I’m on several email lists related to square dancing. Recently, one group has been outstanding in terms of discussion about important issues like complexity and dance evolution. That group is trad-dance-callers. The list started several years ago (the earliest posts I have saved are from August 1998), and recently switched from a private host to yahoogroups, which resulted in a resurgence of activity. As Ridge Kennedy says, the original purpose was to serve as a place to meet for traditional and modern square dance callers:

The original trad-sd list was created specifically to encourage the sharing of dances and traditions and information and history and other good stuff, whatever it might be, and to serve as a bridge across a perceived divide
between the “Traditional” dance community and the “Modern Western” dance community.

At any rate, the discussion has been great recently. If you have an interest in our roots and in successful dance programs that don’t involve a ton of complexity, this is the list to be on. And let the people who get bent out of shape every time someone mentions contra on the sd-callers list keep to that list.

Recently mentioned on trad-dance-callers, two articles about complexity and the problems with the direction that MWSD took:

• David Millstone – Complex Dances
• Chip Hendrickson – Keeping Those Traditional Roots