Re: [Callers] Don't teach proper formation unless you need it

--- Martha wrote: This is probably a regional or specific community thing. In our village, St Louis, Missouri, we just line up improper --- end of quote --- I'd agree that what Martha describes is increasingly the norm, especially in relatively new series and outside of New England. There are still dance series and callers where dancers enjoy a wider variety of dances in an evening than duple improper or Becket, including a mix of contras, squares and other formations. And even within the contras-only format, one might encounter proper dances or-- gasp!-- triple minors, both old favorites or new compositions in that "hands six" formation. /entering soapbox mode/ Myself, with a strong curmudgeonly streak, I think that such variety adds richness to a program as well as helping dancers become more experienced by exposing them to more choreographic possibilities. (Take, for example, dip and dive; that's a common square dance move and there are triplets and triple minor contras that use it, but only one contra that I know of, David Smukler's Frog in the Well.) As as a long-time New England caller, I admit to a special fondness for the so-called chestnuts, most of which are in proper formation; I think that dancers can appreciate having these in their repertoire as a connection to the long traditions of music and dance we inherit, and a community does well to foster those connections. /stepping off soapbox/ David Millstone