7 Jul
2009
7 Jul
'09
1:56 a.m.
My own foray this year into attempting to broaden people's idea of what kind
of dancing they liked has led me to this hypothesis: People become
comfortable with the dance figures and music AND social setting (!) of one
dance form, and they dislike other dance forms in precisely the way those
other forms differ from the one they're used to.
They say "I know what I like" but if you watch closely, you may see that
it's really "I like what I know."
It's reasonable, really. Human evolution probably favors the development of
people who find a safe way to live. If they don't venture too far out of
their, let's call it, "culture", they survive. They have babies. The
adventurous are admirable, but they don't tend to stay home and watch after
the kiddies. So, it makes sense that once your body has a certain
neurological "set", it may be pre-programmed not to like changes very much.
I try to become a nice, healthy tea drinker, but every morning, I just make
the coffee.
On the other hand, my kids made it to adulthood, and so I am evolutionarily
free to be adventurous. Although contra is my village social, my comfort
zone, I dance Greek, contra, swing, and salsa, and recently added English
and (gasp!) Modern Western Squares. I have become "used" to feeling awkward
and inexpert, and know the feeling passes.
I am sympathetic with those who have fought their way to competence in one
dance form and are not about to give it up and feel awkward and inexpert
again. I just wish I could figure out a way to help them stand it long
enough for them to experience the pleasures of other dance forms.
M
E
On Mon, Jul 6, 2009 at 4:51 PM, <gregmck(a)earthlink.net> wrote:
Well. Yes. I can see how many folks feel. Many of us encounter rolling
eyeballs when we tell our friends about contras and we feel compelled to
assure them that: "No. Its NOT like the goofy square dancing you learned
in Jr. High. It's NOT about bouncing up and down, waving your arms, and
making foolish animal sounds. Its actually very cool and you'll feel
comfortable doing it."
Then, when we finally drag these folks to a contra dance, the caller does
one of "those" dances.
Is this being "limited" or "close-minded" (as one caller once
referred to
me)? Maybe.
If you want to see real "closed mindedness" just try fitting one simple
mosh pit slam dance with recorded screaming rock music--for just ten
minutes--into your contra dance program.
The point is that "folk dancing" is an extremely "limited view" of
what
dancing should be. Contra dance is an extremely "limited view" of what folk
dancing should be. And "folk music" is an extremely "limited view"
of what
music should be.
On the whole, I would venture to say that in many ways contras are more
open to variation than most "folk dancing." We have seen electronic
instruments sneak in along with non-traditional percussion (such as trap
drum sets), and many variations of dance figures.
Personally I think that the beauty, magic, and sustainability of contra
dance comes precisely from the limits of the tradition that governs it. It
is within that rigid traditional structure that people feel safe, and free
enough to open themselves to others and to connect in extraordinary ways.
This is not to say that I am a "traditionalist" by any means. But we
should not try to "change the direction" of that tradition without a clear
idea of what our common purpose is.
The real question is: What is your purpose? And what is the purpose of the
majority of those who attend? Are you trying to "preserve a tradition," to
"open folks to other dance traditions," or simply "to offer an open
community social dance with live music," or a combination of all those.
...Or are we doing something else entirely? The answer will surely vary
for each dance series or event.
This is a question seldom discussed yet it seems to be a central issue
regarding how we organize dances and what the role of the caller is. I
think that discussion would be very useful.
What is the purpose of our event and what is the caller's job in realizing
that purpose?
Perhaps if we answered that question we might come to a better
understanding of why we sometimes get "hairy eyeballs" when we wander off
into some more "limited" goal.
Just a thought,
Greg McKenzie
*********
Winston Wrote:
--
For the good are always the merry,
Save by an evil chance,
And the merry love the fiddle
And the merry love to dance. ~ William Butler Yeats
I think I'd believe how much of a hairy
eyeball you got. There are a lot
of
people with very limited views of what ought to happen at a contra dance,
and
they're not shy about letting you know. [I once saw somebody yell
"English!"
and refuse to do a bouree balance (not unlike an English setting step) in
what
was otherwise a perfectly conventional longways duple improper contra.]
(Wide assortment of *reasons* for not liking what they don't like, and not
being willing to give a chance to what they don't know they won't like.
It's
hard to influence the program and the dancer attitude very much if you're
not
the main caller, and if your desire to change the direction isn't shared
by
other callers. But anyway, if half of 'em sit down and grumble for
squares,
getting them to do a dorky (in a good way) scatter mixer to non-Celtic,
non-old-timey, non-New-Englandy music is going to be a challenge.)
-- Alan
--
===============================================================================
Alan Winston --- WINSTON(a)SSRL.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU
Disclaimer: I speak only for myself, not SLAC or SSRL Phone:
650/926-3056
Paper mail to: SSRL -- SLAC BIN 99, 2575 Sand Hill Rd, Menlo Park CA
94025
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