It may be worthwhile to ingratiate yourself with the existing square dance communities in Austria. I believe they call in English; there's certainly considerable overlap in moves (allemande, do-si-do, chain, right and left through). They may not swing as much as we do in contra, but certainly worth visiting if they're close, maybe even worth taking classes. It's a different flavor, so take an attitude of "I'd like to learn from your tradition while trying to grow this other tradition."

If I visit Austria I'd love to drop in.

Jerome

On Wed, Feb 12, 2025, 5:36 PM Jerome Grisanti <jerome.grisanti@gmail.com> wrote:

Brian,

It's one thing to learn calling for dedicated dancers who already know the tradition and can in fact help you. Your challenge — calling for people who aren't (yet) in the tradition — is something I'm well familiar with. You will be the "expert," looked up to, and you will find the most success initially with very simple material that often doesn't even look like contras. Finding a way to make all these dances varied and fun as you help build skills toward a dedicated contra dance is a long term project.

As well, the organizational piece is yet another skill. If you have other folks willing to help, recruit them and cherish them.

Jerome Grisanti