Dances

The dances at CTY are similar to school dances, as the conduct is very like a regular old school dance. The music selection, aside, of course, from the Canon, is a mix of common contemporary pop and rap, esoteric rock to appease those who appreciate it, and songs that invite people to show off their skill at certain types of dance. Examples of the latter include swing dances, techno for ravers, and songs that are not on the Canon (yet) but have dances associated with them anyway. These include the CTY Shuffle (Icecream by Lou Bega), Cotten Eye Joe (by Rednex), and Numa Numa (Dragostea Din Tei by Ozone).

Some campers who opt not to attend certain portions of the dances are sometimes welcome to return to their dorms, where their fellow campers wage war (Risk and chess), "not gamble" (Playing cards), and play alternative selections of music or watch movies, supervised by RAs. Others remain in the dance area, and talk to people around them. It is also possible to see someone buried in a book, if the need overtakes them.

If a group of campers takes particularly strong offense with any song, especially in daylight hours, it is common to see them stage a protest. Students may lie down on the open grass, and remove their left shoe to be held in the air, to show that the song being played is "not right". This can result in the campers involved being harassed by the counselors themselves, if the song is one that the counselors feel the campers should enjoy. Other campers will protest in different ways. Some dissent against certain songs of the Canon, and will be seen prancing around a gathering or circle when certain slower songs are played.

The left shoe protest is also said to exist because "God didn't give us two left feet to dance to bad music."

Canons

The sites have a variety of traditions as to which songs constitute the Canon. The Canon is the set of songs which must be played at all CTY dances. The Canon varies at each site, and even at each session in some rare cases.

Go to the 'Canon' page for a complete explanation and list of Canons.

Afterdances

There are also different variations of the Afterdance which, I believe, only occurs during Lancaster's two sessions. Since the first and second session Afterdances vary slightly, they will now receive their own page. Yaaaay!