Posted on Sep 1, 2023
At Kansas City's new gender-neutral square dance, every pard'ner is welcome
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You won't hear gendered terms like "ladies" and "gents" at a new square dance in the West Bottoms. Organizers of this do-si-do scene put an inclusive spin on the traditional American art form.
On a sweltering Saturday night last month at The Emerald performance space in the West Bottoms, a string band tuned up for an old-fashioned square dance.
It’s common for shindigs like this one to include references to gender. Traditional callers often use terms like "ladies" and "gents" to call out the steps. But here, violinist Rachel Krause has kicked off a new type of community dance. Oddball Hoedown brings all folks into the fold, no matter their gender.
“It is a queer-centered space," Krause said. "But all oddballs and weirdos alike are welcome, and those who have this shared placement of value upon, like, inclusivity and celebration and respect.”
It's a feeling Krause has wanted to share with people who've felt left out of conventional folk dancing — something special about how fiddle music gets people out on the dance floor, they said.
On a sweltering Saturday night last month at The Emerald performance space in the West Bottoms, a string band tuned up for an old-fashioned square dance.
It’s common for shindigs like this one to include references to gender. Traditional callers often use terms like "ladies" and "gents" to call out the steps. But here, violinist Rachel Krause has kicked off a new type of community dance. Oddball Hoedown brings all folks into the fold, no matter their gender.
“It is a queer-centered space," Krause said. "But all oddballs and weirdos alike are welcome, and those who have this shared placement of value upon, like, inclusivity and celebration and respect.”
It's a feeling Krause has wanted to share with people who've felt left out of conventional folk dancing — something special about how fiddle music gets people out on the dance floor, they said.
At Kansas City's new gender-neutral square dance, every pard'ner is welcome
Posted from kcur.org
Dancing
Kansas City
Gender
LGBTQ+
Posted 9 mo ago
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Why would anyone care about someone's gender in square dancing...we did it with all girls in gym class for years.
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Calling the dance steps
For some people who fall outside the gender binary, the traditional way of calling out dance moves — using "ladies" and "gents" — can be confusing. Caller Charlie Myers' goal tonight is to keep all the dancers moving, and use language that makes sense for everyone.
“We use 'larks' and 'robins' because the first letter of each word is L and R, so (they) go with 'lefts' and 'rights,'” Myers said.
Without the constraints of gender, each dancer is free to do-si-do as a lark for one number and a robin the next.
Throughout the night, Myers commanded the dance floor from the microphone at the front of the stage.
“People who are looking for partners … if anybody’s still looking for partners, just go ahead and raise your hand,” Myers said.
They walked the dancers through basic moves to kick start each dance — they're not hard, are fairly self-descriptive, and dancers don't need to memorize anything before they show up, Myers said.
Learning the dance steps is just part of the fun. And before long, everyone was swinging their partner, and dancing like old pros.
Myers said there’s a magical moment that happens when everyone has learned the steps.
“Once everybody's kind of jamming, it's just the music and the dancers, and everybody's completing the moves all together," Myers said. "You'll hear, 'whoosh whoosh whoosh, clap-clap!' ... Everybody on the beat.”
Myers, a recent transplant to the area from Asheville, North Carolina, has called dances for several years. When Krause started building a team for the event in Kansas City, it made sense to bring them on board.
“I think the spirit behind Oddball is radical inclusivity," Myers said. "We're trying to speak about things in a way to where everyone will be able to feel welcomed."
'Building this community of oddballs'
Off the side of the dance floor, Matthew Lawrence stood dressed in a black and white floral top and houndstooth skirt. It was Lawrence's first Oddball, and, with a little help from the caller, they got the hang of things pretty quickly.
“Charlie was a really good leader with calling and everything,” Lawrence said. “It was more fun than I expected.”
Peach Leach was also here for the first time. She was sporting black cutoff overalls over a rainbow bikini top. For her, using terms like larks and robins was an easy way to learn each dance.
“You can always tell who’s on the right and who’s on the left, so it doesn’t matter who’s leading and following," Leach said. "And it’s just great to, like, use gender neutral terms."
Organizer Rachel Krause said it's an opportunity to explore new things in a safe place. At Oddball, they said, everyone is free to lead or follow based on their own wishes.
”Being in this space where you may not have to subscribe to taking the lead in dance roles can also be a really powerful, beautiful thing for people to experience,” Krause said.
Western wear was the fashion of the night for dancers wanting to experience the do-si-do scene at Oddball Hoedown.
Julie Denesha
/
KCUR 89.3
Western wear was the fashion of the night for dancers at the do-si-do scene at Oddball Hoedown.
For them, it’s all about bringing an old tradition to a new audience.
“We are starting to see some regulars — I do call them oddballs,” Krause said. "You know, we are building this community of oddballs that are coming back, time and time again.”
Another Oddball Hoedown is in the works for late fall at The Emerald event space, 1715 W. 9th St., Kansas City, Missouri 64101. For more information, follow Oddball on Instagram.
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..."Calling the dance steps
For some people who fall outside the gender binary, the traditional way of calling out dance moves — using "ladies" and "gents" — can be confusing. Caller Charlie Myers' goal tonight is to keep all the dancers moving, and use language that makes sense for everyone.
“We use 'larks' and 'robins' because the first letter of each word is L and R, so (they) go with 'lefts' and 'rights,'” Myers said.
Without the constraints of gender, each dancer is free to do-si-do as a lark for one number and a robin the next.
Throughout the night, Myers commanded the dance floor from the microphone at the front of the stage.
“People who are looking for partners … if anybody’s still looking for partners, just go ahead and raise your hand,” Myers said.
They walked the dancers through basic moves to kick start each dance — they're not hard, are fairly self-descriptive, and dancers don't need to memorize anything before they show up, Myers said.
Learning the dance steps is just part of the fun. And before long, everyone was swinging their partner, and dancing like old pros.
Myers said there’s a magical moment that happens when everyone has learned the steps.
“Once everybody's kind of jamming, it's just the music and the dancers, and everybody's completing the moves all together," Myers said. "You'll hear, 'whoosh whoosh whoosh, clap-clap!' ... Everybody on the beat.”
Myers, a recent transplant to the area from Asheville, North Carolina, has called dances for several years. When Krause started building a team for the event in Kansas City, it made sense to bring them on board.
“I think the spirit behind Oddball is radical inclusivity," Myers said. "We're trying to speak about things in a way to where everyone will be able to feel welcomed."
'Building this community of oddballs'
Off the side of the dance floor, Matthew Lawrence stood dressed in a black and white floral top and houndstooth skirt. It was Lawrence's first Oddball, and, with a little help from the caller, they got the hang of things pretty quickly.
“Charlie was a really good leader with calling and everything,” Lawrence said. “It was more fun than I expected.”
Peach Leach was also here for the first time. She was sporting black cutoff overalls over a rainbow bikini top. For her, using terms like larks and robins was an easy way to learn each dance.
“You can always tell who’s on the right and who’s on the left, so it doesn’t matter who’s leading and following," Leach said. "And it’s just great to, like, use gender neutral terms."
Organizer Rachel Krause said it's an opportunity to explore new things in a safe place. At Oddball, they said, everyone is free to lead or follow based on their own wishes.
”Being in this space where you may not have to subscribe to taking the lead in dance roles can also be a really powerful, beautiful thing for people to experience,” Krause said.
Western wear was the fashion of the night for dancers wanting to experience the do-si-do scene at Oddball Hoedown.
Julie Denesha
/
KCUR 89.3
Western wear was the fashion of the night for dancers at the do-si-do scene at Oddball Hoedown.
For them, it’s all about bringing an old tradition to a new audience.
“We are starting to see some regulars — I do call them oddballs,” Krause said. "You know, we are building this community of oddballs that are coming back, time and time again.”
Another Oddball Hoedown is in the works for late fall at The Emerald event space, 1715 W. 9th St., Kansas City, Missouri 64101. For more information, follow Oddball on Instagram.
Tags
Arts & Life Arts & CulturedancegenderKansas City Missouri (KCMO)entertainmentWest Bottomsbluegrass/country/folkMusiclive musicLocal musicAudio FeatureLGBTQ+
Julie Denesha
Julie Denesha is the arts reporter for KCUR. Contact her at [login to see] .
See stories by Julie Denesha
Latest Stories
A picture of the U.S. Capitol is on the left of the photo collage, an aerial picture of a combine driving through a golden field is on the right.
The farm bill expires this month, and Congress still needs to decide what it will cost
Cupped hands hold reddish and white grains of corn. Mexico has dozens of native corn varieties, including this Bolita Belatove from Oaxaca.
Corn has deep roots in Mexico. Now efforts to ban GMO corn place culture and trade at odds
Kansas City, MO police investigate a crime scene on Troost near 35th Street in November 2020.
News
Kansas City Police made arrests based on rescinded warrants, records show
Kris Kobach
Politics, Elections and Government
Federal judge upends court order allowing transgender Kansans to alter birth certificates
Support news that matters in Kansas City
KCUR serves the Kansas City region with breaking news and powerful storytelling.
Your donation helps make nonprofit journalism available for everyone.
Donate Now
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As work continues on the installation behind her, New York-based artist Sarah Zapata poses for a photograph in the atrium of the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. Zapata’s new work explores local lesbian histories.
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Willi Carlisle is worth seeking out, Roger Catlin wrote for The Washington Post in 2017; "Carlisle has a poetry in describing songs passed down through generations as a most precious cultural commodity, and a passion and immediacy in performing them."
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Taking a peek at what the camera is capturing, photographer Susan Pfannmuller looks at the back of her camera.
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Hanna Barczyk for NPR
Study: Missouri women are vastly underrepresented in appointed state boards and commissions close"...
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