Swingin’ Tern will be trying out some different terms at the November 2nd dance. The caller Alex Deis-Lauby will be using the terms “Larks and Ravens” rather than “Gents and Ladies”. Over the last several years, in the general dance population, there has been an increasing number of dancers who would prefer that dances use role terms that don't indicate gender, to make it clearer that anyone can dance any role. Larks and Ravens have become the most popular non-gendered dance role terms for contra dancing and are in use at dances across the country. This is just a test flight to see if this terminology works for our crowd.
Why are you doing this? What’s wrong with Gents and Ladies?
We have had feedback from some in the dance community that they’re not comfortable with gendered dance role terms and would prefer to go to a dance that doesn’t use them. For transgender and gender non-conforming dancers, gendered role terms can be exclusive or hurtful.
We feel that the new terminology makes it clearer that roles in contra are dance roles, not gender roles, and so it better encourages people to try dancing both roles and dance with people regardless of their gender. This also could make it easier to find partners, with fewer dancers left on the sidelines when there is a gender imbalance.
Why the birds? Is there a reason?
The “
L
ark” starts the dance and ends swings on the
L
eft, and the “
R
aven” starts the dance and ends the swing on the
R
ight. Also, “Larks” and “Ravens” have the same syllables and accents as “Gents” and “Ladies,” so it’s easier for callers who are used to "Gents" and "Ladies" to switch from the old terms to the new terms.
For the time being, this is just a test to see if Larks and Ravens are a good fit for the Terns. Same dances, same people, new syllables. Come out and give it a try on November 2nd!