23 Oct
2005
23 Oct
'05
5:41 a.m.
I agree that it is important for beginners to learn the traditional way to do a
figure in order to fully understand the dance and that some people prefer a
courtesy turn when it makes the dance flow nicely
However
Traditionalism can be overemphisized to the point of snobery. As has been
mentioned it is not our job to educate, but to entertain and dancers should
certainly not be discouraged from -- or, even worse, made to feel "looked down
upon" for -- dancing the way they find most fun. Let them twirl, let them
stomp, and as much as it pains me to say it, let them clap. They like it. I
like it. It's fun.
~Nathaniel Jack
Quoting Karen Fontana <karen_fontana(a)yahoo.com>om>:
Hello Bev!
I'm dancing in Denver-Boulder-Fort Collins this weekend, so only time for a
short note -
I echo some of David's comments.....
How about focusing on the beauty of a coutesy turn, flowing nicely into a
Left
Hand Star? (one of my favorite combo of figures at the moment!). I think so
much is lost by twirling / getting twirled in those courtesy turns.
I noticed last nite in Denver that there were MANY great courtesy turns which
I
loved!
off my soap box, for now,
Karen Fontana
--- David Millstone <David.Millstone(a)valley.net> wrote:
--
Nathaniel Jack
Bev outlined some excellent strategies for her
upcoming workshop, and asked
for
additional suggestions.
As a challenge, how about calling a dance with traditional figures and
asking
those present to dance it without embellishments?
Could be a contra corners
dance (four counts for each turn, leaving no time for extra twirl before
the
balance and swing. Could be something with right
and left over and back,
four
counts to cross and four counts for a courtesy
turn-- yes, four for each,
does
make you slow down a little, rather than doing an extra twirl around simply
because there's time to do it if you race through the figures. Could be
somethng
with ladies chain over and back and a pleasant courtesy turn on both sides.
Could be a dance (older version of Petronella, say) where for nearly 3/4 of
the
dance the inactives are truly inactive and need to stay engaged while
resisting
the temptation to squeeze in extra swings.
My point? One way the more experienced dancers befuddle the newcomers is by
demontrating every possible embellishment, so that newer dancers don't have
an
opportunity to learn the basics. If all you see on down the center four in
line
is a California twirl, you don't learn the timing of a courtesy turn to
return.
If all you see for balance is Variation #27b with additional syncopated
foot
stomps on the afterbeat, you don't learn a
simple pas-de-basque or
step-kick.
If
a swing inevitably ends with an extra twirl-the-lady-under, you don't learn
to
get your balance and your orientation for the ensuing ladies chain.
In short, one way experienced dancers can best help new dancers is by
dancing
better-- uh oh, there I said it!-- themselves.
David Millstone
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