Dances
Dances are occasions during which people dance.
General
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."
Lancaster
Dances at Lancaster can take place in a few different places, depending on weather and other factors. The primary location is on the main quad, in front of the dining hall. However, in the event of rain, the dance (along with all the speakers and such) is moved to the ASFC, which some people prefer, but which has a tendency to get rather hot. In the extremely unfortunate event of rain coupled with an ongoing event in the ASFC (such as a craft fair), the dance is moved to Mayser Gym, which practically nobody prefers and which has a rather more pronounced tendency to get really hot really fast.
There are usually five dances at Lancaster: first Friday, first Saturday, second Friday, Second Saturday, and the last Friday (real Thursday). The dances usually last from about 7 to 10, although the final one is extended by about half an hour to accommodate the slideshow. On the nights of dances, nice RAs will extend lights out slightly to allow Afterdance participants to properly prepare for sleeping or sleepovers.
Music at Lancaster dances is rich in Canon, with all of the Upper and half of the Lower being played at each dance. On the day of the final dance, Lower Canon songs are played at lunch and/or dinner so that traditionalists may hear all the Canon and non-traditionalists get plenty of regular dancing music at the dance.
Carlisle
Dances at CTY Carlisle take place in ATS, the Anita Tuvin Schlecter Auditorium. There are four of them in a session:
1. The evening of First (or "moderate") Saturday 2. The evening of second Friday 3. The evening of Second ("Big") Saturday 4. The evening of the Last Thursday
Dances 2 and 3 are back-to-back dances, which probably contribute to the general lack of energy in the third week of camp. The dance on the Last Thursday is shorter than the other three, being from 8:00 to 10:15, whereas the others start at 7:00.
It should be pointed out that there exists a "mellow quad" with board games and things for students who do not wish to participate in the dance. They don't know what they're missing....
Dance music at CTY Carlisle consists of a mixture of canon, "CTY favorite" songs which are NOT canon (usually changes from year to year), and other, generic dance music. Dances are rife with traditions, generally in reference to specific songs. Some examples:
"Sandstorm" always results in circles around a few central ravers, despite RA efforts to break this "exclusive" tradition. "The Time Warp" is always performed with the moves outlined in the song lyrics ("It's just a jump to the left....") On "Blister in the Sun," the entire dance floor goes steadily lower during the whispering sequence. The dance to "Tunak Tunak Tun" involves a combination of dancers in the seats (doing a somewhat indescribable arm-movement sequence) and conga lines on the floor, although occasionally the lines move into the stands as well. Sometimes individual dancers freestyle on the floor, though this is relatively rare. "American Pie," of course, is the most tradition-laden song, with specific phrases to be yelled, dance moves (corresponding to lyrics), and massive amounts of circle-swaying, also known as cornucopia.
Dances at CTY Carlisle are an experience, one of the most memorable parts of the camp, in this CTYer's humble opinion. From the songs, the speakers, and the students, everything is alive and moving (including the floor). Thus is the spirit of dances at CTY.
Los Angeles (LMU)
LMU dances take place from 7:00 to 10 or 10: 15 the first two Friday nights and Thursday night the third week. From my experiences, they usually take place in doheney courtyard. Like other CTY sites, "Sandstorm" features a few ravers and the occasional breakdancer. Sometimes even the RAs (Jason Boring) join in the raving. At every second session dance there is a lime green fuzzy jacket that is passed around the dancers.
Usually large bags of Doritos and Lay's are out as well as a jug of warm lemonades with cups that usually run out before the end of the dance.
For people who do not wish to participate in the dancing, a movie (usually Disney) is played in "Paradise Lounge," or they can sit on the sidelines and play card or board games.
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!
