I don't want to say "It's simple," but I'm going to have to. The grownups (aka Dance Leaders - board members, callers, major dance gypsies, thoughtful members of the community) have to start, by gentle precept and strong example, teaching the rest of the crowd how to behave. Here, we talk about it. Not a whole lot, but whenever there's a chance - we bring things up. Got Center Set Syndrome? Ask the Cool Kids to start dancing all over the floor. Someone complains about the new dancers? Someone else pipes up and says "Oh, I remember what it was like. I always dance with new people at the beginning of every dance - you find some real gems that way, and it's always a fun challenge." After a while you just develop a culture of inclusiveness. It wasn't always like that here. St Louis used to have a very bad reputation for snobbery - some people still won't come to our dance weekend because of it, even though it changed over ten years ago. We had to make an effort - and we have to keep making the effort. Even with an established culture of kindness, new people come in, and it takes a while for them to adjust - to believe that they will be accepted, and that we expect them to treat others well, too. I don't believe that we humans exhibit community and civility by nature - it seems to be a learned thing. Left to our own devices, we get all clicquey and snobby - or turn into loners. It can't be just the callers who turn a community around, even though we do have a major Bully Pulpit. A kind and inclusive word dropped here and there from the stage can work wonders in reminding people why we chose contra dance over all those other dance forms. But we can't get all moralistic on stage without risking losing what influence we have. My suggestion to us as callers? Start talking to the Leadership. If they don't get it, use thoughtful discussion to try to get them to see the advantages. We can also lead by example, dance with everyone ourselves. What we do, others will too. M E On Sun, Jan 30, 2011 at 11:52 AM, Greg McKenzie <grekenzie(a)gmail.com> wrote: -- For the good are always the merry, Save by an evil chance, And the merry love the fiddle And the merry love to dance. ~ William Butler Yeats