I believe most MWSD clubs these days are a lot more open.  My experiences -- limited to dances in NYC and Somerset NJ -- is that everyone is welcome.  I've also been impressed by the people I know who do contra and MWSD and I know how much many of them value their friendships through the clubs.  I suspect that bad experiences these days are either outliers or the result of individuals behaving badly (though it sounds like, in original post) organizers were abetting the behavior.

Anyway -- my contribution here is just to say that I think anyone dipping a toe in MWSD is NOT likely to be met by some of the unfortunate kinds of experience folks have had in the past.  

Ridge

On Tue, Aug 1, 2017 at 11:00 AM, Sylvia Miskoe sylviasmiskoe@gmail.com [trad-dance-callers] <trad-dance-callers@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

 

Many years ago I attended a square dance club in Upper MIchigan.  I had recently moved there and sought out dances.  I was greeted with the question, Where is your husband?  When I said he was home, unwell, the lady at the desk said Nobody will dance with you.  I'm the caller's wife and nobody dances with me.  I did have partners that night and went with my husband Once.

Years later I saw an ad for  a public dance, called to confirm that it was open.  When I arrived I was grilled about lessons, partners.  Then told that since I had not had lessons I would not be able to keep up with the dancers and would spoil their pleasure.  My 30 years of New England squares experience didn't  count.

No wonder they are losing dancers.

Sylvia Miskoe, Concod NH

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Ridge Kennedy [Exit 145]

www.ridgekennedy.com

When you stumble, make it part of the dance.