On Sun, 17 Sep 2023 07:26:50 -0700, Rich Goss via Contra Callers wrote: > Does anyone slip in a ceilidh style dance at a contra? Some of the mixers > work well at contra dances. Also, > it's an opportunity to give new dancers brains a break. I suspect this > practice is more common in the UK. > Colin, feel free to chime in.
I'm always happy to parade my prejudices! But it's very seldom in England that I call a "contra dance". I call a "dance", which will usually include contras, squares, Playford, modern English (from either side of the pond) and ceilidh-style (also called "traditional English") such as Morpeth Rant or Dorset Four-hand Reel. I am actually calling a "mainly American" dance for my local club the Hitchin Staplers on 7th October: https://staplers.org.uk/latest.html Originally Geoff Cubitt was booked to call - he's probably the best caller of American Squares and Contras in England - but he had to pull out so I'll be doing a programme with a lot of American in it. But I'm still planning to call two genuine Playford (Grimstock and The Merry Merry Milkmaids), probably four modern English - and actually no ceilidh! Colin Hume _______________________________________________ Contra Callers mailing list -- [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected]
