1 Aug
2024
1 Aug
'24
8:33 p.m.
Not going to disagree with Joseph at all, just want to add an observation
that I’ve been thinking about for awhile.
The practice of claiming authority, properly citing sources, and noting
your changes is inherently academic, and arose in the Renaissance period as
a response and counter-reaction to the unauthorized distribution and
un-cited reuse of scientific research. It ultimately led to the development
of modern academic journals.
In other circles and from a place of external privilege, this same kind of
theft that the academics were upset by would be rebranded as the “folk
process” and the claim would be made that there was a total lack of
authority and citation.
The truth is somewhere in between, of course, but I do believe that the
folk process ultimately doesn’t care one way or the other, and that “I
learned this dance from my Uncle Brad and the folks in Greenwood” is more
than good enough.
I also suspect the results are probably better overall when we worry about
it less.
Neal Schlein
Librarian, MSLIS
On Thu, Aug 1, 2024 at 8:49 AM Joseph Erhard-Hudson via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
As for the first part of your question, callers have
been tweaking
sequences for decades now, for all sorts of reasons; to make them work
better, or to suit evolving tastes in what dancers enjoy, or even by
accident. The Callers Box is chock full of the results. I don’t think
anyone is going to suddenly be precious about it in this particular case.
As for the last part, the issue at hand is to avoid the swing. Modifying
the dance does that just as much as avoiding the dance altogether. Find a
move or moves that leave the shadows in the same relative positions ready
to do the next thing. Congratulations, you’ve composed a new dance/dance
variant! Test it and see if it works well enough to call. If you call it at
an event and/or publish it, politely acknowledge the source.
*Sent from my phone, which has odd ideas about formatting sometimes.*
On Thu, Aug 1, 2024 at 6:51 AM Alex Burka via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Here's a secret fourth thing: how do we feel
about calling a shadow swing
dance (if it was otherwise desirable for some reason) but swapping out the
swing for a do-si-do or something similar? Is that too much modification by
the caller, or too little to solve the problem?
On Tue, Jul 30, 2024, 10:52 AM Amy Wimmer via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
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Exactly this.
-Amy
On Tue, Jul 30, 2024, 1:43 AM JJ via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
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I think there's a bit of privilege being
shown in this thread that
needs to be addressed. Those who are admonishing others for avoiding shadow
swings clearly haven't been put in a position where they felt unsafe
swinging with someone they didn't choose, and then being (more or less)
forced to continue to swing with that person throughout an entire dance.
And I'm not just talking about feeling uncomfortable with someone's
personality, sexual harassment, or general bigotry. I'm also talking about
unsafe dance practices like forceful/non-consentual flourishes/dips,
improper weight given, unsafe swinging speeds without paying attention to
the needs of the person you're swinging with, ignoring (and therefore
exacerbating) an existing injury... The list goes on.
The swing is arguably the move that requires the most trust in the
other person, and not being able to choose someone that you're doing half
the swings in a dance with can cause some unsafe situations for various
reasons. A single swing with a neighbor can usually be accommodated, but
much more than that can become dangerous.
Also, people are allowed to just not like shadow-swings without giving
a reason or explaining themself. They are allowed to find them
confusing/disorienting. Just as others are allowed to enjoy them.
People are also allowed to avoid dancing with certain people for any
reason whatsoever; yes we want to be inclusive, but inclusivity to the
point of ignoring the safety/comfort of the individual runs into the
Horseshoe Problem (ie. pushing an issue so far that you end up causing the
problems you set out to avoid).
To bring it back to the topic at hand, I think a good rule of thumb as
a caller (and one I employ on the rare occasion I choose a dance with a
shadow swing) is telling people that the next dance has a shadow swing in
it, in advance of the walkthrough. And then giving people a chance to
choose to sit out or even join a different line if they have concerns. That
way, those that enjoy the move can have a nice time, and those that don't
aren't forced into an unsafe situation until they can get to the end of a
line to drop out.
On Wed, Jul 17, 2024, 10:39 Maia McCormick via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> Prompted by some recent conversations, I’m curious how folks here feel
> about shadow swings!
>
> 1. As a caller, do you:
> A) not have an issue with shadow swings, and program them freely
> B) not tend to program them just bc they don’t come up in your
> repertoire, but have no issue with them
> C) not program shadow swings as a matter of principle
> D) some secret fourth thing (feel free to elaborate!)?
>
> 2. How do you feel about shadow swings as a dancer?
>
> Will weigh in with my thoughts later, both to avoid biasing the
> conversation from the outset, and also because I’m currently in transit 😅
>
> Thanks for participating in the data gathering!
>
> Cheers,
> Maia
>
> --
> Maia McCormick (she/her)
> 917.279.8194
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>
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