Re: [Callers] RE: Question about squares

My home dance being Nelson, New Hampshire, I am not stranger to the old traditional dances, such as Chorus Jig, Money Musk, Petronella, etc., and all these dances are dances that I love... As a caller, as a dancers, I believe there is a certain responsibility places on the callers and musicians of any dance to carry on certain traditions of dancing (old traditional dances being one of these things). I also believe that contra dancing, like everything is evolving, with is self-evident by the music, such as Airdance, Wild Asparagus, and the list goes on... It is bands such as these, which in a lot of way have defined what modern contra dancing is today. Along with that contra dances have changed, examples of this would be the majority of dances that are danced now are improper opposed to proper; this is how modern contra dancing has evolved. In no way am I suggest that we elimate the old and bring the new, but callers, dancers, musicians, and everyone have to be aware the contra dancing and square dancing are changing, and the great callers, the people that are going to make the most difference, in my opinion are not the people who are firm set in the traditional ways of dancings, but the people who are firm set in the adaptation of the traditionaly ways of dancing and making dancing appealing to an ever changing crowd... I caller should be confident in the program that he or she is putting on, but at the same time he or she needs to know the crowd they are calling to, because I believe there are just some dances that should not be caller to certain groups of people, and the perfect and most basic example is, you are not going to start with a really hard dance for a bunch of new dancers. And you are not going to call Money Musk at the Brattleboro Dawn Dance. And you are just not going to call squares are certain dances. There are callers' callers and dancers' callers, and people somewhere in between... I love contra dancing, as a caller I love calling, as a dancer I love dancing, but the reason I love contra dancing is because it is fun. Fun, fun, fun, is the key to the whole thing, if you are not having fun dancing, why would you ever want to dance. I admit that I am one of those dances who will grown when a caller is going to be calling a square, because dancing squares are not fun for me. Of course everyone is going to have their own opinion on squares, but there is not doubt as a formation, a dance formation there are a lot of limiting factors that contra line do not have. Everything that you can do in a square, you can do in a contra line, either proper, improper, beckett, whatever formation, so based simply on the possiblities of dance movement, the contra line is far superior then the square... I believe that future of squares are squantras and contreas. Rich Mohr is a great writer of these and perhaps a simple example of this would be the dance: "Dance All Night", which is a great combination of a contra and a square. I think the square needs to be looking at the future, because a square is just a square... Closing thoughts: as a caller, as a dancers, I feel that perhaps one of the most important things to do, is get new dancers interested in contra dancing. I think contra dancing perhaps one of the most wondeful things I have ever done. There are dances that struggle on a week to week, month to month basis, because they lack the ability to attach new dancers. Dancing should be rooted in tradition, not stuck in it... Evolve the square... Sincerely, Jeff Petrovitch Jeffrey M. Petrovitch jeffrey.m.petrovitch(a)usa.net "Five nights of contra dancing... through 'top-notch' style and technique, with the love and passion for the dance, the title above all others was awarded. I am an 'Iron Dancer'." - J.M. Petrovitch