I do #3, in a roundabout way. They try both sides in two different swing-teaching dances that Sara and I wrote together. Then, I tell them they can pick either side and it might be good to do the first several dances from the same side, but it's good to know both, in case the options are to switch or sit out. I use recorded music for the teaching dances if there is no band or they're not ready. We use elastic wrist bands (non-frilly ponytail bands from Target) worn on the outside wrist to identify roles. This would not be necessary in a dance with fewer newbies and we're thinking of giving them up.
Full workshop description below, but most will want to skip.
--jh--
Long version, including how we identify the other dancers' roles:
I'm calling at a university club that just started this year (
contraknights.org). All of my campus dancers were new to contra at the start of the semester, so there was no left-right bias at all. This made a number of things much easier, as learning is easier than relearning. However, while experienced dancers can mix up traditional gender roles and assume that the person coming to them is the right person to do the next move with, we found ourselves messing up often enough that this wasn't always the case. The crutch of gender is really helpful in dance repair, so we wanted to make the roles clear, but also allow people to switch at will.
Our solution is elastic wristbands, actually large hair bands from Target (not the frilly kind). These are worn on the outside wrist, and people can see your role at a glance. It also helps people remember which role they're dancing (yes, they forget).
I start my workshop with Chris Page's Accretion Reel, which I run about 6-8 cycles to loosen the mood, get people interacting and dancing, and show how ephemeral partners are. I emphasize partner ephemerality and appropriate behavior in the walkthrough, and tell them we dance with a different partner every dance. I have them elbow swing or do two hands around or play pattycake for this dance, unless it's two experienced dancers who know how to swing.
At the end of that, some volunteers distribute the bands. I teach the ballroom position, they put the bands on the held hands, and I teach the swing footwork. We put on some not-fast music and dance Swing without Progress Circle (below). After it ends, I let them know that it may take a few evenings of dance to develop a really good swing and that they can ask for pointers from dancers whose swings they like, or from me in the break. (We often do a swinging workshop in the break, too.)
I then have them swap positions and put the band on the other arm. We practice opening up and closing, and I say it's important to end the swing facing the other dancers unless instructed to face another way. They practice swinging on this side a little, I talk briefly about progression, and then we dance Swing with Progress Circle. I tell them that they can choose a side and it might be best to keep that side for a few dances until they get the hang of it, but that they might dance both sides before the end of the night to make sure they can switch if the only option is to switch or sit out.
The two swing-teaching circles feature just 8-count moves, so they don't get too dizzy right off. I'm calling all the way through, so I can turn one or more moves into 16 counts if that helps, and it often does. At the end of all this, they have six solid contra moves; know partner, neighbor, and progression; and have danced three dances with 20+ partners. All this takes at most 30 minutes, half of it dancing, so they're not bored (well, the newbies aren't, anyway). We can go into an easy contra as the main dance begins.
Swing without Progress Circle |
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Joe Harrington and Sara Sullivan |
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Circle, 32 beats, for teaching swing and open up, and partners and neighbors |
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| A | Forward and back | 8 |
B
| Circle left | 8 |
C
| Neighbor allemande right | 8 |
D
| Partner swing | 8 |