28 Jan
2008
28 Jan
'08
10:27 p.m.
On Thu, Jan 24, 2008 at 11:09:36PM -0800, Greg McKenzie wrote:
It seems that having folks who really dislike swinging together at a
community dance is bad news...with, or without shadow swings. I know
it happens, but callers can work to create a more gracious and
generous atmosphere. It would feel odd to plan an evening program
while considering the needs of people who wish to avoid contact at a
social dance.
When a regular dancer attends a contra dance they have an expectation
of a certain amount of interaction with everyone (as neighbors) and
additional interaction with people they choose (as partners). Shadow
interaction confuses this some.
The idea of people wishing to aviod contact at a social dance sounds
strange, but actually isn't at all. If a dance is a place people are
going to see friends, have fun, and meet new people, what if there's
someone you don't enjoy spending time with? It is beyond the role of
a caller or organizer to make recently broken-up couples want to spend
time together.
Jeff