12 Jun
2013
12 Jun
'13
6:07 p.m.
Personally, if there is a significant number of new dancers, I try to
avoid using technical terms for figures until I have taught them. I
know that 'advanced' dancers hate this. However, my experience is that
this is much more effective (try watching the most effective callers and
you will see that this mostly what they do). Yes - advanced dancers can
help new dancers if they know what they are going to be doing. However,
this usually doesn't happen. What does happen is that the advanced
dancers launch themselves into the figure and the new dancer cannot see
what has happened and gets confused.
In this case, my preferred language is to say '.... end in long wavy
lines along the set/line, xxx facing out, yyy facing in or end in
short wavy lines across the set/line, xxx on the outside, yyy in the
center'.
The technical (short-hand) term for the figure can be associated with
the figure either later during the walk through or a few turns into the
dance.
I also reserve tidal wave as a term for a wavy line down the center of
the set.
Michael Barraclough
www.michaelbarraclough.com
The On Wed, 2013-06-12 at 18:43 +0100, Colin Hume wrote:
On Wed, 12 Jun 2013 10:07:05 -0700 (PDT), Michael
Fuerst wrote:
In contra dancing, at least in the tradition on
this side of the
Atlantic, specialized names for figures should be avoided whenever
possible.
But "ladies chain", "hey", etc. are all specialised names for
figures. We use them because they are a shorthand which people
recognise.
A caller can teach a figure and designate name
for prompting during
the dance.
Are you saying that it's OK in the walkthrough to say "I'm going to
call this a tidal wave" and then call "New neighbour allemande left
all the way to tidal waves"? If so I agree with you. I do think a
caller needs to make a distinction between a wave of four across the
hall and a long wave up and down the hall, and the easiest way to do
this is to use the phrases "ocean wave" and "tidal wave". Agreed,
you might need to explain to some people what they mean, just as you
might have to explain how to dance a ladies chain or a hey.
Colin Hume
Email colin(a)colinhume.com Web site http://www.colinhume.com
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