2 Aug
2010
2 Aug
'10
5:51 p.m.
Chrissy,
Your post was very touching to me. It goes straight to the heart of something I have been
struggling with in my calling practice, and life in general--trying to not be so harshly
judgmental of myself and others.
I was led to calling directly by my judgmental nature: As a dancer, I was so critical of
callers that, ten years ago, when someone offered a calling workshop, I decided to
participate because I wanted to develop empathy for the caller. I wanted to see the floor
from the callers' perspective. I had no intention of becoming a caller, but that was
the unintended outcome.
In any case, I've been wondering for many years if the society of callers might tend
to attract in higher proportion folks who are hard on themselves (and therefore others),
expect perfection, and have been (or want to be) high achievers. I don't recall ever
seeing this topic broached on any callers' discussion group. But I know from my own
experience how those impulses can lead to a loss of perspective. I struggle constantly to
remember that this subculture of ours is here to spread joy. Your words were a tonic, and
I appreciated them very much.
Joyce Miller
Grass Valley, CA
On Jul 31, 2010, at 5:29 AM, Chrissy Fowler wrote:
But, whether it's chestnuts/modern,
squares/contras, old-time/northern, totally-trad/non-trad-envelope-pushers, young/old,
fast/slow, straightforward/flourishes, catering-to-hard-core/focusing-on-neophytes,
recordings/live music, kids/adults, no-swings/2-swings or whatever the supposed conflict
or failing, every single flavor of these callers/musicians/dancers is ADDING SOMETHING
BEAUTIFUL TO THE WORLD, and that, my friends, is something I think ought to be honored and
appreciated.
So what I've been doing (and, perhaps tiresomely, encouraging others of my
caller/musician friends to do) is focusing on that thought in CAPS, especially when a
caller or musician or dancer does something that annoys me, or isn't what I'd do,
or has some sort of minor failing in my opinion, or is getting more attention than I think
their work merits, etc. So I'm working to quiet the outward expression of my critical
thoughts, and simultaneously to look for and reinforce the positive instead.
Because really, even an offering that I might rate with a B- or C+ or even D grade is
disseminating traditional dance & music values in the larger culture, and every bit of
disseminating can benefit all of us in the world.