Cary, some of your objections to squares seem a bit contradictory. Let me re-state them, and see if I've understood you correctly.

Some squares are unphrased, and those squares have less opportunity to connect your movement to the music.

Many squares are danced for a shorter time than contradances are usually danced, and therefore take relatively longer to teach compared to the dancing time.

Many squares are mixers, and therefore have less time dancing with your original partner than in a contra.

Some squares have visiting couple dances, in which the dancers can only make movements in place during some of the music.

In all square dances, the need to listen for the calls interferes with the relationship you would like to have with the music.

Have I understood your points correctly? Or have I not quite understood your meaning?

Jacob Bloom

On Wed, Jun 24, 2015 at 10:34 PM, Cary Ravitz via Callers <callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:

Some things that people to not like about squares -

less movement/music connection due to lack of strict phrasing
having to listen to the caller breaks the movement/music connection
teaching time
mixer squares breaks the partner connection
visiting squares leave people "out of the dance" for long periods.

I find squares and contras completely different.