The 1964 film with Dudley Kaufman calling also shows the same variety of 
swinging styles from ballroom to various barrel holds.
Bob

> On Mar 26, 2024, at 16:13, Jeff Kaufman via Contra Callers 
> <contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> 
> Looking through old media to figure out what swing positions were common 
> sounds like fun!  I think video might be more promising?  Here's a few 
> annotations of a video, where the numbers are timestamps and each bullet 
> describes the couple that's in the middle of the frame at the timestamp.  I 
> only counted each couple once:
> 
> Cambridge MA, 1990: https://youtu.be/dC0qQYWjdh0?si=JWkNH0g93yo6VWrC
> * 3:41: lady's hands behind gent's arms, gent's right hand behind lady's 
> back, gent's left hand behind lady's arm
> * 4:12: outer arms making a point, gent's right hand behind lady's back, 
> lady's left hand behind gent's shoulder
> * 4:14: outer arms making a point, lady's left hand on gent's shoulder, 
> gent's right hand on lady's back
> * 4:44: outer arms making a point held way out, lady's left hand behind 
> gent's shoulder, gent's right hand on lady's back
> * 5:16: outer arms overlapping, inner hands on backs with lady above gent
> * 5:17: outer arms making a point held low, gent's inner hand on lady's back, 
> lady's inner hand behind gent's shoulder
> * 5:18: outer arms making a point and held out, gent's inner hand on lady's 
> back, lady's inner hand behind gent's arm
> * 5:48: both lady's hands behind gent's shoulders, gent's left hand behind 
> lady's elbow, gent's right hand behind lady's back
> * 5:49: outer arms making a point, gent's right hand behind lady's back, 
> lady's left hand behind gent's shoulder
> * 5:50: outer arms making a point, gent's right hand behind lady's back, 
> lady's left hand behind gent's shoulder
> 
> The "outer arms making a point, gent's right hand behind lady's back, lady's 
> left hand behind gent's shoulder" hold, which I think of as the standard 
> today, was about half of them, but there was quite a lot of variation.
> 
> I tried to do this with a Fitzwilliam 1975 clip, but there were too many 
> cuts.  The 1964 video would be another one to try?
> 
> Jeff
> 
> On Tue, Mar 26, 2024 at 3:33 PM Julian Blechner via Contra Callers 
> <contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> Responding to various points. 
> And, obligatory acknowledgement that there's always regional differences 
> (and, perhaps ultimately that is what this thread is really about?)
> I beg you forgive me for directness, and please assume a friendly tone and 
> desire for friendly discussion, as that's what's intended.
> 
> I just thumbed through two big choreo milestone books marking approximately 
> the beginning of the less-1s&2s age of contra - Balance and Swing, and Zesty 
> Contras - and absolutely Ted Sanella and Larry Jennings.
> The short version: despite being contemporaries and the books published a 
> year apart (1982 and 1983), they describe slightly different swing holds, 
> where:
> - a gent's right hand is either on the waist on the small of the back 
> (Sanella) or a little higher (Jennings, via the illustration on the cover 
> which he points out in the description is what to follow)
> - a gent's left hand is either a typical ballroom palm-up supporting the 
> lady's right hand (Sanella) or behind the lady's right upper arm (Jennings, 
> with Sanella noting the variation as well) - with a lady's hands
> - a lady's left hand is resting on the top of the upper arm (Jennings) or 
> "behind the upper arm" (Sanella)
> 
> So even in 1982/1983, there was no agreed traditional swing position, and 
> holds described by both did include women holding men in ways that were 
> supporting from behind rather than everyone agreeing that their hand is 
> "resting on top" as with other couples' dances.
> Obviously dance evolves over time, and I'll circle back around to that after 
> I touch on some specific points:
> 
> RE: Joe: "They lean back or sideways or press back against the Leftie’s 
> supporting right hand."
> Agree, these are bad habits. The "leaning back" may be describing "the 
> feeling of centripetal force", but also I have definitely experienced people 
> who lean back.
> 
> RE: Neal: "both-palms-flat swing  ...  forces the swing together because you 
> are limited to the length of the shorter arm."
> I don't think this is accurate.
> This was covered elsewhere in the thread. The shoulderblade isn't small, and 
> adjustments can be made to adjust for height or size differences. There's 
> always exceptions, sure. 
> Certainly, when I swing young kids, we're not doing shoulderblades. Then 
> again, they have a lot less mass than an adult, so there's less support 
> that's needed to be given.
> 
> RE: Neal: " putting your palm in the middle of my back means you’re going to 
> be on top of me."
> I agree, however, a good flat-palms swing hold is not in the "middle" of the 
> back. There's a gap between shoulderblades, so a hand in the middle is 
> partially off the shoulderblade.
> I like how Lisa Greenleaf describes it as the curve of the hand often can 
> naturally curve around the shoulderblade.
> 
> RE: Neal: " if partners are the same height/arm length then the arms are 
> coming in at the same point and going to the same point, resulting in 
> collision. SOMEONE has to adjust up or down AND forward."
> I mean, I suppose, technically speaking? But I think everyone on this list 
> here has been dancing for years, and "elbow collisions" isn't a thing I've 
> really experienced or heard discussed.
> So, I conclude that this may in theory be possible, but people just ... do 
> it? 
> As a lark/lefthand role, my right arm comes into a swing from a bit of an 
> under-scooping motion. As a robin/righthand role, my left arm comes in more 
> open and I wait half a moment to let the lark engage their right arm before I 
> try and wrap my right arm around.
> It's similar-ish to the anticipation leading into a good connection on a star 
> promenade.
> 
> Further to this point, if I were using the traditional "woman left arm rests 
> on top", I'd have to wait until the lark's arm has engaged, anyway.
> Which means that traditionally, women have done that extra bit of work in the 
> dance of that waiting, reading the other dancer's movement, and timing their 
> own move --- and I wonder how much of that had gone unnoticed. 
> 
> This all said, the explanation that you give, Neal, may not work as wellwhen 
> it's not taller men dancing with shorter women. 
> Some women are tall and dance the Robin/Righthand role.
> Some men are tall and dance the Robin/Righthand role.
> Some women are shorter and dance the Lark/Lefthand role.
> Some men are shorter and dance the Lark/Lefthand role.
> Some men dance with men, some women with women. 
> Etc.
> 
> So dancing requires a need to adjust our arms to "make a swing work for both 
> people" as a universal and generic skill.
> Thankfully, I think it's one that's actually more automatic than it may seem!
> 
> Regardless of how we discuss the technical and kinesthetic aspects of contra, 
> I teach (and I think most callers teach) that dancers need to adjust 
> themselves to every partner and neighbor, and find a happy medium that works 
> for both people. 
> If someone doesn't want to put their hand flat on my shoulderblade, that's 
> fine and I'll adjust by limiting my upper-end swing speed.
> I think we all share the value that a skilled contra dancer can adjust their 
> style to meet another dancer's differences in size, height, ability, 
> tiredness, injury, age, etc.
> 
> In dance,
> Julian Blechner
> 
> 
> On Tue, Mar 26, 2024 at 11:28 AM Neal Schlein <nschl...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Julian,
> Regarding both dancers trying to put their palm flat on the other persons 
> back, I agree with Joe. 
> 
> The both-palms-flat swing does multiple things. 
> 
> First, it forces the swing together because you are limited to the length of 
> the shorter arm. I’m six feet tall with broad shoulders and long arms—putting 
> your palm in the middle of my back means you’re going to be on top of me. I 
> don’t care who I’m dancing with—I want space, and I’m not OK with that.  With 
> a standard hold, I can give partners lots of space.   (Also, I sweat from the 
> head a lot. You want that space, and no one wants their hand on my back.)
> 
> Second, if partners are the same height/arm length then the arms are coming 
> in at the same point and going to the same point, resulting in collision. 
> SOMEONE has to adjust up or down AND forward. This means a changed angle for 
> one person, and due to the change in angle a shortening of the hold to match 
> the arm that adjusted (usually on top), thereby pulling the swing closer 
> together than otherwise necessary…which also puts the other person’s arm 
> (typically lark, and also typically longer) in a non-natural position, which 
> is likely to be physically uncomfortable and potentially harmful. 
> 
> Neal Schlein
> Librarian, MSLIS
> 
> 
> On Sun, Mar 24, 2024 at 1:24 PM Julian Blechner via Contra Callers 
> <contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> Hi Joe,
> 
> You mean, palms flat on the back of shoulderblades? If so, it's how I teach 
> it, lots of callers teach it, and this is the first I've heard a complaint 
> about it.
> 
> That said, you describe: "I've had my elbow bent backward by eager robins 
> pressing my elbow in to get their elbow in the right place."
> 
> That _sounds like_ what I call "arm clamping". While yes, putting Robin's 
> hand on the outside of the shoulder also alleviates the clamping, it's not 
> the only way to fix it. A Robin can lift their elbow. (I just workshopped the 
> issue with my partner in the living room to test a variety of height and 
> holds out to confirm what you were saying, as well.)
> 
> The other issue is that if both dancers don't have hands flat on the backs of 
> each other, it's more difficult to maintain an open frame when swinging. One 
> usually winds up _closer_ when hands are resting on shoulders, unless one 
> dancer is significantly stronger and the other is fairly petite.
> 
> I know that my right arm will get seriously fatigued and sore if I have an 
> evening too many times as Lark with Robins providing insufficient support. 
> And I've heard plenty of dancers say similar. 
> 
> That said, all bodies are different. If yours works where the swing hold 
> works better for you the way you describe, that is what it is, yeah? But I 
> might recommend considering workshopping swings further, because what you're 
> requesting is counter to prevailing teaching. If I understand correctly (and 
> it's always possible I'm missing something.)
> 
> In dance,
> Julian Blechner
> 
> 
> On Sun, Mar 24, 2024, 1:13 PM Joe Harrington <contradancer...@gmail.com> 
> wrote:
> Not the standard ballroom, with the robin's arm on top of the lark's, but an 
> alternative that I've seen occasionally, but for a number of years now, where 
> the robin tries to put their left hand in the same location on the lark's 
> back as the lark has their right hand on the robin's back.  I know at least 
> one prominent caller who teaches this hold in their newbie workshop and tells 
> their dancers that both sides need to do this to provide equal support in the 
> swing.
> 
> While I like the principle, the practice can hurt. If the dancers are not 
> grossly mismatched in size/arm length, it won't be possible to do this 
> without their elbows occupying the same space.  I've had my elbow bent 
> backward by eager robins pressing my elbow in to get their elbow in the right 
> place.  Even if it doesn't go all the way to pain, it pretty much eliminates 
> my ability to provide any support, unless I "fight back" by pushing my elbow 
> out and resisting the inward pressure, essentially refusing the position.  
> I'm also focusing entirely on protecting my elbow, so it kills any enjoyment 
> in that swing.
> 
> Please gently discourage this hold.  If a robin wants to give major support 
> in a swing, the symmetric swing holds, the barrel, the one Jeff described, or 
> even a mirror of the ballroom where the lark's arm is on top are much better 
> opportunities.  A robin whose arm is longer than their lark's arm can also 
> reach over or around the shoulder in a ballroom hold (robin's arm on top) to 
> add support.  Just don't push down on the shoulder.
> 
> --jh--
> 
> 
> On Fri, Mar 22, 2024 at 9:21 AM Julian Blechner <juliancallsdan...@gmail.com> 
> wrote:
> JJ,
> 
> I like your point about the sort of code-switching that the asymmetry of a 
> ballroom hold provides to reinforce what role one is dancing.
> 
> Joe,
> 
> I don't understand what you mean about the ballroom hold having elbows occupy 
> the same space. I think I'd need to see it (in person or picture). That said, 
> it raises the broader issue, which is the overall topic, that everyone has 
> different physical needs and finding happy mediums is our goal for everyone 
> dancing together. Your issue with ballroom hold handholds as such is a good 
> reminder for me that no one - not even seasoned callers - can anticipate 
> every need or difference.
> 
> In dance,
> Julian Blechner
> 
> On Thu, Mar 21, 2024, 10:38 PM JJ <jcg...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Personally for me, the standard ballroom swing helps me to "flip the switch" 
> in the brain on which side of the swing I'm "supposed to" end on (assuming 
> we're not switching roles back and forth for fun lol). If my left arm is the 
> "pointy arm," I'm ending on the left; if my right arm is the "pointy arm," 
> I'm ending on the right. I don't have to consciously tell myself "I'm the 
> Lark" or "I'm the Robin," my muscle memory just takes over and I just end on 
> whichever side my arm position tells me to 😅.
> 
> I enjoy neutral swings, but if we're not planning on switching roles without 
> warning through an individual dance, I tend to stick with the traditional 
> ballroom figure.
> 
> On Thu, Mar 21, 2024, 22:33 Jeff Kaufman via Contra Callers 
> <contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> "At the time, it almost never happened that the one in the lady's role 
> actually swung like a lady.  I'm not sure when that became the norm."
> 
> When I started dancing both roles, around 2005, I remember initially doing it 
> as you said, with gender-neutral swings with the gents I encountered.  I 
> remember being surprised sometime around 2006-2007 when I ran into a few guys 
> dancing switch who indicated they wanted to do the standard ballroom hold.  
> By 2008-2009 I think my male friends and I were dancing the lady's role in 
> the standard way?
> 
> Jeff
> 
> On Thu, Mar 21, 2024 at 10:16 PM Joe Harrington via Contra Callers 
> <contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> I love the barrel hold, but some of my partners have reacted in a way that 
> indicated it was too intimate for them.  This is especially true if I have to 
> lean over to do it, as that puts my face pretty close to theirs (I'm pretty 
> tall).  It's also difficult to do without frontal contact if one or both 
> partners is well on the heavy side.  But, all that aside, if you and your 
> partner like fast swings, it's a great hold, more stable than ballroom, with 
> four arms providing support rather than one.
> 
> In the late 1980s and early 1990s, when guys danced the lady's role (using 
> the terminology of the time for reasons you'll see in a moment), we'd almost 
> universally be offered the "gender-neutral swing", which is symmetrical and 
> very stable for fast swinging: both right arms are around the other's back 
> and both left arms go over/around the other's right arm, bend 90 degrees at 
> the elbow, pass between you, and clasp left hands around each other's 
> forearms between your bodies.  At the time, it almost never happened that the 
> one in the lady's role actually swung like a lady.  I'm not sure when that 
> became the norm.  I would occasionally do it with a particular guy partner 
> whom I liked to dance with.  We practiced it first and then did it with each 
> other, but we gender-neutral-swung our neighbors.  We got some pretty 
> surprised looks from our neighbors when we swung each other. At least one guy 
> asked me if that partner and I were an item.  Times and role terms and what 
> people read into dance behavior change...
> 
> In general, I'm quite happy to swing with guys in either role when they're 
> happy to swing with me.  But, it's awkward and uncomfortable in the extreme 
> to be going up an entire line of consecutive frowns, growls, and looks of 
> disgust as a guy dancing the robbin...enough that I haven't returned to the 
> dance weekend where that happened in Fall 2022, even though it was pretty 
> great in other ways.
> 
> The one swing style I really dislike is a modified ballroom position where 
> the robbin tries to put their hand on the lark's back in the same place where 
> the lark's hand is on theirs.  I know some people actually teach it this way, 
> I guess as some kind of equality thing.  It's terrible, because their elbow 
> and the lark's elbow then have to occupy the same space, which, well, 
> physics.  If I'm the lark and their arm is outside mine, when they try to 
> provide support, it hyperextends my right elbow, eliminating any chance I can 
> provide support and sometimes inducing pain before I can either force my 
> elbow back out, displacing their hand from my back, or pull my arm up to rest 
> it on their arm in a mirror of the traditional ballroom hold.  I hope we can 
> convince everyone to stop teaching this hold, as it usually doesn't work as 
> intended and it can hurt the lark.
> 
> One assist that does work in ballroom position and requires no communication 
> is, if the robbin's arm is as long as or longer than the lark's, they rest 
> their left arm on the lark's right, extending the entire length of the arm 
> and then reaching around/over the lark's shoulder to provide some support on 
> the shoulder blade.  In my case, at least, if they are short enough that they 
> can't do this, then they're often also light enough that additional support 
> isn't critical, though it does make for more connection.  It's important not 
> to press down on the shoulder, though. Only pull forward.
> 
> --jh--
> 
> 
> On Thu, Mar 21, 2024 at 12:52 PM Julian Blechner via Contra Callers 
> <contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> At the last couple of dances in the last few days, I thought about this email 
> thread and observations.
> 
> Short and simple:
> A "barrel hold" swing: 
> - Seemed to provide a little bit more space than a ballroom hold
> - One neighbor offered it (by chance) really clearly, as a lark, with his 
> left arm curved into a sort of "offer a hug" type position. As we engaged in 
> the swing hold, he placed his left arm in place, and it guided things in. It 
> worked pretty well for me, at least as an experienced dancer.
> 
> In dance,
> -Julian Blechner
> 
> On Sat, Mar 16, 2024 at 4:18 PM becky.liddle--- via Contra Callers 
> <contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> I can’t answer whether the robin's would always HAVE to go above the lark’s 
> in the modified ballroom swing, but I would intuitively think that having 
> that rule/understanding might make it easier for dancers to make the 
> transition from ballroom to modified ballroom because the robin’s arm is 
> always on top in standard ballroom swing. Also, the lark’s hand is typically 
> cupped upwards with the robin’s hand above the lark’s in things like a 
> balance or even a handhold in a circle move, so having the hand/arm 
> orientations the same in the swing would also seem more intuitive to me if I 
> were just learning this swing. 
> Becky
> 
>> On Mar 16, 2024, at 12:25 PM, Katherine Kitching via Contra Callers 
>> <contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>> 
>> Hi John, thanks for all your comments. I like this swing at 
>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUiXStkCHGs from 0:05 to 0:15 - for spacing 
>> -- and I'm going to introduce it at our next dance!  Though what I think 
>> Becky found interesting about the variation we're working on is that it 
>> retains the "pointy hands", which can be useful. 
>> 
>> The one thing that I was confused about when I read your message:  you say 
>> when you tried the swing variation our group has been experimenting with 
>> (visual at 
>> https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ebotfe2jksbr3dqbjyiuf/Modified-Ballroom-Swing-elbow-hold.jpg?rlkey=ekblzvpc2tk2hkbtfrh9u96au&dl=0
>>  )
>> -- you say that you found the grip insufficient, for the arms that are 
>> holding just above the elbow.
>> 
>> But in my mind, this hold that me and my partner are doing with his left 
>> hand my right hand ,  is supposed to be the same as the hold you use in this 
>> video of yours - (but in your case, your left hand and her right hand.)
>> Maybe I didn't execute it properly, but it is what I intended: 
>> https://youtu.be/yUbi1B2Edk0?si=HL-3jgI95LtGZBQ_&t=198
>> Starts at 3:18.
>> Thoughts?
>> 
>> Also, is anyone able to answer my question to Winston - 
>> 
>> Is it a given, due to something in the asymmetric nature of the hold, that 
>> in this video referenced by Allan - 
>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ0R5iHT-l8 or in the photo I shared above 
>> via Dropbox, that the Robin's arm will *always* go above the Lark's arm?
>> 
>> Or could the placement of the arms vary depending on the relative height of 
>> the two dancing partners?
>> (for example with a 6' tall Lark and a 5' tall Robin, would the Robin's arm 
>> still be above the Lark's? 
>> 
>> Thanks all!
>> Kat K in Halifax
>>> John Sweeney via Contra Callers
>>> Thursday, March 14, 2024 7:23 AM
>>> Hi Kat,
>>> Yes, I thought you meant something like you show in your photo. When you 
>>> mentioned Jeff's photo I did wonder, as it is what I call a Foreshortened 
>>> Hold in my video and brings you closer together rather than further apart.
>>> 
>>> I picked up the Foreshortened Hold from the cover of Zesty Contras and love 
>>> it. I was surprised when I analysed the 600 dancers at a contra dance at 
>>> The Flurry and realised that nobody else was using it!
>>> 
>>> We tried your Modified Ballroom Hold Swing and didn't feel that it really 
>>> worked. With my right arm underneath there didn't seem to be enough 
>>> connection to have a really good swing unless Karen gripped my arm. I felt 
>>> that my hand might slide down. With my right arm on top Karen felt that it 
>>> was pulling on her shoulder even though I wasn't gripping - it was just 
>>> awkward. So, sorry, but I won't be using that one.
>>> 
>>> Re all the references to sore arms/hands/wrists/etc. The biggest problem is 
>>> that people are told to "give weight". I don't want your weight! People 
>>> misunderstand and lean back or sideways. If people control their own weight 
>>> then all the connection has to do is counter centrifugal force and that it 
>>> not a lot inless you spin really fast.
>>> 
>>> I always start a Swing lesson by getting the dancers to Buzz on the spot BY 
>>> THEMSELVES. Then when they connect they keep their own balance and weight.
>>> 
>>> I have had major operations on both my shoulders (too much Repetitive 
>>> Strain Injury from another style of dance that is taught badly, and then 
>>> lots of Aerials: https://youtu.be/CJnL_Y63AnY?si=RqKHSw5MQmhiuIFT - maybe I 
>>> shouldn't have started doing those in my fifties!). Anyway, I can't afford 
>>> to let people damage my shoulders. With a good partner I can Swing at high 
>>> speeds with no problem. Whenever someone leans back or sideways I just slow 
>>> the Swing down and lessen my connection so that they have to take their own 
>>> weight or fall over.
>>> 
>>> Anyway, if you can get everyone to keep their own weight you will find it 
>>> is much less strain on your arm/hand/wrist.
>>> 
>>> The standard Quebecois Swing has the feet interleaved. They seem to do it 
>>> without any problem. It is just a different feel and takes some getting 
>>> used to.
>>> 
>>> Someone mentioned the challenges with being too close in a Ceilidh Swing 
>>> (http://contrafusion.co.uk/SwingWorkshop.html#Ceilidh ) - you could always 
>>> try the Forearm Swing instead 
>>> (http://contrafusion.co.uk/SwingWorkshop.html#Linked ) - same principle, 
>>> but further apart so no bodily contact.
>>> 
>>> Happy dancing,
>>> John 
>>> 
>>> John Sweeney, Dancer, England j...@modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802 940 
>>> 574
>>> http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>> becky.liddle--- via Contra Callers
>>> Wednesday, March 13, 2024 10:20 PM
>>> For me, the enforced intimacy is about the proximity of bodies and lack of 
>>> physical air space between them. The huge difference between a swing in 
>>> contra vs., say, agreeing to dance a waltz or a swing dance with someone, 
>>> is that by agreeing to dance you’re agreeing to swing with EVERY 
>>> opposite-role person in the line, not just the person you asked to dance. 
>>> That’s a much bigger commitment to physical contact/intimacy than saying 
>>> yes to one person. 
>>> 
>>> As a side note, before we got rid of a lecherous dancer in our group a few 
>>> years ago, MANY women in our dance group chose their contra dance line 
>>> specifically to avoid having to swing with him. The most important 
>>> intervention was, of course, to establish a code of conduct which we used 
>>> to remove him from the dance group (when it became clear he would not agree 
>>> to change his behaviour). But for women (and others, but it’s always been 
>>> women who have said this to me over the years), when they come to a dance 
>>> not KNOWING whether there MIGHT be a letch in the line, it is asking quite 
>>> a lot to expect them to do a ballroom swing with whoever comes at them. I 
>>> am wondering whether the modified ballroom hold might make contra feel 
>>> safer, especially for new dancers. 
>>> 
>>> I’d love to hear what folks who have used both feel about the difference. 
>>> 
>>> Becky
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On Mar 13, 2024, at 4:34 PM, Julian Blechner <juliancallsdan...@gmail.com> 
>>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> I would love to read elaboration / articulation on why a ballroom hold 
>>> feels more "intimate" than other holds? 
>>> 
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>>> Julian Blechner via Contra Callers
>>> Wednesday, March 13, 2024 5:34 PM
>>> I would love to read elaboration / articulation on why a ballroom hold 
>>> feels more "intimate" than other holds? 
>>> 
>>> Is it a matter of the historical social attachment we have in our minds 
>>> with couples dances that use the hold, and romance in our culture?
>>> 
>>> Is it a physical proximity? (I find ceilidh holds to be closer, crossed 
>>> arms has my hands bearish their belly which has its own intimacy to me, 
>>> though sometimes barrel holds can be done with a bit more space - though I 
>>> wouldn't say the default)
>>> 
>>> Is it something else?
>>> 
>>> Maybe if we looked at the why, it'd give insight to what a solution to an 
>>> alternate swing hold and/or an adjusted mindset might entail?
>>> 
>>> In dance,
>>> Julian Blechner
>>> He/him
>>> Western Mass
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
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>> 
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