Contra Callers

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14 participants
4360 discussions

by Thomas Hurlbut

I especially like John Coffman's dance 'Alternating Currents'. N balance & swing. R & L thru; (same N) M rollaway L, then L rollaway M. L allemande-R 1.5x; P swing. Balance-the-ring & petronella turn; Balance-the-ring & california Twirl.

12 years

Re: [Callers] High-energy Dances

by bobfab＠aol.com

I like Katie's Trip to Starbase 12 by Merrilee Karr. The basket swing is really fun. >>other bits snipped for terseness. bobfab(a)aol.com

12 years

Re: [Callers] Symmetrical Swings

by John Sweeney

Kalia asked, re the Galway Swing, "John, do you ever take left hands directly underneath the right-allemande grip instead of cupping elbows?" Yes, and no. If I have just one symmetrical swing with each neighbour then I will tend to go for the Galway Swing every time - just force of habit. If I have a good partner, then I will do a different swing every time through the dance, especially if it is a balance & swing. I do a conventional ballroom-hold swing for the first one or two swings while we get used to each other, then I will start playing around. If you take left hands in an arm-wrestling hold below the right hands you get what I know as a Scottish Crossed Wrists hold. It is not one I use a lot - maybe I should try it a bit more. It is probably slightly more intuitive than the Galway Swing - when I start that I usually have to say, "take my elbow", and there can still be a slight delay as realisation dawns. In the Crossed Wrists hold I would be offering my left hand in an obvious way so maybe it would get the swing going sooner. It would also avoid the challenge of people either not cupping the elbow well and sliding away, or digging their thumbs into my elbow in an unpleasant way! Definitely worth trying. Happy dancing, John John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent

12 years

Re: [Callers] Suggestions for particularly flirty contra dances?

by John Sweeney

Dave says, "If men in the UK are so uncomfortable touching another man that they don't want to swing that is unacceptably homophobic." Hmmmm... I looked up "homophobic" in my excellent Chambers 20th Century Dictionary (1983 Edition) and the word doesn't appear to exist! Fortunately I studied Ancient Greek at school, so I was able to work it out - "homos" means "same", "phobos" means "fear", so "homophobia" must mean fear of similarity. Ryan said "Can we please just get back to arguing about what's worse a whole night of duple-minor improper contras with 2 swings or a variety of forms and figures?" Sounds to me like Ryan might be homophobic if he is worried about being stuck with a whole night of similar dances! :-) (NOTE: Please, for the avoidance of confusion, make I make it absolutely clear that the above is intended to be humorous!) :-) (NOTE: I apologise if you didn't find it funny - yet, another difference between our countries :-) - but please don't react to it!) = = = = = = Anyway, back to reality: I am sorry, Dave, but it seems very silly to me to accuse someone of a hate crime just because, regardless of how they feel about homosexuality, they are uncomfortable with close-hold same-sex swings. It is a simple fact that many people ARE uncomfortable, so, as someone who is paid to ensure that people have fun, I am not going to force them to be uncomfortable. 99% of the time in a same-sex swing, one of the two will be dancing the role of the man, the other will be dancing the role of the lady, so there is no confusion about who holds whom and how. In the very occasional dance that has a genuine same-sex swing I always teach a symmetrical swing so that those who wish to use it can do so - this also avoids any confusion about the hold. Of course once they are dancing they can do any swing holds that they like; there are plenty of great ways to swing, both symmetrical and non-symmetrical. I love the Galway Swing. I learnt it from my mother as a teenager and it has always been one of my favourites. The look of sheer joy from someone successfully doing their first (and unexpected) Galway Swing in the middle of a dance is magic! :-) Anyway, did anyone like the "Galway Swing dance that I posted? Happy dancing, John John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent

12 years

Re: [Callers] Suggestions for particularly flirty contra dances?

by John Sweeney

There have been suggestions that same-gender interaction can be stressful. In my experience this is especially true with men in the UK. Someone said "My impression is that most urban contra environments have at least a few people who swap genders". This may be true in the USA, and lots of ladies in the UK do take the man's role where numbers are not balanced. But very few UK men take the lady's role on a regular basis. When I do I often find that other men appear to be uncomfortable with a close-hold swing. I normally now go for a Galway Swing when I meet another man for a swing: Start with an Allemande Right hold, hook your left fingers around the other man's right elbow and buzz-step - makes for a great symmetrical swing. Here is a dance that uses it to give same-gender swings without stress: Galway Swing (by John Sweeney) Contra; Improper A1: Men Galway Swing Partner Gypsy to an Ocean Wave (Men in the middle with Left hands) A2: Balance the Wave (R/L); Slide to the Right (Rory O'More) Ladies Galway Swing B1: Neighbour Gypsy Meltdown into a Swing A2: Long Lines Go Forward & Back A2: Half Hey (Ladies start Right Shoulder) - Men look for a new Man after passing Right Shoulders with the old Man The main challenge is stopping your swing at the right point so you can flow into the gypsy - plan ahead! Happy dancing, John John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent

12 years

Suggestions for particularly flirty contra dances?

by Alan Winston

I'm supposed to do an hour of flirty contra dances at Queer Contra Dance Camp next weekend. Of course they all are, to some degree, but I wonder what comes to mind for you when you think of a flirtatious contra. (And what would be the characteristics of a flirty dance for you. As someone with long experience in English dance I think there can be exciting flirtatious connection without a lot of touching.) I'll just get Flirtation Reel out of the way right now. I'll obviously have something with a Mad Robin in it. I'm thinking about Ramsey Chase. What are your thoughts? -- Alan

12 years

formation indifferent/ indecent

by Laur

I don't see a difference between the the indecent and the indifferent other than in one we ask the ones to be proper and the two's trade places and in the other (indifferent) we ask the dancers to from improper then change places with their neighbor. Tom Hinds, are you around for a quick answer? ~ Laurie ~

12 years, 1 month

Re: [Callers] formation indifferent/ indecent

by lcpgr＠yahoo.com

<br/>Tom says it isn't progressing backwards ( in the dance amazing Sarah Wilcox). I would have assumed it did but this dance does not. <br/><br/>Sent from Yahoo! Mail for iPhone

12 years, 1 month

Re: [Callers] homophobia (and a flirty dance, yada yada)

by tavi merrill

Hi all, I've been a little behind on SW lately, but this thread is rich in both ideas and potential misconceptions i would like to speak to. As Mac and Aahz rather humorously shared > I will admit - I prefer opposite gender swings - Am I homophobic and > just don't know it? > Well, I *overall* prefer opposite gender swings and other kinds of > physical interactions, has something to do with being heterosexual, I > think. ;-) That's different from feeling >uncomfortable< with or > disliking same-sex interactions in dance. i'd chime in and say i have a slight preference for same-gender swings - for obvious reasons. The swing holds a special place in contradance as the moment of sustained, more intimate interaction, and i'd wager to say we ALL prefer swinging folks we'd be keen on, er, dancing the horizontal tango with. That said, i don't give a crap who i'm swinging as long as it's a satisfying swing, and gender has less to do with that than skill and the subtle communication that allows dancers to orient themselves (often during a balance) as they pull into the swing. Homophobia is subtle, and ingrained. I'm gay, and some of the darkest moments in my life stem from my own homophobia. Often i'm unaware of when that homophobia is expressing itself - for example when i'm teasing a straight roommate by calling him gay, bolstering my sense of membership as "one of the guys". As a homosexual male, i have experienced genuine homophobia on the dance floor - men who refuse to swing or even look at me when i'm dancing the ladies' role - but the vast majority of same-role and same-sex swings i've encountered are awkward not because of homophobia. Ironically enough, the "Northumberland swing" many guys automatically reach for (http://www.cs.umd.edu/~nau/misc/swing-positions.html) is more "intimate" than ballroom position - but it is a widely known non-gendered hold. I think the issue here is more about (related to homophobia, but subtler) misogyny. Because the dance roles are defined by gender, if dancers aren't expecting or mutually planning for a symmetrical hold, there's a moment when dancers ask themselves, and wordlessly ask each other, which one is going to suddenly become the "lady". The subconscious cascade reaction is distracting, and entry into the swing becomes awkward and less-than-satisfying. Nobody likes unsatisfying swings. And there's always "that guy" who swings dudes harder than chicks... it can be a lot of fun to utilize the physical opportunity of swinging another man to go fast, swing hard, et cetera - a celebration of masculinity, even? - but sometimes it's also an expression of insecurity. I'm sure even for "that guy" it varies with the day, the mood, the guy he's swinging, and he's probably a bit rough with the ladies too. As a caller i love "playing" with dancers' expectations by using same-sex gypsy, do-si-do (in proper formation), s-s down the hall, even s-s grand R&L. I'm rather judicious with same-sex swings. All these moves depend very much on the crowd. In a gender-free context, they have zero impact; in a staunchly "traditional" group, they can be truly uncomfortable; in the right environment, they'll have the dancers laughing, acting playful, having a blast. As Ryan S pointed out, it's our responsibility as callers to know, or to ask questions about, the dancers we've been hired to entertain, making choices appropriate for the hall. (Look who's talking... i often err to the side of slightly challenging dances...) "Social engineering"? well, that's a caller's personal choice. If one feels moved to use same-sex swings, i agree with Andrea that teaching a symmetrical hold improves the dancers' experience. Many of the moves we see less of are a matter of teaching - for example, the gents' chain. It's less a question of homophobia than of people being befuddled by the reversed promenade hold and courtesy turn, in my experience an element which few callers adequately teach. Re: the rarity of same-sex R&L through: i'd argue that's entirely a choreography "fashion" issue. S-s R&L through typically occurs in older choreography associated with actives-only swings. The few dances i know which utilize both S-s R&L and a neighbor swing have fairly challenging, or generally awkward choreography. tavi p.s. John, i did like the 'Galway swing' dance you shared : ) p.s.#2 a great flirty dance nobody has mentioned: "Gypsy Star" by Adam Carlson. becket formation: A1. CL 3/4, PT and swing the next. A2 LLF&B, Ladies' chn. 1. Ladies R shoulder gypsy; gents enter in front of partner and all four gypsy; ladies drop out @home and gents gypsy 3/4 more to B2. Partner bal & swing another great flirty dance: "Coleman's March", available on Ted Crane's website. Cheers!

12 years, 1 month

Re: [Callers] Suggestions for particularly flirty contra dances?

by Richard Hopkins

In older contra dances, danced duple or triple proper, same-sex right-and-left-through moves are common -- that is, a R and L through started from a position where two men are facing two women. Through the folk process, we have largely abandoned that practice, and either don't call those dances or call them much modified. There may be a number of reasons for this, but I think likely part of it has been discomfort with the same-sex interaction in that move. The folk process can take us in any number of directions…. "AFAIK it's a non-traditional element being added to a traditional folk dance form. It's not well defined, so awkward. A caller could say that #2's take the ladies position in the swing, but a caller at the next dance could say the reverse... so still not well defined. "As a caller, the job is to facilitate an enjoyable dance, not make a point of deliberately poking people's stress buttons. "As a traditional folk dance form, contra dancing is not static, but evolution should come from the "folk," not self appointed social attitude police. `````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` Richard S. Hopkins Tallahassee, FL 850-894-9212 850-544-7614 (cell) hopkinsrs(a)comcast.net

12 years, 1 month

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Contra Callers