Dear friends and colleagues, I sent along Don Coffey's comments in the hope that they might stimulate some thoughtful discussion, and that it has. I was not trying to reopen the contras vs. squares debate; similar groups have been ripped apart by strong rhetoric on all sides of that divide. Nor am I suggesting that contras-only is the problem, though I am a fervent believer myself of including some other formations in an evening's program, with even an occasional taste of a dance from a different culture. Dave is correct that the contemporary contra dance scene continues to have a strong connection to live music, which MWSD lost for a variety of reasons. And yes, at the moment, the contra wave is a strong one. So, too, was the MWSD wave in its time, and yet it foundered. Is there anything in that example from which we can learn? I suggest that there are some similar developments in the contemporary contra movement as it has changed in recent decades. Here are a few data points to consider. I'm taking as my reference point the dance programs when I started in the early 1970s. This was the previous time of great expansion for contras, starting with the young people who turned out in droves at Dudley Laufman dances throughout New England. * There were no events billed as "experienced dances" or "for experienced dancers only." I suspect that many of you see these in your dance community today. The square dance boom started with an activity that had been open to all, and gradually developed into levels/programs (Basic/Mainstream/Plus/Advanced/Challenge) as some dancers wanted more mental challenge than an open community dance could provide. * There were no dance medleys. Many callers today pride themselves on including a medley as part of their programs, and we certainly see folks flocking to medleys at events such as NEFFA. * Folks danced to traditional tunes. Today, with contra jam bands, there are some who enjoy dancing contra-style figures to music that doesn't have the traditional AABB structure and, in some cases, they're dancing more to a beat than to a melody; this is similar to some of the changes in MWSD. And with the appeal of techno contras to a small but growing subset, folks may be dancing to popular recorded music, not to live bands, echoing another development in MWSD. In some cases, the music does not follow the traditional 32-bar structure so there is not the melodic hook to tell folks what to do. * There were no classes for beginners/newcomers. Traditional squares also had no classes; people just showed up for the dance. Modern square dancing introduced the notion of attending a series of classes to learn basic figures. This started out, decades ago, as six lessons and now in many locations is 36 weeks. Many contra series went from no lessons, to perhaps a ten-minute introduction, and now many series offer beginners' workshops of half an hour, 45 minutes, or even an hour. * The "basic figures" that one would meet in an evening was much smaller, so the learning curve wasn't as steep. Off the top of my head, I came up with this list of figures that one can now meet on a contra dance floor that weren't in common contra dance usage 40 years ago: box the gnat California twirl circulate cross to a wave (aka "pass the ocean") gents' chain gypsy half figure eight hey for four hey for three (with one couple acting as a unit) ricochet hey lady round two, gent cut thru Mad Robin orbit Petronella twirls (only seen in the eponymous dance) Rory O'More waves (ditto) ricochet hey rollaway rollaway with a half sashay slide left square thru swat the flea swing thru weave the line zig zag (Amazing that we young folks back in the day managed to have a great time dancing without these figures!) Compare these phrases to commands such as "circle left" or "forward and back" or "left hand turn." Yes, contras back then had their share of jargon that is still with us-- "balance and swing," "ladies chain," "right and left thru," etc. My point is that there are more figures now that dancers are expected to know, and the words themselves don't make clear what one does. Compare them with the vocabulary that MWSD created, phrases that in and of themselves don't tell dancers where to go: "Load the Boat," "Ferris Wheel," "Relay the Deucy," etc. In addition, the only Becket formation dance was the Becket Reel, aka Bucksaw Reel. There wasn't much happening on the diagonals, and virtually all dances had folks staying within their minor set, whether it was duple minor or triple minor. That's part of what made Bucksaw so distinctive and exciting-- wow! Left diagonal! Let me be very clear. At most of the events I call at regular dance series, I program mostly contras. (Heck, I've called entire programs with nothing but duple improper and Becket formation contras!) I am not saying that each of these items bulleted above is in itself A Bad Thing. I have called at experienced dances and have organized my own "for experienced dancers" events. I'll be calling in at least one of the NEFFA medley sessions, as I do most years. I have offered beginner workshops, though it's certainly not my preference. I have called entire evenings using recorded music; my iPod is loaded with great tunes. And all those figures I listed? Every one of those can be found on dance cards that I use. I love the contra scene even as there are some changes about which I am less sanguine. SharedWeight is a group of callers talking to one another. I take it as a given that we are all interested in keeping the dance traditions alive and healthy, though we may have different ideas of how that can best be done. As callers, I think it's worth pondering these developments and keeping the MWSD experience in mind. David Millstone