6 Aug
2025
6 Aug
'25
10:43 a.m.
Hi, everyone,
This happens more often than you'd think. My solutions are thus:
First, I do not like demanding new couples split up right away. I know that technically
that would be effective to help people out. But ostensibly, these people came to the
dance to dance with the people they came with. Thus instead of making it a demand, I say
I "highly suggest" that people dance with experienced dancers. But I really
want them to have them have the ability to choose their own partners. Thus, I allow them
to dance with each other if they would prefer. You *may* want to split up hands four,
though, since a couple will not be able to dance with the other couple that's their
friends right away. And arrange them so they are not spit out right away after 1 or 2
turns.
A more in-depth walk through for the first dance is warranted. Have a dance with a
neighbor swing before a partner swing, so they can get an experienced dancer guiding
them. If you do have a chain, have people chain to their neighbor for that guidance as
well.
And quite honestly, allow them to sink or swim after that. It'll never be perfect no
matter how hard you try, and they aren't going to "get it" right away.
Allow them to move, bop, have swings that are not smooth. In fact, please advise the
experienced dancers to show them how it's done, but ask them not to spend oodles of
time trying to perfect the swing in the middle of a walk through. That takes forever and
makes the swing look way more difficult as move than it ought to be, and it delays the
whole dance unnecessarily.
Above all, instill confidence in the new dancers that this is fun, you can do it, and as
long as you're having fun you're OK. Anything to make the dancers feel that they
need extra help has the potential for them to think that they don't belong there or
aren't good enough to dance with the experienced crowd.
Truthfully, I recall the days where many callers have suggested that "lessons make
people believe the dance is hard" and believed that dancing should be so easy that
anyone can walk in and dance and no lesson is needed. We as a dance community have made
dancing a little more difficult than that (and truthfully, it's not all *that* easy
for a lot of people who have never done this before to figure out), so allow some grace
and allow for mistakes. Like, I think it took me a good 6 months of contra dancing before
I really "got it" when I was starting.
Perry Shafran
On Tuesday, August 5, 2025 at 12:08:11 PM EDT, Gregory Frock via Contra Callers
<contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Dear Colleagues,
Here's the scenario: You are finishing up a new dancers' lesson, and will be
starting the dance in a few minutes. In walks a significant number (say 6+) of newbies,
all friends who want to dance together. Besides the two most common solutions, lower the
difficulty and insist they NOT do the first couple of dances together, does anyone have an
additional creative/elegant solution, enhancement actions to make the basics more
effective, or important issues for consideration that are commonly missed?
Greg_______________________________________________
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