One of the problems with same-gender swings in the ballroom position is the awkward moment of who does what role. Especially when this is being done with someone who was not selected as a partner, this can be awkward and make people uncomfortable, irregardless of homophobia or not. Anyone who knows me knows that I am not homophobic but being forced into a same-gender swing annoys me just because you have to negotiate in a split second who will do what how.
Janet -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Dave Casserly Sent: Wednesday, April 10, 2013 1:33 PM To: Caller's discussion list Subject: Re: [Callers] Suggestions for particularly flirty contra dances? If men in the UK are so uncomfortable touching another man that they don't want to swing (which is, in its essence, simply placing one hand on the man's back and one on a hand, not exactly an intimate embrace), that is unacceptably homophobic. I know there are some on this list who don't agree that callers have any part in "social engineering" or letting our calling reflect our values as humans, but personally, if I were asked to call a dance where the men were that afraid of touching each other, I would have no problem with challenging their perceptions by asking them to swing with each other (obviously there are some people afraid of touching other people for other reasons, but in that case, their fear isn't gendered). In that situation, a little "stress" is appropriate; I have no problem with causing homophobic people some minor stress when it's their own awful views that lead to their stress. I'm not a big fan of Galway swings. I like to standard, ballroom-position contra swing, which is quite easily learned from either position once you know how to share weight and buzz-step. Galway swings seem to tend towards people trying to swing as fast as possible, rather than form a real connection and dance with their partner. -Dave On Wed, Apr 10, 2013 at 10:25 AM, John Sweeney <[email protected]>wrote: > There have been suggestions that same-gender interaction can be > stressful. In my experience this is especially true with men in the UK. > > Someone said "My impression is that most urban contra environments > have at least a few people who swap genders". This may be true in the > USA, and lots of ladies in the UK do take the man's role where numbers > are not balanced. But very few UK men take the lady's role on a > regular basis. > > When I do I often find that other men appear to be uncomfortable with > a close-hold swing. I normally now go for a Galway Swing when I meet > another man for a swing: Start with an Allemande Right hold, hook your > left fingers around the other man's right elbow and buzz-step - makes > for a great symmetrical swing. > > Here is a dance that uses it to give same-gender swings without stress: > > Galway Swing (by John Sweeney) > Contra; Improper > > A1: Men Galway Swing > Partner Gypsy to an Ocean Wave (Men in the middle with Left > hands) > A2: Balance the Wave (R/L); Slide to the Right (Rory O'More) > Ladies Galway Swing > B1: Neighbour Gypsy Meltdown into a Swing > A2: Long Lines Go Forward & Back > A2: Half Hey (Ladies start Right Shoulder) - Men look for a new Man > after passing Right Shoulders with the old Man > > The main challenge is stopping your swing at the right point so you > can flow into the gypsy - plan ahead! > > > Happy dancing, > John > > John Sweeney, Dancer, England [email protected] 01233 625 362 > http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent > > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > [email protected] > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers > -- David Casserly (cell) 781 258-2761 _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list [email protected] http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
