25 Jan
2013
25 Jan
'13
6:15 p.m.
Thank you to everyone who has posted their ideas about how to make sure everyone is
getting a chance to dance. This will be very helpful. I think it was important to have
the discussions about gender balance, booking ahead, equal opportunity and whose
responsibility is it to facilitate it, can we really affect people's behavior, etc. I
think everyone would agree that callers and organizers can work together to influence the
behavior of the dancers and to set the tone for a fun and inclusive evening of dancing. I
agree with Greg:
"If anyone wants to discuss the ways callers...and others can lead, I would
love to have such a thread."
Although we might not all agree on what is acceptable dancer behavior, do you have more
ideas for callers and organizers, perhaps a list of what has worked for you to make your
dances more inclusive and friendly to all.
Thanks again,
Jill
25 Jan
25 Jan
7:01 p.m.
"If anyone wants to discuss the ways
callers...and others can lead,
I would
love to have such a thread."
Although we might not all agree on what is acceptable dancer behavior, do you have more
ideas for callers and organizers, perhaps a list of what has worked for you to make your
dances more inclusive and friendly to all.
In my beginner sessions I make a point of demonstrating how to ask
someone to dance. A lot of new dancers may not have done this since
high school or earlier, and it's a very different ball of worms at a
contra dance. It can be super simple (offer a hand, raise the eyebrows)
or you can say "would you like to dance?" But it doesn't have to be a
big deal. That can take some learning, so I like to give folks a head
start on that very important process. And I describe the overall shape
of the evening as well (when the breaks happens, whether there's a
snack, is there always a polka before the second set...), since it's
nice to have a bit of a clue about how things work. When I'm new at an
event, I really appreciate knowing stuff like that.
Which brings up an important learning opportunity for those of us who
are old hands at contra and may have forgotten what it was like to be
the new kids. Take a night or two and go to something completely alien,
either a really different sort of social dance or a class in something
you really aren't familiar with, and pay attention to what helps you
feel more at home. Is it learning peoples names, or knowing where the
bathroom is, or how the event is structured, or specifics of how you do
the thing you're there to do, or something else entirely? Step outside
your own comfort zone and be a beginner again. It's illuminating, and
you might learn something really cool!
Kalia
26 Jan
26 Jan
3:01 a.m.
"I have a challenge for you: at least once tonight, dance with someone you
don't know; and at least once tonight, dance with someone of a different
experience level than yourself." Something along those lines.
On Sat, Jan 26, 2013 at 4:01 AM, Kalia Kliban <kalia(a)sbcglobal.net> wrote:
"If
anyone wants to discuss the ways callers...and others can lead, I
would
love to have such a thread."
Although we might not all agree on what is acceptable dancer behavior, do
you have more ideas for callers and organizers, perhaps a list of what has
worked for you to make your dances more inclusive and friendly to all.
In my beginner sessions I make a point of demonstrating how to ask someone
to dance. A lot of new dancers may not have done this since high school or
earlier, and it's a very different ball of worms at a contra dance. It can
be super simple (offer a hand, raise the eyebrows) or you can say "would
you like to dance?" But it doesn't have to be a big deal. That can take
some learning, so I like to give folks a head start on that very important
process. And I describe the overall shape of the evening as well (when the
breaks happens, whether there's a snack, is there always a polka before the
second set...), since it's nice to have a bit of a clue about how things
work. When I'm new at an event, I really appreciate knowing stuff like
that.
Which brings up an important learning opportunity for those of us who are
old hands at contra and may have forgotten what it was like to be the new
kids. Take a night or two and go to something completely alien, either a
really different sort of social dance or a class in something you really
aren't familiar with, and pay attention to what helps you feel more at
home. Is it learning peoples names, or knowing where the bathroom is, or
how the event is structured, or specifics of how you do the thing you're
there to do, or something else entirely? Step outside your own comfort
zone and be a beginner again. It's illuminating, and you might learn
something really cool!
Kalia
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2 comments
3 participants
participants (3)
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jill allen -
Kalia Kliban -
Maia McCormick