I get the impression that “men/ladies” is a common set of terms in the UK. I believe it’s less commonly seen as acceptable here in the US, as the two words are not parallel. In the early days of the Second Feminist Movement (mainly the 1970s) I seem to recall feminists objecting to the common practice of saying “ladies” rather than “women,” on the grounds that it downplayed their biology and hid them behind a mask of gentility. (This may be behind the objection of some female dancers and callers to the use of “ladies” even in conjunction with “gents.”) Of course “gents/ladies” and “men/women” are the parallel sets among commonly used terms. (At least “men/girls” is almost never heard these days.)
Tony Parkes Billerica, Mass. www.hands4.com<http://www.hands4.com/> New book! Square Dance Calling: An Old Art for a New Century (available now) From: John Sweeney via Contra Callers <contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net> Sent: Thursday, February 9, 2023 10:33 AM To: 'Shared Weight Contra Callers' <contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net> Subject: [Callers] Re: Gentlespoons/Ladles (from Rompin' Stompin') I also have many male dancers who don’t want to do ballroom-hold swings with other men. I always recommend the Double Allemande Swing: https://youtu.be/Ue0yCtjjbGs?t=107 I have offered this hold to countless men and ladies on both sides of the Atlantic and it always works easily and well. BTW When relevant I use Men and Ladies – I think the words are much clearer than the alternative gendered terms. Happy dancing, John John Sweeney, Dancer, England j...@modernjive.com<mailto:j...@modernjive.com> 01233 625 362 & 07802 940 574 http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
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