27 Sep
2016
27 Sep
'16
11:23 a.m.
Thanks Rich.
Agreed, in the MSWD Community the terms are generally not a problem, but in
the same way that in the contra dance community they weren't a problem 20
years ago.
What is a problem is that whilst women can dance the boys role, for men to
dance the girls role is frowned upon unless the alternative is not enough
for a square. I like dancing the girls role as well as the boys, but
rarely get to do so. I say it's a problem - but only I seem to see it as
one. Everyone else is too busy tutting at me for donning a pink sash and
dancing lady. Rather reminiscent of what Contra was like not so many years
ago.
In the UK we rarely see role-swapping in MWSD. Men hardly ever dance as
girls, and women who dance as boys usually do so exclusively. There is
little true swapping, whereby a person might dance girl one time and boy
the next.
It IS generational, but also one of the reasons MWSD is struggling to
survive. Change must come if MWSD is to continue, and if we leave it too
late, then, well, it will be too late. There will be no community left to
carry on the dancing. For all the reasons mentioned, change will be hard,
so we need to start sooner rather than later.
I also believe the gender norms contribute to the current inability of most
MWSD dancer to do moves from anything other than normal positions -
something Callerlab *is* concerned about.
Perhaps I should lobby Callerlab!
Jeremy
www.genderfreedance.net
On 27 September 2016 at 15:44, Rich Sbardella <richsbardella(a)gmail.com>
wrote:
Jeremy,
Perhaps this is a partially generational concern.
In the MWSD community today, there is much role swapping among dancers.
Most often ladies are dancing the gents' role. The terms boys and girls,
are roles much like ladies and gents in the contra scene. Although I call
fewer MWSD events these days, in 25 years have never encountered
opposition, or even concern about these terms at a MWSD event. Many out
dated gender specific terms are used in the activity as well, for example,
lads and lassies, and ruffles and beaus. All these terms are part of their
dance "tradition".
The MWSD community is generally much older, and does not have problems
with these traditional dance terms. As noted the terms are often selected
to fit within the rhythm and rhyme of patter. As a caller who calls to
both MWSD and contra communities, I am trying very hard to eliminate boys
and girls, and it is very hard. It is like speaking a new language
language, and having no time to think about what comes next. It all
happens so fast.
As most of the MWSD community ages out, perhaps gender terms will become a
concern, but I do not see that happening any time soon.
Rich Sbardella
Stafford, CT
On Mon, Sep 26, 2016 at 7:26 PM, Angela DeCarlis via Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
I imagine that the conversation must be much more
complex in MWSD given
the tradition of patter. As I understand it, oftentimes the decision of
which term to label each role is determined by what might best rhyme with
the following call, or by how many syllables you have time to say.
While it's probably a much more ambitious endeavor -- and one which I'm
sure as a contra dance caller I have very little grasp of -- I would say
that many MWSD communities are ready to handle a role-term change, but that
it would take exceedingly creative and experienced callers within that
tradition to help determine what those might look like.
Good luck!
Angela
On Mon, Sep 26, 2016 at 7:19 PM, Jeremy Child via Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Hi
This is for the MWSD callers amongst you.
There has been much discussion on this group about the terms used for
the two roles in contra dance. I do not propose to resurrect that here, I
mention it to emphasise that many feel the terms used to be important, and
that we should be moving away from any gender connotation in them.
MWSD uses Ladies, Gents, Men, Women, Girls, Boys - all highly gendered.
Is it time we changed these? If so, how? In theory with Callerlab it will
be easier, but I suspect they would strongly resist such a change, since
the "maleness" and "femaleness" of the roles (e.g. skirt work) is
such a
fundamental part of what MWSD is.
Thoughts?
(Apologies to those to whom this is all gibberish)
Jeremy Child
www.barndancecaller.net
www.genderfreedance.net
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