2 Jan
2013
2 Jan
'13
12:28 p.m.
Maia,
I think you have to see contra from the point of view of someone who is not so
talented and versatile as yourself. What attracts them to contra is that the caller leads
the dance, and if they do what they're told, they can be successful at the dance, so
they can relax and enjoy the social interaction without pressure to be responsible for
someone else's good time. If at the end of each swing, both individuals are aiming to
end in their respective places, and during courtesy turns, the left hand person backs up
and the right hand person moves forward, etc., the dance will happen without any special
expertise needed. Put they way, you can see contra as it is at its foundation: a truly
egalitarian dance. To lay terms on the roles which imply a demand that one direct or
accept direction from another dancer would do wrong to people who understand contra this
way. If we are going to step away from tradition, I think we should at least respect the
fundamental nature of the dance for the sake of those who don't layer on flourishes or
take on particular persona to dance each role. It does no harm to those who choose to
think of themselves as gallants and passives for the roles to be named something neutral,
and perhaps we will encourage more new flourishes stemming from the right hand person if
we don't teach them to think of themselves as passive. Just a thought, from someone
who enjoys both roles, twirler and twirlee, no matter where she is standing.
Andrea
Sent from my iPad
On Jan 2, 2013, at 12:07 PM, Maia McCormick <maia.mcc(a)gmail.com> wrote:
That's a very interesting point! I'm a young
dancer myself, and really
enjoy flourishes, both from the lead and follow perspective, and now that
you mention it, I think that's why I see there being so much of a
lead/follow dynamic. Yes, contra is a "team sport" where you need signals
and tension from both partners in order to make it work, but part of the
fun of the dance for me has been learning to dance lead, and be able to
flourish my partner this way and that and have them intuit what I'm doing.
On the flip-side, I know that if I'm dancing follow with an inexperienced
dancer, I end up "leading" a lot anyway--but there's a different quality
to
"leading" from the follow's end of things. It feels distinctly back-lead-y
to me, and less comfortable than leading *as* the lead--but then again,
maybe that's because of ingrained associations. Still, there's something
nice about dancing follow and not needing to worry about when the swing is
ending or what side you'll end up on because you know your lead is taking
care of you.
(This is a tangential point and probably related to the ingrained gender
roles at work, but as a female who leads a lot, I feel myself taking on a
somewhat different persona when I lead. It's this more in-control, sort of
gallant personality that for me is part of the fun of leading--I like the
sense of taking care of my follow, just as I enjoy being on the opposite
end of that when I'm following. It's having these different roles to slip
into that colors the dancing for me.)
Folks who don't experience the dynamic this way: thoughts? Does this seem
like an unwelcome way of viewing dancing, or a distraction from the purpose
of contra? Are there any out there who have experienced both sides of this
mentality, and can pinpoint the switch for us?
Maia
On Wed, Jan 2, 2013 at 11:08 AM, Perry Shafran <pshaf(a)yahoo.com> wrote:
It would be interesting to know why some of these
younger folks view it as
a lead/follow dance. Is it the flourishes/dips that do indeed have a
lead/follow aspect to the dance, becoming the focal point of why they
dance? Or is it something else? Contra by its very nature is a community
dance, and while it does have some couple aspects, I find it difficult to
see where it could bring someone to view it as lead/follow. In an evening
of dance, both men and women usually have their opportunities to "lead" a
move. Even the swing is an equal move - both dancers move around a common
point and are both expected to carry their own weight, whereas in a couples
dance the lead does indeed guide the follow on where to go.
Perry
________________________________
From: Jeff Kaufman <jeff(a)alum.swarthmore.edu>
To: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
Sent: Wednesday, January 2, 2013 10:38 AM
Subject: Re: [Callers] Alternate Role Terms
On Tue, Jan 1, 2013 at 5:52 PM, Chrissy Fowler <ktaadn_me(a)hotmail.com>
wrote:
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It does seem that some women dancers depend on leadership
from the gent role, and some men dancers feel pressure to direct
the non-gent role dancers. But I don't think there's any lead/follow
component inherent in the contra dance form.
To some dancers the lead/follow aspect of contra dance is central
while to others it's a minor component or an unwelcome intrusion.
Viewing it as lead/follow is more common among younger dancers, more
frequent dancers, and varies by dance series (in MA it's common at the
Scout House and Greenfield, rare at Medway and Northboro.)
Jeff
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