Michael wrote: "... The way to swing..." and went on to describe a buzz step
swing.
In my opinion, this is one way to swing, not _the_ way to swing. A walking swing
is traditional in parts of the country-- the southern Appalachians-- for example
and that carries over to many contra dancers in that region. Sure, the buzz step
is the norm in most modern urban contra settings, but it's possible to have a
great time (and to be a fine dancer) without utilizing it.
A walking swing is also, IMHO, far more comfortable when a band is playing very
fast.
As a side note, it works just fine to have one dancer doing a walking swing while
the partner is doing a buzz step.
David Milltone
Lebanon, NH
P.S. And then there are communities with rich square dance traditions-- e.g.,
Missouri and the Ozark region of Arkansas-- where dancers are continually doing
a lively jigging step to music played at very fast-- e.g., 140 beats per minute--
tempo. Amazing to watch...
