Pretty sure it's a formation. What's "improper" is mixing ladies and gents. Heaven forbid!
Never heard anyone say a couple standing alone across from each other is improper no matter what side each is on. Dave Harvey NYC Barn Dance On Sun, Oct 9, 2011 at 3:13 PM, Read Weaver <[email protected]> wrote: > 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). > ______________________________**_________________ > Callers mailing list > [email protected] > http://www.sharedweight.net/**mailman/listinfo/callers<http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers> > >
