John wrote: > that the term is not well defined and is used by anyone running a dance > to mean what they want it to mean, just like the terms "barn dance", > "ceilidh" and even "square dance" are used over here. >
It is certainly true that the meanings of these terms tend to "drift" quite a bit. That is inevitable and probably a good thing...though I do find it odd that "barn dances" are seldom held in actual barns. That seems somehow,...wrong. The events I am particularly interested in can be described as: "...open public dances, primarily featuring duple contras, with live music and a caller, that are sponsored and hosted by a group of dance enthusiasts." These events can be distinguished by the number of first-time contra dancers who attend. They typically feature about 15% first-timers per evening. That number can vary as low as zero but that is rare. Occasionally there are 30% or more first-timers. I would be very interested in how dances in your country compare with respect to the percentage of first-time dancers who typically attend. Regards, -Greg McKenzie
