6 Aug
2011
6 Aug
'11
8:37 p.m.
Jolaine is a wonderful caller and I understand what she is saying
but... There are always spectators at dances and at Burning Man
there are also many people walking through the area and fire-dancing
is a dramatic way to draw in that much more attention and therefore
potential new dancers. Secondly there is the thrill of the challenge
for the caller in succeeding in meshing two skills s/he loves.
Finally there is probably going to be a novel thrill for the dancers
who will getting something like that primal feeling of dancing around
a fire - while contradancing. I think there will be plenty of
enjoyment without taking in all the details in a way that would
distract attention from their own dancing. They will go look at the
youtube videos later - and admit it so will you :)
On Sat, Aug 6, 2011 at 7:27 PM, JoLaine Jones-Pokorney
<jolaine(a)gmail.com> wrote:
I applaud Mark for all his efforts to spread contra
dancing. But I have to
ask what is the purpose of firedancing/hooping while calling? I would argue
that this is an unnecessary distraction and puts the focus on the caller
instead of on the dancers. Am I supposed to watch this person
firedance/hoop while I am trying to contra dance? I hope that organizers
will ask if this "innovation" is really making the dancing more enjoyable,
or simply for the sake of being "different." My personal opinion is that
the caller should be as invisible as possible - call clearly and get out of
the way of the dancers. There are certainly callers who contribute beyond
the calls such as Beth Molero and Nils Fredland's with their wonderful
singing voices and other callers who may clog or play spoons or some other
contribution to the experience. But firedancing/hooping is a distraction
from the dance, not a contribution to it.
May Burning Man contra grow and thrive for years to come!
JoLaine
--
JoLaine Jones-Pokorney
"We are as gods and might as well get good at it!"
- Stewart Brand
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