Dance Terminology Information

FolkMADS is now hosting Gender-Free dances using the terms Larks and Robins. Read on for more info about these terms! Please note that Robin has replaced Raven. 

  • Dances and roles in the dances don’t change. The term Lark replaces Gent, and the term Robin replaces Lady. If you’re a Lark, then you end the swing on the left.  If you’re a Robin, then you end a swing on the right.
  • If you’ve danced the Gent role for as long as you can remember, you have absolutely no obligation to try to be a Robin  – feel free to dance as a Lark all night long!  And the same for people who always dance as a Ladies- you can be a Robin until your face hurts from smiling!
  • Gender-free calling is not the same as role switching mid-dance. While it allows folks who love to do role switching to do that with a bit more ease, don’t expect that you’ll need to try it!

Why are dance organizations across the country switching to Larks and Robins?

#1 To separate gender identity from contra dance calling. The number one reason to use “Larks and Robins” is to be more inclusive of our LGBTQ friends who feel excluded by the terms “Lady” and “Gent”.

#2 To make switching mid-dance less confusing. More and more, dancers of all ages enjoy switching roles mid dance. They enjoy having fun in the dance, and sometimes taking the Gent/Lark role and then the Lady/Robin role and playing within the structure of the dances. Switchy dancing when using “Ladies and Gents” roles can create additional confusion in the dance because all of a sudden you may be dancing with a male presenting person in the “Ladies” role. That’s where the popular phrase “dance with who’s comin’ at cha,” came from.

#3 To make people who dance the role that is opposite than their presented gender more comfortable. Some women really like to dance the “gent” role, and some men really like to dance the “lady” role. Other dancers sometimes give them a hard time about it, they might teasingly say “you’re the prettiest lady around” to a man dancing the “lady” role. This is often laughed at, but really it isn’t funny and it isn’t welcoming.

#4 To make dancing more accessible to kids. Sometimes a dad wants to dance with his son, or a mother with her daughter. The terms “gent and lady” make this more difficult and less accepting of having a girl dance the “gent” role, or the son dance the “lady” role. In other cases, two boys might want to dance together, or two girls might prefer dancing together because boys are gross and girls have cooties.

What using Larks and Robins is not trying to do:

There are going to be many dancers who will want to continue to dance the same roles they have for many years and that’s fine! The use of Larks and Robins is not trying to make everyone dance a role they aren’t comfortable dancing.  There are women who will only dance Robins and there are many men who will only dance Lark, and there is nothing wrong with that!

Additional Links: 

* Some of these resources refer to Larks and Ravens, for some time that was the more common combination for this terminology, although Larks and Robins is more common today. 

 

New Mexico Folk Music and Dance Society