Hi all,

              I once called Chris Page’s dance where the dancers scatter individually and find someone with whom to do a Gypsy Meltdown (Gypsy & Swing).  Many of the ladies got together leaving two men alone in the middle of the dance-floor.  There was absolutely no way that those two men were going to Swing each other in a Ballroom Hold.

              There was an article in the EFDSS magazine not so long ago about this very challenge.  The author was concerned that by going gender-free they would lose many good male dancers who weren’t comfortable with the situation.

              Someone in these threads said that, if you prefer dancing with ladies, then there is nothing preventing you from only asking ladies for a dance.  But what happens when you get in the set and find that every Neighbour that you meet is a man!

I and my wife dance many styles, West Coast Swing, Blues, Ceroc, Modern Jive, Tango, Salsa, etc.  99% of the time it is one man with one lady (OK, I specialise in dancing with two ladies at once, but that is another matter!).  Occasionally there will be same-sex pairings, and nobody thinks anything of it.  But it is not being forced on them in the way that contra dancing is forcing same-sex pairings as you meet and interact with all your Neighbours.

The whole point of moving away from Proper to First Couples Improper or Becket was that you then had people of the opposite gender on both sides of you in your minor set, so that all Neighbour and Partner interactions were with the opposite gender!

I think part of the challenge is the very close Ballroom-Hold Swing which many men find too intimate with another man.  Of course there are lots of symmetrical holds that don’t have the same challenge – you are further apart.  They don’t have the “Pointy Hand” to help you remember which side to finish on.  I often use these myself in contra dances when I have a good partner, doing a different Swing each time through the dance, but I know which side to finish the Swing on.  I suspect the Ballroom-Hold Swing is too embedded in Contra Dance culture to change now, though, of course, it was not always so.

The communities that I call for all want men dancing with ladies.  I use geographic and positional calling where it helps.  I start most sessions by saying, “Find a partner, traditionally one man and one lady, but anyone can dance with anyone.”  99% of the time they will dance with the opposite gender.

Personally I have a real problem with Larks & Robins since I use Men & Ladies in my calling.  For me the L in Lark makes me think of Ladies, not Left.  It really hurts my brain!

I am all for anyone dancing with anyone.  I dance the Lady’s role and will Swing anyone.  I love Chaos Lines!  (And please don’t assume that you know anything about my sexuality!)

I feel that it is very sad that the traditional and historic concepts are being lost.  Our culture has always been very  inclusive, with everyone welcome and anyone dancing with anyone they want. I am not at all convinced that any benefits outweigh the losses.

            Happy dancing,

                   John                      

John Sweeney, Dancer, England   john@modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802 940 574

http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent