10 Feb
2023
10 Feb
'23
3:03 p.m.
In reference to Jill's question, what shall we do with squares like Push
Pa, Shove Ma, I would continue to call them with slight variations.
For example, I would say, Push old Pa, Push Old Ma, Swing the ONE from
Arkansas. I would also explain that some of the language of traditional
square is from a different era with different sensibilities than today.
An old call says, "Go round that couple, take a little peek, back to the
center and swing your sweet". It could easily be changed to, "...back to
the center and swing so sweet." The change is acceptable, but it may take
away some of the dance's personality.
I think callers need to know their audience, and make adjustments on the
fly. This is extremely difficult when we use memorized rhymes and phrases.
Rich
Stafford Springs, CT
On Fri, Feb 10, 2023 at 12:55 PM Don Veino via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
(distribution trimmed back to those who voluntarily
joined this
conversation 😉)
That's what I've done with the singing squares I've chosen to
learn/program. In most cases it's trivial to make the change and fit the
meter of the dance/tune, and the quality/helpfulness of the resultant calls
usually improves.
In just one example from "Trail of the Lonesome Pine":
"Do si do, and then your corner you swing,
you swing her, you promenade her and sing."
easily becomes:
"Do si do, and then your corner you swing,
yeah, you swing, you promenade (th)'em and
sing."
Larks and Robins generally fit where specifying a particular role is
necessary. I never understood why a number of the singers had lines like
"swing that corner lady, put her on the right and..." when the "lady"
had
agency of her own and "corner" was enough to distinguish the target.
Some singers will require quite a bit of rejiggering and may end up losing
essence without a lot of clever lyrics revision. Others might not easily
survive scrutiny with today's improved cultural sensitivity - where dated
attitudes and cultural assumptions/biases are firmly embedded.
-Don
On Fri, Feb 10, 2023 at 11:22 AM Jill Allen via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Great discussion!
So, now what do we do with squares? One of my favorites, “Push pa, shove
ma” (swing the girl from Arkansas) Darn… but I get it.
Should we rewrite the singing squares that don’t comply? It might not be
too difficult. I would just like to know what some of you have experienced
with your squares. Are these dances and their poetry part of our tradition,
or are they dinosaurs? Could they be called with a disclaimer?
Jill Allen
Lawrence, KS
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