[Callers] NO-CONES Swings

I have to speak up regarding telling people to lean back into a swing. I don't think a top is a good analogy as a top is one solid item, not two people trying to hold onto each other. No one needs to lean back because centrifugal force is already pushing you back! If anything, you are using the hand behind the other person's shoulder to gently PULL IN just enough to counter the centrifugal force that is pushing you out. That way each person supports his/her own weight. There are too many women who throw their entire weight onto the man's arm. I can't help but believe they heard some caller tell them to "lean back!" The most serious injury I've had contra dancing had nothing to do with dipping or twirling, but with women who throw their entire weight onto my arm. When I dance lead, if I encounter a woman who leans back on me, I simply walk the swing so there is no centrifugal force generated. -- JoLaine Jones-Pokorney "We are as gods and might as well get good at it!" - Stewart Brand