Katy,
Thank you for introducing this subject.
One of the greatest ironies of the contra dance "movement" is that,
by convention, the most wonderful bands, and callers--because of
their notoriety--are most often scheduled at events, camps,
festivals, and dances where newcomers seldom attend. Consequently,
the first experience, for most of us, with contradance is not the
inspiring experience of an exciting event in a hall filled with
regular dancers, a hot band, and a caller with the knowledge and
experience of integrating newcomers.
Thank you for considering alternatives to this convention.
Keep in mind that there are many ways to work on integrating
newcomers. A separate orientation is certainly not the best and, it
could be argued, is not even a good way to accomplish this integration.
Personally, I actively encourage newcomers to sign up for camps,
festivals, and special events. With a good caller this can be the
best introduction to the magic of contra dance.
I am interested in other views on this.
- Greg
***********
At 10:23 AM 8/12/2010, you wrote:
My dance organization, Hands Four Dancers of Ithaca, likes to offer
a beginners' workshops before an evening dance. We are now
discussing whether or not to make this official policy for ALL
events, including the day-long Fiddlehead Frolic in April. The
Frolic begins in the early afternoon and, in 2011, will probably
include a welcome contra dance with the featured band, then a couple
of breakout sessions (contras with a second band vs. music workshop
w/featured band; ECD vs. squares), then a contra medley; followed by
potluck and an evening dance.
What are people's thoughts about the value of a beginners' workshop
at such an event?
--Katy Heine
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