5 Dec
2011
5 Dec
'11
3:42 a.m.
Thank you for pointing that out, Bob. I agree with you completely on
avoiding conflicting use of terminology. I've been hearing a local
caller use the term "slip the clutch" in that one circle dance for 20+
years, and not being a modern square dancer it never crossed my mind
that there was a conflict. I can see how he may have been confused, but
I will certainly not use it myself in the future.
On 12/4/2011 8:33 AM, Bob Peterson wrote:
Recently someone posted a dance sequence and rather
then hijack that thread I'm starting a new one.
Right hand turn, Left hand turn
Two hand turn, No hand turn (do-si-do)
Balance and swing
Promenade and slip the clutch (ladies turn right and meet the next gent)
Outside
of modern square dancing you can define slip the clutch any way you like, of course, but
within MSD, a slip the clutch requires both dancers in the couple to already be facing in
opposite directions. What would be borrowed here from MSD is a "ladies rollback while
the gents move forward".
What's good here is the definition for this rare contra call is included. What's
bad is this exactly not the definition in squares. I know slip the clutch sounds cooler
and is shorter to say.
Its likely this was misobserved, misremembered or a coincidence of invention. It could
even be a very old definition that diverged in the two dance styles. It's still going
to (mildly) confuse the handful of people who dance both contras and MSD-they'll
either mess up or hesitate. I can dance a contra to whatever words the caller wants to use
as the caller defines it, but if this were undefined and sprung on me, say in a medley,
I'd do something the contra caller did not intend. So again I'm glad the
definition is included in the choreography.
(Here's and easy reference to the rollback and slip the clutch calls from MSD:
http://www.mit.edu/~tech-squares/lessons/lesson6.html. There are more precise definitions
at the callerlab site.)
What do you think?
\bob
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