Contra Callers November 2015

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1 participants
32 discussions

A Rededication & Renaming of a Dance Formerly Known as Jeff's Gypsy

by Paul Wilde via Callers

Jeff's Gyre & Gimble DI A-1 1s Gyre & Gimble (R Sh) A-2 Down Hall Line of 4, 2s Hand Cast 1's (or trn as cpl), return B-1 Circle L 1X (all are back to orig DI) Pass N-1 by R and Gyre N-2 by L B-2 N-1 Gire & Gimble (R Sh) Notes: This dance needs room, so best to keep lines short. Using the hand cast in A-2 means you will also need space width wise. The effect in the B part is of sweeping figure 8s along the side of the set. Tunes w/ ECD feeling work well. The terms will need defining for the first or second time you use them w/ a group, but I suspect people might willingly adopt them w/ a smile. Thanks for suggesting this. Lovely. This dance was written in honor of Jeff Ratch, a dear friend and dancer who left us much too soon. Jeff was able to make me howl w/ laughter quicker than anyone I've met. It was hard to explain to people as we danced back in at the end of a line why I was so hysterical. Jeff, if you've been keeping tabs on us, I hope you get a huge belly laugh. Let us continue to revel in joyfulness, gentleness, and remain respectful of others. Paul PS It felt appropriate to rephrase this dance, written as a memorial, on the cusp of Halloween & All Souls Day, esp. w/ the extra hr thrown in to help blur the lines a little more. If you try it, please let me know how it was received.

9 years

Re: [Callers] Gypsy

by janet via Callers

This is an excellent example of what I pointed out previously ... different uses of the same word in different contexts, where one may be considered derogatory and another quite the opposite. Homo, as in homosexual, appears to derive from the Greek translation meaning one in the same. However, the genus and species of humans is Homo sapien, and homo refers to a genus with several species that are closely related to humans, including Homo neandrathal. It derives from the Latin meaning mankind. When a person calls someone a homo, as in homosexual, they often mean it as deragatory. But I'm pretty sure no one would take offense to being called human. In the dance community, gypsy is not meant to be offensive, but quite the opposite is viewed as a positive term. Education of other meanings is useful, and goes both ways. It would be equally useful to educate the woman who brought this up that in our community it had a different meaning that generally means to travel. Janet Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone -------- Original message -------- From: Read Weaver via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> Date: 10/31/2015 12:09 PM (GMT-05:00) To: callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> Subject: Re: [Callers] Gypsy I've known at least one person who sincerely thought “homo” was a perfectly acceptable term, carrying no particular negative connotations. Whether or not she held negative views herself, she needed to learn that she was mistaken about the connotations, and if she didn’t want to be offensive, she needed to change the word she used. Read Weaver Jamaica Plain, MA http://lcfd.org > On Oct 31, 2015, at 10:37 AM, Tom Hinds via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > > In my opinion the offended women actually helped spread a stereotype she didn't like. Who on this list knew that Romani women had a reputation for being (I can't remember, was it) sexual? Not me. Okay, it was the caller she complained to who put it out there, but she started it. Should the caller feel defensive or should the caller turn the issue around if it's appropriate? > > I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY WANT TO KNOW, who on this list believe that contra dancers have a negative view of the Romani people because of the word gypsy? Anyone? > > For me the more important issue is education. I learned another tidbit about the Romani people. Yes I understand how people can be sensitive, but perhaps this woman needs to learn something about us before jumping to conclusions. _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net

9 years

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Contra Callers November 2015