I think Bob is absolutely right about the point of the original post; it's to point out supposed parallels between this community and the square dance community of the 50s as a cautionary tale. That said, I wholeheartedly disagree with the parallels Don Coffey's trying to draw here. I just don't see how standardizing individual dance moves has anything to do with dancing more duple improper contra dances. For the square dancers, standardizing dance moves led to lessons on how to do particular moves and a less inclusory dance space. Dancing more duple impropers won't do the same thing-- if anything it's easier and more accessible for beginners to learn dances that happen in just one formation. Modern contra dances, in my understanding, have less standardized dance moves than what people were doing thirty years ago (though perhaps not than what people were doing 150 years ago). Moreover, unlike the square dance club community, we have a vibrant live music tradition that is showing no signs of erosion. As people on this list have discussed over the past few days, there are advantages and disadvantages to including forms other than duple improper in nightly programs. But the view that a contras-only movement will lead to the decline of contra dance, the way the western square dance club movement declined, is in my view misplaced. -Dave On 3/21/12, Robert Golder <robertgolder(a)comcast.net> wrote: -- David Casserly (cell) 781 258-2761