I think Greg has made a very good, almost profound, if counterintuitive
point here about the benefits of "sameness". I've only been calling for
a few years and I'm still accumulating new dances that I'd like to try.
My stacks of dance cards include labels like "try some of these at the
next dance" and "tricky dances I'd like to call sometime", but the stack
I use the most is labelled "reliable and fun dances", which are dances
I've called many times and that always generate a positive and joyful
response from my dance community. Some of them (Spring Fever comes to
mind) seem almost painfully easy, others I've called so many times (like
Becky Hill's Becket in the Kitchen) that I sometimes worry the dancers
will get bored with my calling it, but that never happens. In fact I
sometimes get requests for that specific dance because it's become so
welcome and familiar to dancers. I would like to continue improving my
skills and expanding my repertoire of dances, but I also have to keep in
mind that my principal role is to bring joy to the dancers on the floor.
Lewis Land
On 8/21/2012 9:19 AM, Greg McKenzie wrote:
On introducing triplets David Smuckler wrote:
Just do. Trust a good dance to "speak to" the dancers about why it is
good. Anything unfamiliar requires a bit of a leap, but if we never take
that leap our dances will feel more and more the same, and what fun is that?
Well, the fun in that is precisely that "sameness." Uncommon formations
and figures appeal to many dance enthusiasts. When calling an open, public
contra dance, however, it is good to keep a few things in mind:
- Our public contra dances are not merely a "gathering of dance
enthusiasts." They are an offering from our dancer communities to the
larger community--including new dancers and many non-enthusiasts. As such
we invite first-time dancers and first-time contra dancers to
participate--without any prior instruction or preparation. This is the
heart and soul of contra dancing and it's greatest strength is the dance
form's ability to "sweep in" new dancers without lessons.
- At open public dances the real fun comes from meeting and sharing your
passion for dance with many new, charming, and interesting partners. If
you offer too much that is "different" or "interesting" you run the risk of
undermining that core purpose of the event.
- There are many forms of social and expressive dance available in our
world today. If we attempt to compete by offering "interesting" or
"challenging" dances at our open, public events we will lose that race.
The purpose of open, public contra dances is to be a fun, community social
event. Too much teaching can easily undermine that purpose.
- The fun of an open, public social dance with joyful and spirited music,
is something all of us can share. This is true no matter how experienced
or sophisticated the dancer is. It is the caller's job to make this event
"work." If the caller dominates the evening with lots of verbal
instruction and lecturing then they are not making this open, public social
event "work."
- The fun at open, public contra dances comes from the variety of people we
interact with and the spirited and varied music played by the live
orchestra. Being "challenged" by new material is not appealing to many who
attend these events. Why alienate a third of your audience?
- Everyone can enjoy the more simple dances that are accessible to
everyone. Experienced dancers can be "challenged" to lead the newcomers
quickly through the dance and to get everyone dancing with little or no
walk-through. The "challenge" at these dances is to be an effective host
and to work closely with the caller to make the event "work" well. The
caller's job is to make this process fun for everyone.
- Triplets and other unusual formations certainly have their place. Before
introducing such material at an open, public contra dance, however, the
caller should carefully consider how it will affect the social purpose of
the event and make sure that they can make the dance "work" for everyone
with little or no verbal "teaching-from-the-mike."
Enough for now.
