High Level Dancing – One Man's Opinion
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In the mid-1950s, twenty years before the formation of CALLERLAB, modern square dancers were arguing about what was called "high-level dancing." In later years, that high-level morphed into the various programs: Plus, Advanced, and Challenge.
Kraus points out the desire of some dancers for more intricate choreography and for wanting to dance with similarly-skilled folks. At the same time, he reminds readers that many dancers are interested in a more casual activity. He concludes by asking everyone to "concentrate on human values, and meeting the basic recreational needs of the dancers." In this, Kraus is similar to the view frequently espoused by Lloyd Shaw: "Keep it simple; keep it folk!"
Writing in The New England Caller (January, 1957), Boston square dance leader Charlie Baldwin referenced this article:
"The most dispassionate and level-headed appraisal of the controversy over "high-level'' square dancing which we've seen is Dick Kraus's article, reprinted from the Westchester County Square Dance Bulletin in the current issue of Northern Junket (Vol. 5., No. 11). As a fair-minded statement of both sides of a ticklish subject, we highly recommend it to all interested dancers and callers. It pretty well sums up our own observations here in the Boston area these last few years."
Subjects: Transitional/Western 1950s
Tags: Dick Kraus, high level dancing
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| This Item | is related to | Item: Song of the HIGH-LEVEL Dancer - poem |
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In the mid-1950s, twenty years before the formation of CALLERLAB, modern square dancers were arguing about what was called "high-level dancing." In later years, that high-level morphed into the various programs: Plus, Advanced, and Challenge.
Kraus points out the desire of some dancers for more intricate choreography and for wanting to dance with similarly-skilled folks. At the same time, he reminds readers that many dancers are interested in a more casual activity. He concludes by asking everyone to "concentrate on human values, and meeting the basic recreational needs of the dancers." In this, Kraus is similar to the view frequently espoused by Lloyd Shaw: "Keep it simple; keep it folk!"
Writing in The New England Caller (January, 1957), Boston square dance leader Charlie Baldwin referenced this article:
"The most dispassionate and level-headed appraisal of the controversy over "high-level'' square dancing which we've seen is Dick Kraus's article, reprinted from the Westchester County Square Dance Bulletin in the current issue of Northern Junket (Vol. 5., No. 11). As a fair-minded statement of both sides of a ticklish subject, we highly recommend it to all interested dancers and callers. It pretty well sums up our own observations here in the Boston area these last few years."