I have been to many dances where gendered calling is the norm and it consistently leaves me frustrated and at times has made me question whether to continue. In gendered calling communities I have experienced the expectations of what I…
I love being able to dance either role. It has opened up a whole new world to me. I used to be bored, but now I know that I can give myself a pleasant challenge at any time by switching…
I am a 65 year old woman. For years I exclusively danced the “gent” role because dancing the “ladies” role hurts my right hip. It was a lovely relief when we switched to larks & robins to not be called…
I want to be able to dance with all of my friends, and gendered language and expectations mean that I can’t dance with half of the dancers in the room, which sucks. People should be able to dance with everyone.
Growing up in our Contra, Square, and English dance communities, I’ve always danced both roles, because why not? Children aren’t born with binary gender beliefs — those limits are taught and imposed. As a cisgender little girl dancing in the…
One of the deepest regrets in my life is that I have not had children. It was my dream to be a mother, and every Mother’s Day I feel excluded, less than whole, marginalized, and shunned. But should I expect…
I love being able to dance either role. It has opened up a whole new world to me. I used to be bored, but now I know that I can give myself a pleasant challenge at any time by switching…
I have been dancing in the contra community for 40 years. Each and every time I dance on the female-expected side (as a woman, lady, robin) of the set (how many iterations? thousands?) my body is touched in places that…
I choose my dance partners based on things like “this person is new and would benefit from an experienced partner” or “this person is my friend and I’d like to spend time with them.” I don’t choose my partners based…
A celebration of gender diversity and dancing with everyone: Variety is the spice of life! I would much rather dance with all kinds of people presenting in different ways than get bored with a full line of men or a…
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