11 Sep
2009
11 Sep
'09
3:43 p.m.
On Sep 11, 2009, at 9:57 AM, Jack Mitchell wrote:
One other thing I had thought about doing in a
workshop is to have a
few people in each line with a red ball cap or a particular shirt or
some other identifying mark,
Among the several methods of identifying dance roles without respect to
gender, the most common in New England is the LCFD (Lavender Country
and Folk Dancers) method pioneered by Chris Ricciotti in 1989 at the
Jamaica Plain (MA) dance. Chris instituted the use of an armband for
the person dancing the traditional gent's role, and no armband for the
"barearm" dancer in the traditional lady's role. Orange surveyors tape
has become the most popular material for this purpose at gender role
free events. Although "bands" and "bares" are still the terms used to
denote dance roles in place of "gents" and "ladies," sometimes the
identifying mark is no longer worn on the arm. It may be a bright
headband, or a clip-on rainbow ribbon adorning a shirt pocket; still,
the meaning is clear as you approach a new couple within a contra set.
Skillful role-free calling depends upon much more than convincing half
your dancers to wear an armband. For those who are planning to
participate in a workshop or otherwise experiment with role free
calling, I can't stress highly enough the importance of going to the
LCFD site at http://www.lcfd.org/ Scroll to the "News and Articles"
section and click on "Gender-free caller's manual and history" to
download Chris Ricciotti's history of and instructions for role-free
dancing. This is the most important resource that I know of. It
includes popular contra dances written out with traditional calling
terminology and role-free terminology side by side.
Although popular within the gay and lesbian community, role-free
dancing is available to and enjoyable for everyone. NEFFA's first
programmed role-free session, using armbands, took place in 1990, and
these sessions have become a NEFFA tradition.
There are distinct advantages for callers who become fully comfortable
with dancing either role, even if you never call a specifically
role-free evening of dance. For example, as you plan an evening
program, you will find that you develop better sequences of dances to
call. As you review a dance for possible inclusion in your program,
you'll think more about how the dance choreography works for either
traditional role. After calling a dance that emphasizes the lady's
role, you'll be less likely to follow up with one or two more dances
that make the women do all the work, but will instead make sure that
the gent's role receives proper attention within the overall flow of
dance. The discovery of many more advantages awaits the caller who
looks further into this subject. ... Bob
Robert Jon Golder
New Bedford, MA