Re: [Callers] Buzz Step Swing

One of the California square dance organizations decided to structure their lessons based on the frequency of which calls were used at one of their festivals. If a call had a high frequency, it was taught earlier in the year, giving dancers plenty of time to practice it. It makes sense to me to approach the beginning lesson for a contra dance in a similar fashion. Since a swing is used frequently at a contra dance, that means spending some significant time teaching the swing, either buzz or walking. In my opinion there are some dance techniques/style points that must be taught for safety's sake and swinging is one of them. I usually teach the buzz step swing because it's just what you do if you are physically able. Why not go for the gold? The experienced dancers who buzz will appreciate dancing with new dancers who dances/ swing well and can buzz too. As others have mentioned, the swing is not taught or not taught well. That's been my experience here in Charlottesville. Having watched many a beginning workshop here, I'm convinced that new callers simply don't know how to teach swinging. With that said, I encourage callers to watch other beginning workshops. There's always something to learn. I'm always learning. Lastly, and I hate to say this, it seems younger newbies can learn the buzz step swing well and quickly (ok they learn EVERYTHING QUICKER than I do). The older newbies have a much more difficult time- like will never get it. If I have a group of older people I'll teach the walking step swing. If they're all younger, the buzz step swing is taught. T