[Callers] Pre-existing dance?

Tue Oct 18 11:59:20 PDT 2016

As someone with an academic background in the field of Folklore, the way we
talk about attribution and authorship bothers me.

(NOTE: what I'm talking about here is distinct from trying to track down
the source of a dance you collected somewhere, or according respect to the
first person to dream up a sequence.  Both of those goals are entirely
legitimate.)

The dance Luke described was created by him, not Mark Goodwin.  The
sequence happens to be the same as one dreamed up by Mark Goodwin at a
previous place and time, which is very important to know, but Luke's
creation was independent and should be attributed to Luke.  If we attribute
everything to the first person ever to dream up a sequence, we are grossly
misrepresenting how dances are created and spread.

When we attribute Luke's dance to Mark, we are saying that Luke (and
everyone else) got the dance from Mark, or from a source tracked back to
Mark.  That is factually incorrect in this case; Luke can point to when and
why he came up with the dance.  Legally, it would also mean we are claiming
that Mark holds the only legitimate copyright claim, which is again both
incorrect and total nonsense (as copyright usually becomes when applied to
folk genres).

As both an academic and participant in our tradition, I want to know if
many people independently came up with the same dance (making it a FOLK
DANCE).  Otherwise, I am falsely giving credit and responsibility to a
single creative genius.  The difference between those two is a significant
matter in the question of how folklore is created and who owns it.
Personally, I feel our cultural tendency to accord authorial rights has
misled us.

So please...if you came up with a dance put your name on it along with some
of the details---and then tell me who else came up with it, too.  Don't
just stick their name on it.

Just my 2 cents.
Neal

Neal Schlein
Youth Services Librarian, Mahomet Public Library

Currently reading: *The Different Girl* by Gordon Dahlquist
Currently learning: How to set up an automated email system.

On Tue, Oct 18, 2016 at 8:31 AM, Luke Donforth via Callers <
callers at lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:

> Thanks. I'll attribute it to Mark Goodwin.
>
> On Mon, Oct 17, 2016 at 11:03 PM, Michael Barraclough via Callers <
> callers at lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>
>> I have that exact dance as To Wedded Bliss by Mark Goodwin (2014). I use
>> that in my Lesson and then, after teaching ladies chain and right & left
>> through, follow that with my dance The Lesson (2009) which is
>>
>> A1 -----------
>> (8) Neighbor Do-si-do
>> (8) Neighbor swing
>> A2 -----------
>> (8) Ladies chain
>> (8) Long lines, forward and back
>>
>> B1 -----------
>> (8) Right & left through
>> (8) Partner promenade across
>> B2 -----------
>> (8) Circle Left 3/4
>> (4) Balance the Ring
>> (4) Pass through
>>
>>
>> and yes, I know it doesn't have a swing - it's in the lesson and I want
>> to  minimize the use of partner swings so that new couples don't get bad
>> habits.
>>
>> Michael Barraclough
>> www.michaelbarraclough.com
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>> On Mon, 2016-10-17 at 22:45 -0400, Luke Donforth via Callers wrote:
>>
>> Hello all,
>>
>> I was thinking about what I do at the "welcome to our contra dance"
>> introduction, and what dance would easily move in to that. Noodling around
>> with moves, I thought of a sequence with glossary moves, but I didn't have
>> it in my box. Anyone recognize it?
>>
>> Improper
>>
>> A1 -----------
>> (8) Neighbor Do-si-do
>> (8) Neighbor swing
>> A2 -----------
>> (8) Men allemande Left 1-1/2
>> (8) Partner swing
>> B1 -----------
>> (8) Promenade across the Set
>> (8) Long lines, forward and back
>> B2 -----------
>> (8) Circle Left 3/4
>> (4) Balance the Ring
>> (4) Pass through
>>
>> During the introduction, I often teach the progression with a "ring
>> balance, walk past this neighbor", and I wanted something that included
>> that. There are lots of great accessible dances with that (The Big Easy,
>> Easy Peasy, etc), but I'm not seeing one with a partner promenade
>> (something I also use in the introduction; to go from a big circle to lines
>> of couples for a contra set).
>>
>> If someone already wrote it, I'll happily give them credit. If not, I'll
>> call it "If you can walk, then you can dance" (which I'll note is not an if
>> and only if statement).
>>
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>
>
> --
> Luke Donforth
> Luke.Donforth at gmail.com <Luke.Donev at gmail.com>
>
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>
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