Why swings in every dance - because that is a huge part of the contra experience, a swing with the person that you asked to dance.
Why should the partner swing follow the neighbor swing - because this is an art form, not an exercise routine. The storyline of a contra is the uniting of partners, not the the breaking up of partners (that's my preference anyway). And in practical terms, I want to be with my partner at the end of a dance to thank them quickly before finding another partner. "Squares are just like contras, only you have to listen" - this is not correct. Some things that people to not like about squares - less movement/music connection due to lack of strict phrasing having to listen to the caller breaks the movement/music connection teaching time mixer squares breaks the partner connection visiting squares leave people "out of the dance" for long periods. I find squares and contras completely different. On Wed, Jun 24, 2015 at 11:47 AM, George Mercer via Callers < [email protected]> wrote: > I may not be a good example or even that good a caller, but ... I like > swings, I have no need to have a neighbor swing in every dance and most > certainly don't care where in the dance the neighbor swing happens. That's > making up rules for the sake of having rules. I like the buzz step, but to > put it mildly there are many dancers with whom a buzz step is impossible, > difficult or merely uncomfortable. I teach a walking swing and sometimes > demonstrate a buzz step with a little time for practice. Far too many > callers and beginner workshop instructors teach a buzz step in a way that > promotes bouncing, which in turn makes swinging difficult or worse. I've > also heard more than one caller-instructor tell dancers that to "give > weight" (an inadequate term) they should lean back. Just kill me. As a > dancer, I often combine a walking swing-with a buzz step -- especially if > we have gotten out of sync with the music. I come down on to the floor when > I think it's required. On two occasions recently while dancing, the person > I was dancing with said, "Well, this a dance the caller has never actually > danced before. If she or he had, she or he wouldn't have chosen it." Amen. > I was at an dance recently where a mixer was called near the end of the > evening. I'm not sure what that was all about. Once early in my limited > calling career,just as the first dance got underway about 20 newcomers > walked in. I then called several dances without swings, just to get them > acclimated to moving in rhythm and with the music. I'll never do that > again. I was too cautious and shouldn't have been. I honestly was afraid > the experienced dancers were going to hurt me. And they say I can't learn. > Perhaps my biggest peeve on the dance floor is the experienced dancers who > insist on sharing their bad dance habits (swinging backwards, excessive and > unexpected twirling -- I almost wrote twerking --, inappropriate dipping, > showing how athletic and fancy they are, etc.) with new dancers rather than > helping them learn the basic fundamentals, timing and courtesy. I love > squares. Not everyone does, but I often explain to people in my square, > "squares are just like contras, only you have to listen." And finally, > callers, please stop telling people that when they reach the end of the > line, "they're out." This seems to encourgae dancers to think, "Well now, > I don't have to pay attention." While they are on the floor they should > "stay in the dance." That just may be me. Thanks, George > > -- Cary Ravitz [email protected]
