You should sign your name at the bottom! :)

In my group, we have so many beginners each month and so many experienced people who have been dancing with us only since we introduced the bird roles about 6 years ago, that there is no discernible correlation any more between a given role and a given gender.

So it would be impossible in our community to recommend one role because you will get to dance with more ppl of the opposite gender as a result.  Some very-long-time members of our community still ask at the door when they need to choose a tag, which role is the "gents" or "ladies" role because they are comfortable swinging on that side/standing on that side, so we tell them quietly.

Personally, I love the non-gendered dancing.  I feel that it has actually increased my enjoyment of dancing with a same-gendered person as myself.  Prior to that, when there was an unspoken norm, it still felt a bit "weird" to dance with a same-gendered person.

Now that we have so clearly changed the culture in our dances to "we all come together to dance in a joyful community, regardless of age, gender, level of experience or any other factor" it has really changed the entire vibe.  I find it much more comfortable, personally.

Now the big excitement is being paired up with someone who has mastered the concept of giving weight :)

Kat K

K P via Contra Callers
Monday, March 11, 2024 11:52 AM
John,

<Perhaps, “the roles were originally (completely and utterly) based on gender”!

Ya think?  :)

I had what I assume is a similar response when I read that, John.

Aside to John: In this entire, ongoing discussion, it seems to me that there is an active conspiracy of pretense (along the lines of 'the emperor's new clothes') that the elephant sitting squarely in the middle of the room is actually a blueberry muffin.

Open and honest questions: 

Am I the only living person who has a preference for dancing with the opposite cisgender (realizing that any particular, such opposite, cisgendered individual may, in fact, have a different preference)?

If the above is a reasonable question, what is wrong with saying "If you have a preference to dance primarily with women, I recommend dancing the left role. If you have a preference to dance with men, I'd recommend dancing the right-side role; if you have no preference, it doesn't matter"?

What is the surveyed percentage of dancers in your community who have such a preference vs those who don't?




_______________________________________________
Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-leave@lists.sharedweight.net