In England we're not nearly so interested in the swing. I don't know whether this is because dancers are generally older, or because they're more likely to dance with the same partner a lot of the time, or because they like more varied choreography. I know I've said this before, but it seems that a lot of choreographers in North America think "Balance and swing neighbor, circle left three places, swing partner - OK, what shall I put in this dance?" And half the dance is gone.
I find I have a very different repertoire calling in the States from calling in England. And still the most popular contra in England (ever since I started dancing) is "Devil's Dream" which is a fast-moving all-action fun contra - with no swing. https://www.cambridgefolk.org.uk/contra/dances/devils_dream.html The old contras in books such as the Community Dance Manuals tended to have more neighbour interaction than partner, and the swing was usually with neighbour. In England I tend to call contras with a partner swing but no neighbour swing, and that opens up lots of interesting possibilities. In case this is too horrifying a prospect for Americans, I must point out that I've written a contra with THREE swings! https://colinhume.com/instl.htm#AltSwing Colin Hume _______________________________________________ Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net
