This page contains a handful of resources on gender-free folk dancing, and in particular on the terms Larks/Ravens, which are gaining traction throughout the contra world. It’s certainly not meant to be the definitive internet home of Larks/Ravens; it is, however, a collection of links and resources that I hope some people find useful!
In particular, we’re using this page for notes from our NEFFA 2019 session: Bird Talk: Why Larks and Ravens? If you missed the panel, you can listen to it in full here.
Got a resource that you think should be listed here? Contact me.
Larks/Ravens Links & Resources
History of Gender-Free Dancing
- Welcome to Gender-Free Dancing: A Historical Perspective by Chris Ricciotti
- An abridged version of the above document
- A Video History of LGBT Gender-Free Contra & Folk Dancing Around Boston, by Chris Ricciotti
Language and Surveys
- Compilation and comparison of various role terms by the Hampshire College Contra Dance & Ron T. Blechner
- Downtown Amherst Contra role terms survey results, June 2018
- Emerald City Contra (Seattle) role terms survey results for dancers who tried Larks/Ravens
- Montpelier VT Contra role terms survey (questionnaire only, no results)
- BIDA (Boston, MA) blog post on switching to Larks/Ravens (including survey results)
Writings
- Larks and Ravens: A Report from the Field by Dela and Dugan Murphy
- Some moving thoughts about the importance of non-gendered terms from Cera Jackson
Gender-Free Dancing Today
Trans* Resources
A lot of the conversation about de-gendering contra centers on the experience of transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming folks (often referred to by the umbrella term “trans*”). If you or someone you know needs a primer on these different labels, what it means to be trans*, and the specific challenges facing these groups, start here.
- Dancer and musician Aaron Marucs sharing their experiences as a trans person (audio; transcript is here)