More Henry Morgenstein
Over a year ago, I wrote about Henry Morgenstein, a contra dancer and caller who had written a bunch of essays on contra dancing. Well, he’s still writing; there are new essays on his site. I particularly enjoyed Analysis of a bad contra and Great Callers – How They Prepare.
I also enjoyed reading one of his older essays, in which he talks about how English contra dancers like complicated, intricate contras, while American contra dancers like lots of swinging. In it, he says something relevant to the difference between MWSD and (American) contras:
If you always went to a dance with your partner (wife) and almost always danced with just one other person, what is the point of intense eye contact, of dances with long swings, of dances that are repeated & repeated & repeated?
Since you go with the same person each time, and dance with the same person all night long, your interest is in the dance: the moves, the progression, the structure. Once you’ve mastered that dance, it is time for another dance.
If, as is the case in the U.S., every dance is with a different partner, you want dances that contain eye contact, long swings, and you want the dances to last for a long time.
I sometimes enter my name into a search engine (I have learned this is called “vanity surfing”) and twice now I’ve come across your flattering comments about my web site, my essays.
Thanks! You are kind, and you are extending everybody’s knowledge about different forms of dance.
The contra dance community does not know enough about squares and they are not open enough to new experiences. I live half of the year in England (my wife is British) and I call “American” dances in England. When I do what most contra crowds in America want me to do — call a whole evening of contras, no squares — I invariably get British dancers coming up to me and asking me to please call a few squares.
I am learning to call squares. I’ve attended two week-long square dance callers workshops led by Larry Edelman. I am not very good, but twice now I’ve called squares at a dance in England. I also am building a dance room at the back of my house in Traverse City (almost finished!) in order to invite friends over so that I can learn to call squares.
I don’t think I will ever be an accomplished square dance caller (it is much-much harder than calling contras), but I do want to learn to call a few good squares. Good squares are great fun. Contra dancers need to learn to appreciate squares.
Once again, thanks for your flattering comments, and maybe, someday, our paths will cross on the dance floor somewhere.
Fondly, Henry Morgenstein