[Callers] Re: FW: Dances with fewer swings

At the risk of disagreeing with John and Colin (!), I think it’s worth pointing out that the UK actually has two largely distinct groups of dancers engaging with the contra tradition, which I will loosely classify as the folk club scene and the contra scene. The former, yes, mixes genres rampantly, produces dances with the variety such a practice might lead you to expect, and, I hear, does Devil’s Dream regularly. (I’ve been dancing in the UK regularly, if not always frequently, for 15-odd years and I’ve done it twice; once it was an overtly historical nod that we collectively seemed to grit our teeth for.) The latter does an approximation of US-style modern contra, albeit a tad more sedately and with ~5-15% more tolerance for variety, and an enthusiasm on the part of organisers for squares that had vanished in my US contra world by the mid-2010s (although they are far from ubiquitous and one rarely gets more than one in an evening). Dancers at these events would express surprise if offered a dance with no swings, without explanation. This contra-only strand of UK social folk dancing is not new — it has existed, albeit in an evolving form, for at least forty years. New series appear with some regularity. In line with its general openness to evolution, the contra community here has embraced explorations of gender-free calling and consistently attracts young and new dancers — neither of which are broadly true of the club scene (and yes, I think these things are related). I call a fair amount in the folk club scene and dance at local clubs when I travel; this isn’t meant as a dismissal of them or their value. But I do think the separation is worth noting, in part because it raises questions — and potential answers — about the future. Louise. (Winchester, UK)