hey folks, i posted something years ago to rec.folk-dancing along the lines of this: contras and squares are completely different animals for me, and i love them both; but i look for completely different things from each. (note that these are idealized descriptions of "what i want," and that i can and do enjoy dances that do not match these descriptions!) from a contra, i want *flow*: i want the dance to be relatively simple, with plenty of partner interaction that builds to a cadence of a good long swing. i don't want any sudden weight shifts or jerky moves and i don't want to have to learn a new or gimicky move that feels awkward; basically i don't want to have to think. i want to be able to memorize the dance, figure out what embellishments work (but ideally not what is necessary to make the timing work out), set my motor to "on" and go. the most important consideration, dancer-wise, is who my partner is, what our type of interaction is, how good our swing is, etc. from a square, my wants are completely different. i want (remember, this is idealized) to have 7 other people who are equally intent on having fun with the square as i am. i want it to be creative, with good weight exhange (the fun breaks in the middle that wheel the square around, or completely turn it inside out and then back again are great), and a bit of a magical quality. i like feeling like i have no idea how i got there, but then suddenly all becomes clear again. :) i don't mind swapping partners around, and i don't mind the absence of long swings or major amounts of partner interaction. the most important consideration for me, for a square, is the *attitude* of the other dancers in the square, since we'll be with each other for about 10 minutes solid. ***** just for the sake of completion, i'll also speak a few words about triplets. triplets and such ("other odd formations") are a mixed bag for me. moneymusk happens to be up there on my list of favorite dances of all time, despite the lack of swing, and i think it has to do with the concept of *timing*. similarly to english dancing, moneymusk manages to be a dance that fits the traditional tune perfectly. as such, it really encourages (or requires, actually) dancers to take the time to do the moves to the music -- otherwise, no dance magic. for some sad reason, many contradancers seem to have a tough time with this, and so dances like moneymusk end up feeling, and being boring... final note: i'm finding that as i branch out more and more into other dance forms (english, international, etc) i become more and more concscious of the importance and relevance of timing in all dance, including contradance. take it easy, melissa, who hasn't ever really figured out the how-to-call game. :) __________________________________ Discover Yahoo! Use Yahoo! to plan a weekend, have fun online and more. Check it out! http://discover.yahoo.com/