9 Feb
2023
9 Feb
'23
6:23 p.m.
Hello from Halifax, NS, Canada!
I'd like to add to this convo by saying that for many years (as both a
dancer and then a caller), I've had the desire to cultivate the roles as
equal, rather than the Larks having more of a leader role.
I wasn't sure that that was an ok thing to want though, so I kept it to
myself at first. I'm thrilled to now read that there are others also
consciously pushing the roles in that direction.
Our group was doing gents and ladies when i started to dance, and there
were definitely many gents in our group who wanted to lead me around. I
didn't particularly enjoy being relegated to the follow role because of
my gender. (and yes, there was in theory the option to dance the other
role, but as I was easily confused back then, I preferred to stick with
the role I was slowly getting used to). At the same time, as I started
to learn more, I noticed there were many "gents" who had no sense of
leading, and I began to enjoy as the "lady" being able to "back-lead"
them to help them feel the wonderful centripetal and balancy forces at
play. I became quite the expert back-leader in the ladies chain! But I
always hated the term "back-lead" as I felt it had a negative
connotation. (That pushy lady is back-leading the gent, just like a
back-seat driver!). I even remember once, an experienced dancer from
the US telling me it was totally inappropriate to desire to "back-lead"
and I still feel annoyed by that today ;)
Anyhow, we've now switched over to a non-gendered dance with Larks and
Ravens (with beautiful bird-labels that the dancers wear, which is why
we haven't evolved to Robins here) and it is working wonderfully for us.
With so many new dancers coming in and old ones fading away over the
years, I think the majority of our dancers don't have any idea there
even *were* gender roles in our type of dancing. (We are quite an
isolated community out here, so for many people, we are the only thing
they know about contra dancing). I think that is so cool! When you
look around the room at our dances, we have reached the point where
there is no correlation between visible gender and bird-role - everyone
randomly assigns themselves. For us, it's been an amazing change - and
we've heard directly from both the queer community and from many women
that they feel more comfortable at our dances now. And the cisgender
men keep coming so I presume they are having an ok time too :)
As I've become more confident in my calling and am now the defacto
caller for our group (nobody else is currently available though I'm
going to train some new folks this spring), I've felt more bold to
cultivate the roles as I'd like to see them.
I never mention a notion of leading or following, and instead I talk
about the delightful "push-me-pull-you" feeling of contra, where each
dancer feels an "elastic connection" to the other, and how (in my view)
this special shared connection, along with a feeling of never-ending
movement, is what makes contra magical.
We get a very large proportion of beginners each month, and also many
repeat dancers who don't become particularly skilled (they perhaps
attend once every 2-3 months on average, so their learning curve is
slow, and they forget a lot after our 3-month summer break).
As such, we do a lot of dances without swings (I try to get at least
halfway through the dance without introducing a swing), and I'm trying
Larks chains as well as Robins chains prior to swinging these days.
Post-covid, we've been doing swings with a modified ballroom hold (Larks
left hand in Robins' right, but other hands cupped on each others'
elbows), which creates more space between the dancers -- both for
personal comfort for any gender when dancing with a stranger--and also
less germs-in-face feeling during these covid times.
(Though I plan to try the Scottish Swing that Ridge suggested at our
next dance, just out of interest! :) )
I find the swing in this modified ballroom position feels symmetrical to
me and to our dancers- both dancers are supporting each other by the
elbow, and one does not feel more inherently "lead-y".
I've also replaced "California Twirl" with what I call "tug and
turn" -
I tell the dancers to tug off the hand they are holding (i.e inside
hand) to pass by the right shoulder - then catch by the new inside hand
facing the other way. When this happens with partners, sometimes they
end up doing a cali-twirl as an embellishment - but the base move is
symmetrical.
So I feel I'm close to achieving my personal vision for a no
leads/follow dance. :D
I have always loved contra as a way for two dancers or 4 dancers or a
whole line of dancers to feel these interesting connections and forces
at play, while never stopping moving. I personally have never been
interested in contra as something that resembles "couples dancing", so
the approach we have in our group is emphasizing the elements of contra
that I personally love best. As our dances are well attended and
growing, it seems to be working for our group. Which is gratifying for
me for sure :)
All that said!
One of the most interesting parts of this discussion is to read about
all the diverse approaches that callers are taking throughout the world,
and how different approaches seem to work super well in different
communities. I am totally intrigued by positional calling. I don't
forsee trying it myself any time soon, only because what we have going
for us right now is working really well and it's taken many years to get
here... but I'm super keen to try it out at a dance elsewhere, and maybe
in the future I'll give it a try in Halifax.
And while I LOVE our non-gendered dances here in Halifax, I could see
myself as a cisgender person getting a kick out of going to a dance
somewhere far away with my sweetheart on a date night, where they call
with men and ladies and the gender roles are quite rigid, and getting
into that vibe for the evening. And though I am personally terrified of
the idea of dancing at one of those fusion events where the contra
dancers do some red-hot swing/blues type dancing with their partners, I
*adore* watching videos of it, it's amazing!
So I wanted to say that I hope everyone continues to contribute to this
discussion in the spirit of "Here is what works for me/ here is what
works for my group in case it interests you" rather than in a critical
or prosthelytizing fashion :)
Cheers from Halifax!
Kat Kitching
https://halifaxcontra.ca <http://www.halifaxcontra.c>
Perry Shafran via Contra Callers
<mailto:contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net>
Thursday, February 9, 2023 10:55 AM
It feels to me that one of the things that modern contra is trying to
do is to make the roles more symmetrical. I mean, we can all do the
ladies/robins right-hand chain with no problem, but when it comes to
any other chain (lark RH chain or any LH chain), even the most adept
contra dancers get confused. I feel that this comes from the notion
that one role leads and one role follows.
Even in a robins RH chain, the robin bears some responsibility in both
direction of the flow and also the weight given. If it's treated as a
shared move, it actually feels more graceful and feels better. Swings
also should be taught as a shared move, and robins should easily be
able to decide the speed and ending of the swing if need be. This can
be demonstrated by observing an experienced robin dancer
dancing/teaching a new lark dancer.
I *do* suggest that people should learn to be comfortable in one role
first before tackling the other role, perhaps after several evenings
of dance. But I'm not totally *un*comfortable in suggesting that
there aren't much differences between the roles other than one starts
on the left and the other on the right.
And while I'm here, on the topic of positional dancing, after having
taken a workshop with Louise recently, I've begun to learn that
positional calling is a newly learned skill, way beyond just "lefts
turn right" and such. The way it was described set off a light bulb
for me to the point where it makes a lot of sense to teach that way.
And it seemed that Louise agreed that if it's a good way to bridge the
gap between dancers, why not try it?
I certainly need much more learning before I decide to try positional
on a full-time basis, but I do think it's good to understand what
positional calling is and positional calling isn't before passing
judgement. It seems to have worked really well in places where it has
been used, and when done well, it's so smooth that most dancers don't
even know that it's positional calling. But I'm still going to use
larks/robins for the time being.
Perry
On Thursday, February 9, 2023 at 10:36:01 AM EST, Tony Parkes via
Contra Callers <contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Ridge’s point about ballroom vs. symmetrical swings is related to an
issue that I have about the trend toward de-gendered roles. I haven’t
said much about this publicly, as I hesitate to appear to be either on
the “wrong” side of a controversy or unwilling to listen and possibly
change my mind.
Many contra series provide a 20-30 minute teaching session before each
dance event. There’s a limit to what can be conveyed to a first-timer
in such a brief session, but obviously it’s essential to explain the
two roles and what differentiates one from the other. Fine.
Many contra series have adopted “larks/robins” as their standard terms
for the roles. Also fine.
But some series – I don’t know how many – have instructed their
teachers not to indicate in any way which role is which with respect
to either male/female or leading/following.
This, I submit, is a disservice to new dancers /as long as/ the contra
dance repertoire includes (a) an asymmetrical swing position and/or
(b) moves (e.g. courtesy turns and “official” turn-unders) where one
role very often leads the other (and a reverse lead is extremely rare).
I get that it’s seen as desirable to allow new dancers to assume the
role of their choice, without regard to gender – without the stigma of
doing a part associated with a gender other than their own. But IMO
that works only if the two roles are truly equal in the physical
movements required and the physical sensations experienced. There is
some element of leading and following in present-day contra moves, no
matter if it’s vestigial or seen as something to work toward
extinguishing. I feel that to be fair and consistent, the contra world
should either do away with the asymmetrical moves (not likely) or give
new folks the option of choosing to lead or follow.
At a teaching session, I’m inclined to say something like “The two
roles are fairly equal, but there’s a tiny bit of leading and
following left over from an earlier day. If you’re more comfortable
with leading, I suggest you start as a lark; if you’re more
comfortable being led, try starting as a robin.” I fail to see the
problem with this.
As an aside, leading (sorry) into another can of worms (any hungry
robins about?), I’m a bit nervous about teaching newbies that a good
dancer learns both roles and that the ability to swap roles during a
number is “a consummation devoutly to be wished.” I have no
philosophical quarrel with this, but it inevitably widens the gap
between what a newbie knows / can do and what one must know / be able
to do to survive at a mostly-experienced dance. That gap has been
widening over the last couple of decades anyway, as the list of
accepted contra basics has grown from 12-15 to the 30s. But I’ve said
enough for now.
Tony Parkes
Billerica, Mass.
www.hands4.com <http://www.hands4.com/>
New book! Square Dance Calling: An Old Art for a New Century
(available now)
*From:* Ridge Kennedy via Contra Callers
<contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net>
*Sent:* Thursday, February 9, 2023 9:52 AM
*To:* Shared Weight Contra Callers <contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net>
*Subject:* [Callers] Re: Gentlespoons/Ladles (from Rompin' Stompin')
Dear All,
I have thought a lot about the nomenclature issues. I too went from
ladies to women and back to ladies, worked with armbands and bare
arms, leaders and followers, larks and robins, and have lapsed almost
accidentally into positional calling out of an abundance of trying not
to say the wrong thing.
Yet, for all the talk about the talk, there remains, for me, a big
problem in the actual dancing.
"Comfort" and "comfortable" and words like that can be found in
abundance in the charters, mission statements, and announcements that
dance groups publish on their websites and read at dances. I'm in full
agreement -- anyone who attends a dance should feel safe and
comfortable. If a dance community wants to change the words it uses in
order to achieve that goal, then I must, perforce, support that decision.
Still, I (he, him, his, etc.) personally feel distinctly uncomfortable
doing a ballroom swing with other same-gender dancers.
I've discussed my feelings with other dancers in my area, and I know I
am not alone, both among dancers of my gender and dancers of the
opposite gender. Yet, by even raising the question, I have also been
described (not to my face) in very unflattering terms.
About ten thousand years ago, when I first started dancing, there was
a commonly accepted symmetrical swing that was used. It was, in
retrospect, a little bit uncomfortable as it involved reaching the
right arm across the other dancer's body and hooking a hand around the
other dancer's torso. In retrospect, not good. A two-hand turn is, in
my mind, not a very acceptable alternative to a ballroom swing. I have
seen some folks do some lively variations with crossed hands and such
so that it can work, but I think there is a better option that I have
been encouraging dancers to learn. I call it a Scottish swing. (John
Sweeny includes it in his videos of eleventy-seven ways to swing as a
Northumbrian swing.)
Here's what it looks like. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HWhKWRn_jk>
I like it because I can give a clear signal for the kind of swing that
I want to do, I feel completely comfortable doing it with any dancer,
and it allows my swinging partner and me to enjoy a very satisfactory
swing. It's easy to learn. I have even found that I can teach it to
dancers on the fly in the middle of a dance.
Maybe it is not the best option for a symmetrical swing (an
alternative to a ballroom swing). If someone can propose a better
alternative, I'll give it a try.
But for all of the concern about words and terminology, it seems to me
that the overall dance community ought to pay attention to this
particular aspect of actually dancing.
Sincerely,
Ridge
Ridge Kennedy [Exit 145]
Hey -- I wrote a book! /Murder & Miss Austen's Ball. /
It's a novel with musical accompaniment. Now that's different.
Read all about it here! <https://www.hedgehoghousebooks.com>
On Thu, Feb 9, 2023 at 8:57 AM Gabrielle Taylor via Contra Callers
<contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
<mailto:contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net>> wrote:
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