I think there's a bit of privilege being shown in this thread that needs to be addressed. Those who are admonishing others for avoiding shadow swings clearly haven't been put in a position where they felt unsafe swinging with someone they didn't choose, and then being (more or less) forced to continue to swing with that person throughout an entire dance. And I'm not just talking about feeling uncomfortable with someone's personality, sexual harassment, or general bigotry. I'm also talking about unsafe dance practices like forceful/non-consentual flourishes/dips, improper weight given, unsafe swinging speeds without paying attention to the needs of the person you're swinging with, ignoring (and therefore exacerbating) an existing injury... The list goes on.

The swing is arguably the move that requires the most trust in the other person, and not being able to choose someone that you're doing half the swings in a dance with can cause some unsafe situations for various reasons. A single swing with a neighbor can usually be accommodated, but much more than that can become dangerous.

Also, people are allowed to just not like shadow-swings without giving a reason or explaining themself. They are allowed to find them confusing/disorienting. Just as others are allowed to enjoy them. 

People are also allowed to avoid dancing with certain people for any reason whatsoever; yes we want to be inclusive, but inclusivity to the point of ignoring the safety/comfort of the individual runs into the Horseshoe Problem (ie. pushing an issue so far that you end up causing the problems you set out to avoid).

To bring it back to the topic at hand, I think a good rule of thumb as a caller (and one I employ on the rare occasion I choose a dance with a shadow swing) is telling people that the next dance has a shadow swing in it, in advance of the walkthrough. And then giving people a chance to choose to sit out or even join a different line if they have concerns. That way, those that enjoy the move can have a nice time, and those that don't aren't forced into an unsafe situation until they can get to the end of a line to drop out.

On Wed, Jul 17, 2024, 10:39 Maia McCormick via Contra Callers <contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:

Prompted by some recent conversations, I’m curious how folks here feel about shadow swings!

1. As a caller, do you:

A) not have an issue with shadow swings, and program them freely

B) not tend to program them just bc they don’t come up in your repertoire, but have no issue with them

C) not program shadow swings as a matter of principle

D) some secret fourth thing (feel free to elaborate!)?

2. How do you feel about shadow swings as a dancer?

Will weigh in with my thoughts later, both to avoid biasing the conversation from the outset, and also because I’m currently in transit 😅

Thanks for participating in the data gathering!

Cheers,

Maia

--

Maia McCormick (she/her)

917.279.8194

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