As a caller, I am a pragmatist. I would rather base my actions on what I have observe than on my theories about how things "ought to be".
Greg, you have expressed your opinion about what's going on in the mind of callers and workshop leaders. You framed it in a very negative light. When you have such a negative attitude toward callers it comes through in your communication and your expectations are quite likely to be self fulfilling. (cheap shot, but I'm making a point I hope.) What I have observed is that new dancers who "jump right in" tend to have a lot of problems and cause a lot of disruption. New dancers who have attended a well presented workshop tend to have many fewer problems; express greater satisfaction with the dance; and come back more often. On the basis of those observations I chose to spend quite a bit of time observing how others presented workshops and learning how to present a workshop myself in a manner that will help new dancers enjoy themselves. I keep the parts that work and get rid of the parts that don't. I prefer an introductory workshop not because I have a poor opinion of new dancers, but rather because I feel as if people in general need a certain level of introduction to a new endeavor before they can perform well and feel comfortable. I feel that the time I spent learning to present a good introductory workshop was time well spent. If you don't observe positive results when you present a workshop for new dancers you are free to draw your own conclusions and act accordingly, but I don't think it is helpful to generalize about all introductory workshops on the basis of your theories about how things ought to be. Dale
