Colin wrote: > Surely the objection to mixers (in The States) is that you don't get to > swing your original partner every time through the dance. In most mixers > you wouldn't swing the same shadow every time - if you did I'd change the > starting format so that the person you swing is actually the one you asked > to dance. >
I suspect that the real objection to unannounced mixers is that they remove control of the partnering process from the dancers. With a shadow dance every dancer is assigned a second "partner" in the form of a shadow, someone they might not want to partner with. That's why some dislike shadow swings. I like mixers, in general. But I also think it is very important to empower the dancers to partner with whomever they wish. This is key to integrating first-timers as well. When you give control of the partnering process to the regulars you also give responsibility to the regulars for integrating newcomers. It is important to maintain the caller-dancer trust relationship. - Greg McKenzie
