12 Sep
2024
12 Sep
'24
4:06 p.m.
As usual, context matters a lot. When I was dancing in Boston, there were
plenty of cisgender men (in addition to other non-cis-woman genders)
wearing skirts. Now that I'm back in Florida, seeing a non-woman in a dress
or skirt is highly unusual, but no one causes a stink about it. In fact,
the only time I can remember seeing a skirt on a non-woman at my local
dance was recently: a sparkly dress on a little boy (or nonbinary or trans
kid, unknown).
I can't speak to Maia's notion that maybe skirts are less popular now OTHER
than to add my own anecdata: I've stopped wearing skirts to dances largely
for gender reasons. I'm a nonbinary person who dances the left-hand and
right-hand roles at my dance equally, and have found that folks' perception
of me goes better when I wear pants. Maybe there are other AFAB folks who
are queer-coding more by wearing skirts and dresses less?
Ang (they/them)
On Thu, Sep 12, 2024 at 5:35 AM Robert Matson via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
This is a fun question.
I'd propose that people wearing clothing styles that are contrary to
tradition occurs where there's acceptance and encouragement for play and
self-expression, generally. From that perspective, I'm landing on the
thought that it's not a "which came first," the flourishes or the skirts,
but rather what came first is an environment that nurtures the
extra curlicue or do-dad for no reason other than it's someone's idea of
fun.
To share some of my rabbit hole as I explored skirted clothing and dance,
here're a few videos I enjoyed seeing:
Skirts for dance without twirls:
"HAWAII - 1960s - Men and women perform hula dances in grass skirts in
Hawaii."
https://www.shutterstock.com/video/clip-3417132785-hawaii---1960s-men-women…
"Solomon islands - 1931 - in this ethnographic film, alleged cannibals of
the solomon islands are introduced as a particularly bloodthirsty tribe."
https://www.shutterstock.com/video/clip-1110464247-solomon-islands---1931-t…
Pina Bausch!! The most ordinary clothing is a costume.
IDAS FRÜHLINGSOPFER | THE RITE OF SPRING | Pina Bausch
https://youtu.be/z3vZeAmcjf4?si=UAXnjHvk6hDUT9-Q
Comic dance.
Swan Lake Act II - Little Swans - Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo
https://youtu.be/F83BbbtoX8Q?si=2srNnSp3AzdFJjyx
Graham.
Martha Graham performing “Letter to the World” (also called “The Kick”),
1940.
Photo by Barbara Morgan (public domain)
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Martha-Graham
Hope you enjoy those.
Rob
Conway, AR
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Robert Matson
Innovation Media Corp.
The Innovation Works, Inc.
Cell: (917) 626-2675
On Wed, Sep 11, 2024 at 8:30 PM David Chandler via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
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I started dancing in NY/NJ in the 1970's, and called contra and English
until
mid-80's - and then had about a 15 year hiatus. Before my break I
only remember one male (to judge from facial and body hair) who regularly
wore dresses or skirts to dances. After I returned to dancing, there was a
gradual increase, though in the beginning it seemed some men chose kilts as
a way to mute the statement. And then....
I should note that my memory is not known for being accurate, so this
is just an
observation, not a definitive statement. A source for more
extensive information would be CDSS, which has pictures from camps for many
years; and the Pinewoods archives also have many pictures. If one lives
near the U. of New Hampshire, the CDSS archives are there and should be a
useful source.
David
On Wed, Sep 11, 2024 at 7:42 PM Joe Harrington via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>
> Seems the edge of memory here so far is around 1990. Does anyone have
access
to a photo or video archive from before, say at the CDSS?
>
> —jh—
>
>
> On Wed, Sep 11, 2024 at 7:25 PM Bob Hofkin via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>>
>> On 09/11/2024 15:11, Louise Siddons via Contra Callers wrote:
>> > separate the garment from its gendered connotations
>>
>> Louise,
>>
>> I started wearing skirts because they were more comfortable than jeans
>> over a fairly substantial knee brace. Turns out they are better for
>> ventilation, too.
>>
>> I definitely enjoy the twirl effect, and find the skirt a practical
tool
>> for guiding the directionally-challenged
through a hey. I've had fun
>> making up silly answers when asked why I'm wearing a skirt, always
>> trying to communicate the contra community's openness and acceptance,
>> which goes far beyond fashion choices.
>>
>> Bob H (Nevada)
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