Re: [Callers] ONS for seniors

A bunch of thoughts on dancing with seniors: You know all of those "old" dances that modern dancers find "boring" because "the ones get to do most of the moves and everyone else stands around and rests too much" and "there's not enough partner swinging" ? Or, god forbid, squares where you "don't go much of anywhere in the room and only one couple gets to DO anything while THREE stand around and wait" ? I've found them to be pretty much perfect for seniors-on-carpet. Folks in a retirement or other close community (that know and like each other) often get a lot of mileage out of the dance moves that involve conversation/communication/display - ones tend to head down the center with lots of nice little extras, a lift of the eyebrow here, a courtly nod there. I've done older dances like "Chorus Jig" as true three-couple-set dances, with the ones progressing to the bottom during the final swing, and they've worked well. The Hendrickson books on colonial dancing have any number of good options. In the family dance world we often replace a "Strip the Willow" series of turns with handshakes and this also works with adult beginners: if you're a one, you get to shake hands (bow, leer...) with each person on the line, returning between each to shake your partner's hand and "reassure them that you haven't forgotten where your true loyalty lies" One other note: many folks in their eighties know how to two-step/foxtrot, and can often do a sprightly two-stepping swing (think of it as a polka in a small space) with grace and verve, slowly rotating one full turn, even when a true weight-giving swing isn't feasible. Basically, your goal becomes to keep the story line of the dances while giving options - "popping the ones under the arch" can also be "usher them through the gate" for people with arthritic shoulders or bad rotator cuffs; it's the feeling of inviting/escorting the ones between you that counts, not how high or low your hands are. You might want to post a query on the pourparler list; that's where a lot of the callers that do lots of family/community/school/special needs/senior/second-language dancing like to hang out and discuss our fascination with calling for pretty much everyone EXCEPT your average experienced contrajunkie. Good luck!