[Callers] Re: New Names for Ladies' Chains

Joe and I clearly replied at the same time, with a lot of the same thoughts :) It’s important to the historian in me to note that left-hand chains generally are not new to contra, nor are ‘role-reversed’ chains — they’re uncommon, but I can think of dances thirty and fifty years old with them without trying too hard. (If I were a dedicated contra dance historian, I’d be even more specific — but I’m sure there’s expertise on this list that can provide a wide variety of examples.) And I think it’s also important to note that we are not CALLERLAB, and we don’t need to have one answer to this question. It is generally considered (and has been the whole time I’ve been dancing, at least) a strength in our dance communities that we accommodate difference and variety in our callers, as well as in the execution of the dance (flourishes, etc.) and the people with whom we dance. It’s really interesting to hear how other people think through and address these changes. Louise.