously offended. I am at a loss for how to respond, except to apologize for offending. I'm pretty sure I described the move accurately. I meant absolutely no offense. I didn't make up the name for the move, but don't want to make excuses. Does this move need a new name? How would you respond? -Amy Seattle Begin forwarded message: *Subject:* *First time at your event* This evening, I came to one of your dances for the first time. I was impressed by the friendliness of the dancers, the quality of the musicians, and the overall fun of the dance. And then we got to a dance in which we were told we would be learning a step named after an offensive term for Romani people. And I felt uncomfortable. And then when the step was taught, it became clear that the term was so named based on stereotypes of Romani women as being overly sexual. And I became more uncomfortable. I assume that this was not done maliciously, but rather out of an unawareness of the ways that that term has been used to denigrate Romani people throughout history (much the same way that many other racial slurs have been used in the past by well-meaning people before they became aware that those terms were hurtful and harmful to those disadvantaged groups). Nonetheless, it felt shockingly offensive to me, all the more so in the context of a community that appeared to be so welcoming and accepting. Until that point, I had a very enjoyable time dancing at your event. I've been a dancer in a variety of communities for many years now, and aside from that issue, this was probably the best first experience I've had when meeting a new dance community. It was a shame that some presumably unintentional racial insensitivity had to ruin what was otherwise such a positive experience.

9 years, 1 month

CDSS Exec visit November 6th and 7th!

by Alexandra Deis-Lauby via Callers

Country Song and Dance Society is coming to NYC and would love to meet you, dance with you, and learn about your local dance community! The schedule includes ECD and Contra with talent from near and far. The potluck on Saturday between the dances will be a great opportunity to munch, mix, and mingle. Ritual dancers may make surprise visits too. Please invite your communities of FDOs as well as dancers, musicians, and callers! We hope to see you on the dance floor! https://www.facebook.com/events/1110110708999514/ Schedule, locations, and subway directions: FRIDAY: Friday 7:30-10:30 CDNY English Country Dance with callers *Brooke Friendly, Jill Allen, Jenny Beer*! Manhattan. (Needs some embellishment to match below.) Friday 7:30-11 Brooklyn Contra and Village Contra Present:* The Brooklyn Swing Ensemble with *Alexandra Deis-Lauby and Quena Crain. Wonderful local talent, gender free calling, and a vibrant dance community! Brooklyn. SATURDAY in Manhattan: Saturday 3-6 Advanced Contra dance with music and calling by KING KONTRA all the way from ENGLAND! http://www.cbdb.co.uk/king-kontra/ <http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbdb.co.uk%2Fking-kontra%2F&…> *Saturday 6-8:00 Community meeting and potluck with CDSS Executive Committee members. * Saturday 7:30-10:45 More KING KONTRA! Callers include CDSS Board Members: *Jill Allen, Brooke Friendly* and local talent! New dancer workshop from 7:30-8:00 . Manhattan events take place at: The Church of the Village 201 West 13th street at 7th ave. NY, NY Subway trains at the corner of 7th Ave and 14th Street are 1, 2, or 3. F, A, C, E a block away. D, N, 4, 5, or 6 a 10-minute walk away. The Brooklyn dance takes place at: Camp Friendship 339 8th st, Brooklyn NY Subway trains F, G, R. *Join us on the dance floor!*

9 years, 1 month

Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend, Jan. 15-17

by Richard Hart via Callers

The Ralph Page Dance Legacy weekend will be on the weekend of January 15-17, 2016 in the Memorial Union Building at the University of New Hampshire. Come and join us for a great weekend of dance, music, and dance history. We even expect Ralph Page, himself, to join us briefly for a few dances. This year we have added the ability to register online. Please let us know if you have any problems with the online registration so we can fix it as soon as possible. http://ralphpage.neffa.org/ Rich Hart.

9 years, 1 month

Re: [Callers] Callers Digest, Vol 18, Issue 17

by tavi merrill via Callers

i like where this is going. Folks who want to keep the g-word would have to prove it didn't come from 1620s "unconventional; outdoor" (but we know where that came from, and from the bohemian sense also where hipsters/YUCCYs came from though that was some pretty interesting cultural evolution, thank you Fitzgerald, love ADD). Ah, the arts of cajolery. That's a great phrase for what i was dancing around, godawful puns intended. The square callers have a great point with "dance around/walk around." Particularly Woody's point that it supplies facing generally and dancers do their creative best to cajole each other into swings. We can still call Becky Hill's "The Eyes Have It," but only because mad robin. > Message: 12 > Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2015 12:03:40 -0400 > From: Rich Sbardella via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> > To: Ron Blechner <contraron(a)gmail.com> > Cc: callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> > Subject: Re: [Callers] Advice about "gypsy" > Message-ID: > < > CAE4BujJ+22zv8mf4bZ185kf8fwRfzEiBZoSrohSmLn+LurfsfQ(a)mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" > > In square dance, Indian Style is rarely used for single file promenade, > although it was prevalent just 25 years ago. It has slowly disappeared > replaced with just the descriptive language of "single file". > I often replace, "Single file Indian Style" with "Single file with a > smile". > I also beieve Walk around your Neighbor is a suitable, and perhaps the > best, replacement for Gypsy Neighbor or Gypsie around your Neighbor. It > already has the correct meaning for many dancers (eye contact optional), > and it easily translates from contra to common usage in squares. > Rich > Stafford, CT > > > On Tue, Oct 27, 2015 at 11:41 AM, Ron Blechner via Callers < > callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > > > Since "gypsy" as a contra/ECD term almost certainly refers to Romani, it > > differs from say, geological terms or whatnot. The swastika is a sad > thing, > > because the Nazis basically ruined it, even though they use a reverse > > direction version. > > > > That said, I'm not endorsing or not endorsing the change to the "gypsy" > > move, just stating that there are some clear differences.

9 years, 1 month

Re: [Callers] Advice about "gypsy"

by David Smukler via Callers

When calling, I’ve struggled with “gypsy,” not because of its unfortunate political reverberations (like Amy, I have used it without intending offense or realizing it might cause offense), but because for me it doesn’t roll trippingly off the tongue — I guess I don’t really like “verbing" nouns. I also completely agree with those who are uncomfortable with caller language that seems to require flirtation. People can and will flirt if they wish to, but it shouldn’t be suggested as a requirement. All this said, there is lots of choreography where I like the figure, and I’ve certainly used it. In some old square dance calls you sometimes hear “walk around your corner” for a move with similar geography. How about “walk around” as a straightforward, non-loaded alternative? David > From: Amy Wimmer via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net <mailto:callers@lists.sharedweight.net>> > Date: October 24, 2015 at 3:12:57 AM EDT > To: callers(a)sharedweight.net <mailto:callers@sharedweight.net> > Subject: [Callers] Advice about "gypsy" > > > Hello All, > > I taught a dance this evening that included a ladies' gypsy. I received the email below a few minutes ago. In teaching it I wanted to convey that it is a flirty, eye contact sort of move. This person was obviously offended. I am at a loss for how to respond, except to apologize for offending. > > I'm pretty sure I described the move accurately. I meant absolutely no offense. I didn't make up the name for the move, but don't want to make excuses. Does this move need a new name? How would you respond? > > -Amy > Seattle > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net <mailto:Callers@lists.sharedweight.net> > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net <http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net>

9 years, 1 month

Re: [Callers] Advice about "gypsy"

by John Sweeney via Callers

When I was at university all the college servants were called gyps. According to my dictionary it may just as well have come from the name of a short jacket (obsolete English gippo derived from the obsolete French word jumeau). We are unlikely to ever know the true derivation of the word gypsy in a dance context. I've been using the word for 50 years and never, ever thought it had anything to do with gypsies! I believe we should accept that English is a rich language with many words having multiple meanings. To a dancer a gypsy is just the name of a move and has no other connotation, and a dance gypsy is someone who travels to dances. There is absolutely no negative or derogatory intent in our use of the word. And since when did the Romani have sole use of the word? There are 10,000 descendants of Irish gypsies in the USA, and DNA studies have shown that Irish gypsies are a distinct ethnic group. And what about the Egyptians? The word originally meant Egyptian! There are people who will read hidden meaning into anything you say. Please let's not let them take control of the English language. = = = = = The original letter is quite worrying. The writer says, "when the step was taught, it became clear that the term was so named based on stereotypes of Romani women as being overly sexual". I can't believe the caller said anything like that. This would appear to be all in the mind of the writer. And, "that term has been used to denigrate Romani people throughout history". I thought it was only used fairly recently as a derogatory term, and even then not generally. I have always thought it was just another word for a traveller and never known it to be negative. And, "some presumably unintentional racial insensitivity". No, it can't possibly be racial since it referred to a move and not a person. = = = = = Happy dancing, John John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent

9 years, 1 month

Fw: Gypsy terms (Re: Callers Digest, Vol 18, Issue 16)

by Michael Fuerst via Callers

Hmmm...... Although I remain completely unperturbed by our new g-word, Fred Park's "a nose-to-nose do-si-do" description inspired other ideas for a surrogate. How about "dance [or orbit] around" or "dance [or orbit] about" ? Any of these are as easy or easier for a caller to proclaim than "do-si-do" or "ladies chain." Michael Fuerst 802 N Broadway Urbana IL 61801 217 239 5844 #yiv2862906804 #yiv2862906804 -- DIV {margin:0px;}#yiv2862906804

9 years, 2 months

Female caller for one-time beginners party on Long Island

by Jacob or Nancy Bloom via Callers

I've been contacted by someone who is looking for a female square dance caller for a party on Long Island, NY, in December or January. The attendees will be 50 twelve-year-old girls. If anyone would be interested in calling for this gig, please contact me off-list. Jacob Bloom jandnbloom(a)gmail.com

9 years, 2 months

Historical derivation of term "Gypsy"

by Jacob or Nancy Bloom via Callers

I've changed the name on the thread, to reflect the change of subject to historical background. I acknowledge Alan's point, that, unless a pre-Cecil Sharp source shows up for the use of the term 'gypsy' as a country dance figure, the bulk of my hypothesis falls apart. As for the use of the terms 'gyp' and 'gypsy' in Morris dance, *The Morris Book* by Cecil Sharp and Herbert Macilwaine defines the figure "Half-Hands or Half-Gip" in part I, page 65, and defines the figure "Whole-Gip or Gipsies" on page 32 of Part III. No explanation for the derivation of the terms is given in either volume. I do not have a copy of Sharp's Country Dance Book at hand. Did someone say that Sharp did not use the term gypsy in it? Jacob On Mon, Oct 26, 2015 at 4:40 AM, Alan Winston <winston(a)slac.stanford.edu> wrote: > > > On 10/24/15 10:32 PM, Jacob Nancy Bloom via Callers wrote: > > See the link below for more information on the dance The Spanish Gypsy (or > Jeepsie), the song from which the tune for the dance came, and the 1623 > play from which the song came, which had the title "The Spanish Gypsy". > > http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/lod/vol4/spanish_gipsy.html > > I'll go out on a limb and make some historical pronouncements which cannot > be proven, but which seem most probable to me: > > The dance title The Spanish Gypsy came from the dance being done to a tune > associated with the play The Spanish Gypsy. > > Sure, extremely plausible. > > The dance figure Gypsy got its name from the prevalence of the figure in > the dance The Spanish Gypsy. > > > If true, only true in the modern revival. (Basically, Cecil Sharp made up > *and named* the Gypsy figure. In Spanish Jeepsie - reconstructed at the > link you have above- the figure isn't a gypsy, and it isn't called a > gypsy. It's a back to back.) > > Point me toward dance notation published before 1900 that uses the term > "gypsy" as the name of a figure, and then we can talk. Until there's some > evidence that Elizabethan dancers used the figure name, your argument dies > here. > > The Morris dance figures whole-gyp and half-gyp were originally called > whole-gypsy and half-gypsy. (Although parts of England had and ancient > tradition of seasonal dancing under the name Morris Dance, it seems likely, > from the nature of the dances, that the form of the Cotswold dance > traditions collected by Cecil Sharp only went back to the Elizabethan > period.) > > I think you're saying that Cotswold dances as collected by Sharp and > others reflected Elizabethan country dances as shown in Playford, and that > whole-gyp and half-gyp were therefore originally named after the (notional) > country dance figure and were thus properly named whole-gypsy and > half-gypsy. Please correct me if I've misunderstood this. > > This is irrelevant unless you can show that Elizabethan country dance > actually had a figure called gypsy, which you haven't. (And it's actually > irrelevant even if you can, since once you draw a line from the play to the > tune to the dance you've said what you can about it not being an ethnic > stereotype.) > > But if it *were* relevant, I'd ask you to explain why these > Playford-following Elizabethan morris dancers used "half-gypsy" for what > Playford called "sides all". > > -- Alan >

9 years, 2 months

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Contra Callers October 2015