Dale said, "Don't teach advanced techniques to new dancers. Forget the buzz step."
Sorry, but I must disagree most strongly. In an average evening of contra dancing you will spend nearly thirty minutes swinging (if the dances are in the Modern Urban Contra Dance style rather than the older styles). I think it is incredibly unfair to a newcomer to make them suffer for thirty minutes rather than teach them how to swing. They can also cause a lot of suffering to whomever they are swinging with if they have lousy technique. I would not agree that it is advanced either. I strongly believe that a couple of minutes teaching the basics of a buzz step swing will give everyone a much more enjoyable evening. Some of them won't get it, but for those that do it can completely change their experience of the evening. Happy dancing, John John Sweeney, Dancer, England [email protected] 01233 625 362 http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
