The "chestnut" dances have staying power because 1) The excellent tunes associated with them. 2) People like to connect with the distant past. Relatively few new contra dances appeared between the early 19th century (by which time all the chestnuts existed--although they may have since been modified to please today's dancers) and the 1930's or 1940's
Without their corresponding tunes, today Chorus Jig, Petronella, Hull's Victory, etc, would likely be danced much less often, if at all Michael Fuerst 802 N Broadway Urbana IL 61801 217-239-5844 ________________________________ From: Linda Mrosko <elmero...@gmail.com> To: Caller's discussion list <call...@sharedweight.net> Sent: Saturday, December 1, 2012 2:40 PM Subject: Re: [Callers] What is the best contra dance(s) ever written? This thread reminds me of a question posed years ago - probably because of the staying power of the chestnut dances like Chorus Jig, Rory O'More, Petronella, etc. - WHICH CONTRA DANCES DO YOU THINK FOLKS WILL STILL BE DANCING 100 YEARS FROM NOW? -- *Looking forward, Linda S. Mrosko 7302 CR 2829 Mabank, Texas 75156 (903) 451-5535 (H) (903) 288-4401 (cell) (903) 603-9033 (Skype) www.towerwebsites.com/dancinglinda *"We should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once." -- Friedrich Nietzsche
