Hi All,

I finally composed a response to the original complainant. Here it is, followed by an almost instant reply from him (yes, it is a male):

Hello Mr.__________,

Thank you for letting us know about your experience at our dance. I am glad our community was so welcoming and friendly to you. I hope you remember that in the future.

As for the term "gypsy," it has been used in contra dancing for decades, and is not my invention. I am sorry you were offended by my use and description of it. It is my habit to let dancers know the name and author of each dance I call, and "gypsy" is in the title of that dance. I regret my description of the move as "flirty." I thank you for reminding me that some people are uncomfortable with that, and I will no longer suggest it. As for the name of the move itself, you are correct in that it has never been meant as a pejorative. I cannot, however, change it on my own. Contra is a folk dance and the folk process takes time. There is no governing body in charge of naming the terms used in contra dancing. When someone invents a new move they give it a name and it gradually works its way into the vernacular.

I can assure you that callers nationwide are discussing this and other terms we use which we are learning are offensive to others. We are endeavoring to change what we can, but you might imagine that coming to a consensus between many hundreds of callers is neither swift nor sure. This is especially true, given the lack of a governing body.

For my part, I have decided to remove the term "gypsy" from my calling and am searching for a substitute. It is not in my power to rename dances. At Emerald City Contra Dance we book approximately 25 different callers every year, from across the United States and beyond. I am just one. Please understand that if you return to our dance you may hear that term used again, until such time as awareness has spread as far and wide as the callers themselves.

Sincerely,

Amy Wimmer

Caller and ECCD Organizer

His response:

Thank you for your very thoughtful and informative response. I feel much better about continuing to attend, hearing that there is an awareness of this issue and conversations happening about it.