It would be interesting to know why some of these younger folks view it as a lead/follow dance. Is it the flourishes/dips that do indeed have a lead/follow aspect to the dance, becoming the focal point of why they dance? Or is it something else? Contra by its very nature is a community dance, and while it does have some couple aspects, I find it difficult to see where it could bring someone to view it as lead/follow. In an evening of dance, both men and women usually have their opportunities to "lead" a move. Even the swing is an equal move - both dancers move around a common point and are both expected to carry their own weight, whereas in a couples dance the lead does indeed guide the follow on where to go.
Perry ________________________________ From: Jeff Kaufman <[email protected]> To: Caller's discussion list <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, January 2, 2013 10:38 AM Subject: Re: [Callers] Alternate Role Terms On Tue, Jan 1, 2013 at 5:52 PM, Chrissy Fowler <[email protected]> wrote: > > It does seem that some women dancers depend on leadership > from the gent role, and some men dancers feel pressure to direct > the non-gent role dancers. But I don't think there's any lead/follow > component inherent in the contra dance form. > To some dancers the lead/follow aspect of contra dance is central while to others it's a minor component or an unwelcome intrusion. Viewing it as lead/follow is more common among younger dancers, more frequent dancers, and varies by dance series (in MA it's common at the Scout House and Greenfield, rare at Medway and Northboro.) Jeff _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list [email protected] http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
