[Callers] "Dixie Twirl" term

Wed Aug 7 16:36:56 PDT 2019

Hi all,

I hesitate to make my first post to a new (to me) list be about culturally sensitive terminology because I fear that that sometimes stirs up controversy, but this is a remarkable coincidence:

I finally got around to joining this list yesterday because I wanted to ask the list whether anyone knows a less objectionable term for the Dixie Twirl move: I encountered the move in a dance I was interested in learning to call, 
but I’d be unwilling to call using a dance term with the word “Dixie” in it. Then I realized I could just say “middles arch, rights lead under” and thus both avoid the term “Dixie” and avoid making my first post on this group be about culturally sensitive terminology. :-)

But then in receiving my very first Caller’s Digest, I see a recommendation for using the term Dixie in a dance name. So I’m getting up my courage to post, hoping that I’m not wading into a hornet’s nest...

I would recommend against using Dixie in a dance name or even using it as a dance term. Please allow me to explain:

I lived in Alabama for 14 years. In my personal experience, Dixie is a term that is nearly always used by white people with warped nostalgia for the antebellum South (choosing to ignore the fact that things weren’t so great for black residents back then). I find that glorifying “Dixie” is done by the same folks who glorify the rebel (confederate) flag: It’s done supposedly in the name of honoring heritage, but its closeted purpose is to express longing for the "Good Old Days" when whites were in charge and blacks were subordinate. 

For those interested in the topic here’s an article that touches on the current controversy around the word: https://www.chron.com/news/nation-world/article/Heart-of-Dixie-vanishing-from-Alabama-license-1964800.php <https://www.chron.com/news/nation-world/article/Heart-of-Dixie-vanishing-from-Alabama-license-1964800.php>

I’ll just be avoiding it. I’m planning to go with “middles arch, rights lead under” unless someone can suggest a better term or phrase?

Thanks all, and lovely to meet you! 

Becky

> Begin forwarded message:
> 
> From: callers-request at lists.sharedweight.net
> Subject: Callers Digest, Vol 64, Issue 5
> Date: August 7, 2019 at 4:07:07 PM EDT
> To: callers at lists.sharedweight.net
> Reply-To: callers at lists.sharedweight.net
> 
> 
> Message: 1
> Date: Tue, 6 Aug 2019 23:36:49 -0400
> From: Luke Donforth <luke.donev at gmail.com <mailto:luke.donev at gmail.com>>
> To: Gregory Frock <gregfrock at gmail.com <mailto:gregfrock at gmail.com>>
> Cc: "Callers at Lists.Sharedweight.net <mailto:Callers at Lists.Sharedweight.net>" <callers at lists.sharedweight.net <mailto:callers at lists.sharedweight.net>>
> Subject: Re: [Callers] Riffing on "The Nice Combination"
> Message-ID:
> 	<CAFrKOZZzWN9mEB9_TJem06o_ebqttPXRs6HUU7Gf58KxK9mFGQ at mail.gmail.com <mailto:CAFrKOZZzWN9mEB9_TJem06o_ebqttPXRs6HUU7Gf58KxK9mFGQ at mail.gmail.com>>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
> 
> Good suggestion. And thank you all for the other variants and ideas :-D
> 
> On Sat, Aug 3, 2019 at 9:05 AM Gregory Frock <gregfrock at gmail.com <mailto:gregfrock at gmail.com>> wrote:
> 
>> For title, might I suggest "The Dixie Combination"? The couple trading
>> figure is often called a Dixie Twirl, and there already exist "A New
>> Combination" and "The Nice Combination".
>> 
>> On Fri, Aug 2, 2019 at 2:28 PM Luke Donforth via Callers <
>> callers at lists.sharedweight.net <mailto:callers at lists.sharedweight.net>> wrote:
>> 
>>> Hello all,
>>> 
>>> I was programming for tonight, and looked at Gene Hubert's classic "The
>>> Nice Combination" (N B&S, Dwn 4, turn as cpls, C L 3/4, P S, Ld/robin
>>> chain, LHS); and wondered what the simplest variant that would flow well
>>> with a gents/larks chain instead of a ladies/robins chain.
>>> 
>>> What I've come up with is below. Anyone got a prior on it? Anyone got a
>>> variant with a gents/larks chain they like more?
>>> 
>>> The New Combination
>>> 
>>> A1 -----------
>>> (4,12) Neighbors balance and swing
>>> A2 -----------
>>> (6) Down the hall four line
>>> (4) Pair on the right make an arch, gent/lark on the left lead through,
>>> lady/robin on the right walks to far side, inverting the line
>>> (8) Come back up the hall and bend the ends
>>> B1 -----------
>>> (6) Circle left 3/4
>>> (10) Partners swing
>>> B2 -----------
>>> (8) Gents/Larks chain (pull by left, courtesy turn with neighbor)
>>> (8) Right-hand star 1x
>>> 
>>> I'm planning on using Gene's original tonight in Belfast (and probably
>>> the vast majority of the time, it's a great dance); but I thought an
>>> accessible gents/larks chain would be nice.
>>> 
>>> I appreciate hearing your thoughts.
>>> 
>>> --
>>> Luke Donforth
>>> Luke.Donforth at gmail.com <mailto:Luke.Donforth at gmail.com> <Luke.Donev at gmail.com <mailto:Luke.Donev at gmail.com>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> List Name:  Callers mailing list
>>> List Address:  Callers at lists.sharedweight.net <mailto:Callers at lists.sharedweight.net>
>>> Archives:  https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/ <https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/>
>>> 
>> 
> 
> -- 
> Luke Donforth
> Luke.Donforth at gmail.com <mailto:Luke.Donforth at gmail.com> <Luke.Donev at gmail.com <mailto:Luke.Donev at gmail.com>>

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