Many years ago LCFD (lcfd.org) decided that at its New England dance camps, we’d no longer have experienced-only contra dances during the weekend, unless there was a regular or beginners' contra dance happening at the same time; instead we’d have “challenging” sessions open to anyone who wanted the challenge.

The decision came less from not wanting to exclude people, and more from experienced dancers being aggravated with the inexperienced dancers that were showing up (which was hardly surprising if there was no other contra at the same time), and those inexperienced dancers then feeling, accurately, that they weren’t wanted. Community building was paramount for us, so something structural that led to antagonism was definitely worth changing. (I’ll emphasize the point: when people think about this they tend to think about whether they want to exclude folks, but considering how the unexpected mix of experience levels will affect how people feel about each other is almost certainly a bigger issue.)

We heard from a few people who disagreed with the decision, and a lot who liked it. (I’m no longer on the board, and haven’t noticed if the policy has changed.)

(Also, I recognize this isn’t the same as a stand-alone dance, so it’s not a direct answer to your question.)

—Read Weaver

On Apr 16, 2023, at 9:49 PM, Maia McCormick via Contra Callers <contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:

I attended an advanced dance this afternoon that was intermediate at best, and had a few raw beginners in there, and it got me wondering:

1. As callers, what do you do when a bunch of intermediate and/or beginner dancers show up to an advanced session?
2. As organizers, what do you do to try and keep your advanced sessions... advanced? (Either in messaging or at the dance itself?) Obviously I'm not advocating for kicking anyone out, but if a bunch of newbies show up at an advanced session, both they and the dancers who came for gnarly stuff are going to have a less-than-ideal time.
3. As dancers (/organizers/callers), how do we elevate the dance level of our local communities? I'm talking about increasing familiarity with some of the less common moves (contracorners, left hand chains, etc.) but also about building awareness of the dance and recovery skills, and technical things like giving satisfying weight, swinging correctly, guiding linemates into the next figure, etc.

I welcome any thoughts and musings!

Cheers,
Maia (Brooklyn, NY)
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Maia McCormick (she/her)