[Squaredancing] When in Rome.....

[Clark Baker]

On Dec 21, 2005, at 11:30 AM, Lars Erik Morell ((AL/EAB)) wrote:

> I once was at a caller clinic held by Dave Wilson in Barmstedt Germany.
> I was dancing in Dave's demo square with some US callers and some 
> German
> and Danish callers. There were three palms up (aka chicken wings), two
> downs (aka penguin), one forearm, one horizontal with handhold and me.
> Of course nobody wanted to change but me. So having a 
> me/down/up/forearm
> wave was interesting when the call was Swing Thru.
> I had to Arm Turn Right down. Take forearm with left. And Arm Turn left
> with forearm and take handhold up with right. Etc

One might wish that someone, perhaps Callerlab, just set some standards 
and made everyone stick to them.  In a sense Callerlab's styling 
committee did this back in the 1970's.  My understanding is that it 
involved a lot of after midnight dancing and trying each of the 
suggestions.  The styling committee wrote up a recommended styling.  
However, New England didn't change, and the A&C communities do their 
own thing.

Here is an old piece of e-mail on the subject that I sent on this list 
in 1997...

Date:  Wed, 16 Jul 1997 10:27:14 -0400 (EDT)
From: Clark Baker <cmb>
To: Multiple recipients of <squaredancing at mail.eclipse.net>
Subject:  Up or Down (was Newbie etiquette question)

The periodic hands up or hands down discussion has returned.  Dick 
reported on
a message from a Callerlab member indicating that Callerlab voted a 
while back
that it recommends (not dictates) MS to A2 is hands up and Challenge is 
hands
down.

My memory and current understanding differs.

I have been a Callerlab member since ~1980 and have attended all 
meetings
except one.  My recollection is that the styling committee documented 
"hands
up" and that is what was passed.  At the time, most of the country was 
dancing
hands up except for New England, Challenge dancers, and some Advanced 
dancers.
Many years later, New England was still dancing "hands down" and 
another motion
was passed which allowed for "regional styling differences".  This 
allowed New
England (and other areas which don't follow all of the "official" 
styling) to
not be in violation of the rules.

To summarize, I believe that Callerlab has passed two motions related to
styling.  The first was the styling documents with which we are all 
familiar.
The second was to allow reagional styling differences.  This is 
different from
what Dick's Callerlab member told him and he told us.

---------------------------------

My personal comments on "hands up" vs. "hands down".

1) It isn't up to the individual dancer to decide which one they want 
to use.
We are a group activity and the 8 dancers in the square should be using 
the
same handholds.

2) There are more than "hands up" and "hands down" handholds.  Hands 
down
sometimes has a forearm grip and sometimes has a hand grip.  The hands 
up that
we use is different from the hands up that contra dancers use.

3) The "hands up" or "hands down" handhold is only used on certain 
calls or in
certain formations.  The handgrip in the center of an Allemande Thar is 
usually
a packsaddle.  This is danced the same by the "hands up" and "hands 
down"
groups.

4) The call Touch 1/4 was one of the few published with explicit 
styling.  It
said that the touch action was to be done hands up.  Even in New 
England (a
hands down area), Touch 1/4 is often danced hands up.  I believe this 
is left
over from when it was first taught.

5) When my club has out of town visitors, I often change my styling to
accommodate them for a while until they figure out how we dance and 
adapt to
it.  It doesn't take long because one receives several hints per call.

6) A special workshop was held at Callerlab two or three years ago which
discussed, among other things, handholds.  It attempted to discover the
benefits and drawbacks of each.  I don't know if a report was ever 
published.
Perhaps some of the participants will share their recollections.  One 
thing I
remember is that hands up tends to promote more eye contact because 
your eye is
often looking at where your hands are.  Maybe that is why Challenge 
dancers are
perceived to be robots marching around and never looking at anyone.

7) At some level, every decision Callerlab makes is a recommendation 
(vs. a law
or a mandate or a rule).  It is remarkable how well some of its 
recommendations
have been followed in the past (the identification of dance programs, 
and the
strict adherence to the calls on each).

8) I don't believe we can change the existing hands up or hands down 
styling.
I don't believe that square dancing will be better if we did, or even 
if we
tried.  Spend your energies elsewhere.

--
Clark Baker, Belmont, MA
cmbaker at tiac.net