Pretty sure it's a formation. What's "improper" is mixing ladies and
gents. Heaven forbid!
Never heard anyone say a couple standing alone across from each other is
improper no matter what side each is on.
Dave Harvey
NYC Barn Dance
On Sun, Oct 9, 2011 at 3:13 PM, Read Weaver <rweaver(a)igc.org> wrote:
A question about terminology (maybe two).
Does the term "improper" mean a formation, or a position? In other words,
does that term mean a line of dancers that alternates gent/lady/gent/lady
down the right line and lady/gent/lady/gent down the left line, or does it
mean gent in the right line, lady in the left line (all left/right
designations based on facing the top of the set)?
What makes it two questions is whether there's a difference in how you, as
a caller, think about it, and how you think your dancers think about it.
What I really want to know is whether there's regional variation, and
whether it's different in English country dance and contra. And maybe
whether it's changed over time.
Here in Boston, I'd say dancers think of it as a formation, and there seems
to be variation in how callers think of it (e.g., some callers will say "end
improper" to mean gent/right, lady/left whatever position you're in—it comes
up more often in English country dance than contra, but sometimes in contra
too).
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