A question about terminology (maybe two).
Does the term "improper" mean a formation, or a position? In other
words, does that term mean a line of dancers that alternates gent/
lady/gent/lady down the right line and lady/gent/lady/gent down the
left line, or does it mean gent in the right line, lady in the left
line (all left/right designations based on facing the top of the set)?
What makes it two questions is whether there's a difference in how
you, as a caller, think about it, and how you think your dancers
think about it.
What I really want to know is whether there's regional variation, and
whether it's different in English country dance and contra. And maybe
whether it's changed over time.
Here in Boston, I'd say dancers think of it as a formation, and there
seems to be variation in how callers think of it (e.g., some callers
will say "end improper" to mean gent/right, lady/left whatever
position you're in—it comes up more often in English country dance
than contra, but sometimes in contra too).
