It is absolutely more disorienting. 

The swing is one of very few moves (if not the only one) in which people may or may not change set position based on which role they are dancing/used to dancing and where they started the move from as a standard matter. It is also executed differently based on which role you are dancing, and may or may not be executed differently based on whether you and the other person are physically presenting as male/female/other. 

Name me another figure with those variables that happens at a regular dance. 

Change the people involved in any swing unexpectedly, and you’re exponentially more likely to get an unexpected result. 

Neal Schlein
Librarian, MSLIS


On Wed, Jul 17, 2024 at 4:49 PM Joe Harrington via Contra Callers <contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Is it really any more disorienting to have a shadow change in a dance with a shadow swing vs., say, an allemande or another move?

--jh--



On Wed, Jul 17, 2024 at 6:08 PM Joseph Erhard-Hudson via Contra Callers <contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Re: partners swapping during shadow dances and confusing their respective shadows (I think of it as Peter Pan-ing, on account of our shadows coming detached)… I appreciate events where there are designated chaos lines so those who are in the mood for them can indulge to their hearts’ content. I suppose there could be no-shenanigans lines alternatively. Or couples who are likely to swap could give their shadows a heads up during walk-through.

-Joseph 



On Wed, Jul 17, 2024 at 2:45 PM Mary Collins via Contra Callers <contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
# 2. No problem, but rarely call

As dancer - meh...biggest issue is when there is suddenly a new shadow due to dancers joining late or some other mix. As I age I find I get disoriented when my point of reference suddenly changes. I imagine, for a new dancer who has been told this person, your shadow will/should be the same person every time, it could be confusing as well. IMHO

Mary Collins 
WNY/ST (Western New York/Southern Tier)

On Wed, Jul 17, 2024, 10:39 AM Maia McCormick via Contra Callers <contracallers@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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