10 Apr
2013
10 Apr
'13
6:33 p.m.
If men in the UK are so uncomfortable touching another man that they don't
want to swing (which is, in its essence, simply placing one hand on the
man's back and one on a hand, not exactly an intimate embrace), that is
unacceptably homophobic. I know there are some on this list who don't
agree that callers have any part in "social engineering" or letting our
calling reflect our values as humans, but personally, if I were asked to
call a dance where the men were that afraid of touching each other, I would
have no problem with challenging their perceptions by asking them to swing
with each other (obviously there are some people afraid of touching other
people for other reasons, but in that case, their fear isn't gendered). In
that situation, a little "stress" is appropriate; I have no problem with
causing homophobic people some minor stress when it's their own awful views
that lead to their stress.
I'm not a big fan of Galway swings. I like to standard, ballroom-position
contra swing, which is quite easily learned from either position once you
know how to share weight and buzz-step. Galway swings seem to tend towards
people trying to swing as fast as possible, rather than form a real
connection and dance with their partner.
-Dave
On Wed, Apr 10, 2013 at 10:25 AM, John Sweeney <info(a)contrafusion.co.uk>wrote;wrote:
There have been suggestions that same-gender
interaction can be
stressful. In my experience this is especially true with men in the UK.
Someone said "My impression is that most urban contra environments have
at least a few people who swap genders". This may be true in the USA,
and lots of ladies in the UK do take the man's role where numbers are
not balanced. But very few UK men take the lady's role on a regular
basis.
When I do I often find that other men appear to be uncomfortable with a
close-hold swing. I normally now go for a Galway Swing when I meet
another man for a swing: Start with an Allemande Right hold, hook your
left fingers around the other man's right elbow and buzz-step - makes
for a great symmetrical swing.
Here is a dance that uses it to give same-gender swings without stress:
Galway Swing (by John Sweeney)
Contra; Improper
A1: Men Galway Swing
Partner Gypsy to an Ocean Wave (Men in the middle with Left
hands)
A2: Balance the Wave (R/L); Slide to the Right (Rory O'More)
Ladies Galway Swing
B1: Neighbour Gypsy Meltdown into a Swing
A2: Long Lines Go Forward & Back
A2: Half Hey (Ladies start Right Shoulder) - Men look for a new Man
after passing Right Shoulders with the old Man
The main challenge is stopping your swing at the right point so you can
flow into the gypsy - plan ahead!
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
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