25 Oct
2015
25 Oct
'15
10:56 p.m.
The use of gypsy as a contra dance term is almost as offensive as a contra dance
containing a shadow swing. (JUST KIDDING)
I would suggest a response of the following nature:
Hello _______
As you noted, (i) you were impressed by the friendliness of the dancers, the quality
of the musicians, and the overall fun of the dance; and (ii) this was probably the best
first experience Iyou had when meeting a new dance community.
On the political spectrum, contra dancers on average are far to the left of center, with
quite a few very far to the left. They would not tolerate a term with intent of
disparaging any group.The term gypsy (walking around another dancer shoulder to shoulder)
has been used in contra dancing ever since the motion was introduced into contra
dancing--probably several decades ago. [Insert information about the origin of the use
of gypsy from previous posts on this thread.]Many words and expressions have origins long
forgotten in the context of their current usage. You can find many examples of such at
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/words-literally-changed-meaning-throug… xx
years of contra dancing, yours is the first lament about this word that I ever heard.
For contra dancers the word has no other meaning than walking around another shoulder to
shoulder.
Our contra dance community takes great pride in the friendliness and fun of our dances
Hope to see you at our next dance.
Regards,____________
Michael Fuerst 802 N Broadway Urbana IL 61801 217 239 5844