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9/21/2011

I was highly amused to discover that New York City-area dancer Sam Kleinman is compiling a Contra Purity Test over on his web site. He says it's a work in progress on the page, so maybe we could go give him a few suggestions.

(For starters, running a blog and a Facebook page about this stuff ought to count for something....)

Perry

9/21/2011 12:32:09 am

37 for me! :)

Jeff Kaufman link

9/21/2011 12:53:36 am

Perry

9/21/2011 01:23:55 am

Let me change that - I did it wrong...the number would actually be 29 (some answers changed, but the number is the number of NO answers, not the number of YES answers...)

dest/jess(ie)/etc.

9/21/2011 10:32:05 am

33. I'd feel like a contra wimp...except that i don't play an instrument and i'm too introverted to call or to ask most people for dances, which adds points right there.

Ryan link

9/21/2011 10:06:40 pm

Jess,

Not playing a musical instrument and not being particularly inclined toward public speaking (the kind where I'm actually in the room with a largish audience, as opposed to the blogosphere or smaller groups) kinda did me in too. Well, that and the fact that one of my knees protests loudly every time I even think about committing acts of morris. :-P

Ah well. Fun to think about anyway.

Ryan

dest/jess(ie)/etc.

9/22/2011 04:17:55 am

Hrmmm...does seem weighted towards certain kinds of contra folk. Perhaps we need some additional questions, like
"Have you ever planned to attend a contra while away on a trip that had nothing to do with dancing?"
"Have you ever made plans to attend a contra while away visiting someone who doesn't dance?"
"Have you ever dragged a newcomer to a dance? --ever dragged more than 3 at once?"
"Do you know what a 'hip cool dancer' is? Have you grumbled about them while secretly wishing you could dance with them? Have you ever been called a 'hip cool dancer'?"
"Do you know which line is the "celebrity line" at your dance?"
"Have you ever danced contra in a country you didn't live in?"
"Have you spent time practicing flourishes for a role you don't usually dance?"
"Have you ever taught someone else a flourish for a contra role you don't normally dance?"
"Have you ever blues swung/sleazed or dipped someone without knowing their name?"
"Do you frequently flirt with people you'd never even consider dating?"
"Did you learn flirting on the dance floor?"
"Have you ever repaired your dance shoes with duct tape? --and chosen brightly colored tape so you wouldn't mix your shoes up with anyone else's?"
Wow, i'm having way too much fun with this.

Trouble

9/22/2011 04:18:19 am

25

...but I had to count Washington DC and Toronto, Canada as "states" in order to say Yes to question 71.

Some things that I think the list is missing:

-Have you ever booked more than three dances ahead? ("Not this one, not the one after that or the one after that, but the next one?")

-Have you ever booked the entire second half of an evening of dancing before the end of the intermission?

-Have you ever booked the entire second half of an evening of dancing before the end of the last dance of the first half?

-Have you ever danced every dance in an evening, including every contra, every waltz during the break, the waltz at the end, the hambo, etc?

-Have you ever danced at a non-local regular (weekly/monthly) contra?

-Have you ever traveled more than an hour out of your way just to dance at a non-local regular contra? (i.e. NOT a dance a weekend or special event)

-Have you ever gone to dance at a non-local regular contra specifically because of a band or caller?

-Have you ever deliberately skipped your regular contra specifically because of a particular band or a particular caller? (note: Not that anyone should be proud of this, mind you, but it does happen.)

-Have you ever purchased an article of clothing specifically for contra dancing?

-Do you have enough contra-specific clothing that you can pack a bag full of it?

I'm sure there's a bunch more that I'm missing. Anybody else have suggestions?

-Steve.

Ryan link

9/27/2011 11:54:43 pm

-Have you ever worn a skirt to contra, even though you'd never wear one elsewhere, just because you like how it twirls?

-Skirt-wearers: Does every skirt you own have to pass the "twirl test?"

-Have you ever asked someone to dance just because they were wearing a fun skirt that you wanted to see flare out in a twirl?

-Has Jordy Williams ever promised you a dance "sometime next year?"

-Do you understand the above reference?

-Have you ever hopped out of the line right before a dance, leaving your partner to hold your place, gone up to the head, and told every couple on the way down the line whether they were a 1 or a 2 to make taking hands four go faster?

-Have you successfully done a walkthrough with "ghosts" while waiting for your partner/neighbor to join you in line?

-Can you do a dance with no walkthrough?

-Do you have opinions on dance floors (e.g., "I like venue X because of its sprung wood floor. Venue Y is horrible because it's got a tile floor over concrete.")

-Do you understand the concept of defensive dancing? (alas...)

-Have you ever danced even though you had an arm sling/spaceboot/etc. on to protect an injury? If yes, did you manage to do flourishes while in this state, without aggravating said injury?

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