Maia,
I think you have to see contra from the point of view of someone who is not
so talented and versatile as yourself. What attracts them to contra is that
the caller leads the dance, and if they do what they're told, they can be
successful at the dance, so they can relax and enjoy the social interaction
without pressure to be responsible for someone else's good time. If at the end
of each swing, both individuals are aiming to end in their respective places,
and during courtesy turns, the left hand person backs up and the right hand
person moves forward, etc., the dance will happen without any special expertise
needed. Put they way, you can see contra as it is at its foundation: a truly
egalitarian dance. To lay terms on the roles which imply a demand that one
direct or accept direction from another dancer would do wrong to people who
understand contra this way. If we are going to step away from tradition, I
think we should at least respect the fundamental nature of the dance for the
sake of those who don't layer on flourishes or take on particular persona to
dance each role. It does no harm to those who choose to think of themselves as
gallants and passives for the roles to be named something neutral, and perhaps
we will encourage more new flourishes stemming from the right hand person if we
don't teach them to think of themselves as passive. Just a thought, from
someone who enjoys both roles, twirler and twirlee, no matter where she is
standing.
Andrea
Sent from my iPad
On Jan 2, 2013, at 12:07 PM, Maia McCormick <[email protected]> wrote:
> That's a very interesting point! I'm a young dancer myself, and really
> enjoy flourishes, both from the lead and follow perspective, and now that
> you mention it, I think that's why I see there being so much of a
> lead/follow dynamic. Yes, contra is a "team sport" where you need signals
> and tension from both partners in order to make it work, but part of the
> fun of the dance for me has been learning to dance lead, and be able to
> flourish my partner this way and that and have them intuit what I'm doing.
>
> On the flip-side, I know that if I'm dancing follow with an inexperienced
> dancer, I end up "leading" a lot anyway--but there's a different quality to
> "leading" from the follow's end of things. It feels distinctly back-lead-y
> to me, and less comfortable than leading *as* the lead--but then again,
> maybe that's because of ingrained associations. Still, there's something
> nice about dancing follow and not needing to worry about when the swing is
> ending or what side you'll end up on because you know your lead is taking
> care of you.
>
> (This is a tangential point and probably related to the ingrained gender
> roles at work, but as a female who leads a lot, I feel myself taking on a
> somewhat different persona when I lead. It's this more in-control, sort of
> gallant personality that for me is part of the fun of leading--I like the
> sense of taking care of my follow, just as I enjoy being on the opposite
> end of that when I'm following. It's having these different roles to slip
> into that colors the dancing for me.)
>
> Folks who don't experience the dynamic this way: thoughts? Does this seem
> like an unwelcome way of viewing dancing, or a distraction from the purpose
> of contra? Are there any out there who have experienced both sides of this
> mentality, and can pinpoint the switch for us?
>
> Maia
>
> On Wed, Jan 2, 2013 at 11:08 AM, Perry Shafran <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> 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
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