Hi Jeremy:

Independence Squares is an LGBTQ and straight member group located in downtown Philadelphia with dancers from NJ, De and Pa. We run workshops and classes for all levels up to C2.

We use the terms Boys and Girls and everyone is free to dance whichever role they wish (gender free).  We do not use identifying bands or sashes.  We dance our roles by definition and if the caller directs us "Boys Run" (for example, or "Boys Fold") we identify ourselves "Boy" and then do the figure. 

We create our sets, not by asking someone to dance, but by taking a place in the set and holding out the hand we'd like someone to take.  If I want to dance "Girl" then I hold out my left hand for a "Boy" to take.  If I'm "ambidanceterous" then I would hold out both hands and someone will join me who is able to do one role or the other.

Our callers are fantastic and I'm sure this isn't easy for them to call without visual identifiers, but calling by definition shouldn't need that...unless the sets get out of sorts.  If we're in a workshop situation and the sets get confused the callers will say "Boys (or Girls) Identify" and we raise our hands and the caller knows who's out of place.

Hope this is helpful.

Donna Hunt



-----Original Message-----
From: Jeremy Child via Callers <callers@lists.sharedweight.net>
To: callers <callers@lists.sharedweight.net>
Sent: Wed, Oct 4, 2017 4:23 pm
Subject: [Callers] Gender Free MWSD

Hi

I have a question for anyone who calls or dances Gender Free MWSD (by Gender Free I mean where no assumptions are made about what role a dancer will take based on their gender).

I've been told that GF MWSD dances still use the terms "Boys" and "Girls", but please correct me if I'm wrong. 

MWSD is unique amongst folk dancing in that dancers need to know the role being danced by others in the square (if I'm a "boy" and the call is "boys trade", I need to know who the other boy in my line / wave is in order to do the call).  

So to my question: How do the dancers identify which roles the other people are dancing? Traditionally this is done with dancers taking the opposite role to their gender wearing bands, but that is surely inappropriate if the dance is GF.

Also, if any MWSD clubs are using truly non-gendered terms, please let me know.

Thanks in Advance

Jeremy
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