27 Dec
2008
27 Dec
'08
7:07 a.m.
Jeannette wrote:
I'm interested in strategies for incorporating a
huge range of abilities and
ages in to a fun workshop at a festival. I will be calling at a festival in a
few weeks - it is not a dancing festival as such, more a music festival, where
some dancing is held. As well as the regular dancers, brand new dancers,
including their tiny children, will get up to have a go. It can ultimately be a
mix of about 50/50 dancers to non-dancers, numbering about 30 people in total.
Have you been engaged to do "dancing" or "contra dancing"? What do
the
organizers expect of you?
From what you've said so far, if I were in your
shoes I'd try my best to have
sizzling-hot music and very easy, forgiving
dances, but to have more
challenging dances in my pocket if the brand-new people don't get up.
Are you going to have little kids who cannot leave their parents? If so,
you're certainly not going to have modern zesty contra dancing, and may
want to look at "family dance" material like "Blobs".
If you have a bush dance repertoire, that could be pretty suitable for a crowd
like this. Whole sets, easy squares, lots of galloping.
(On Christmas day I did some unplanned calling for a crowd that was about 2/3ds people
who'd been exposed to contra dancing at some point in their lives, 1/3 not,
including little kids. I had a pickup group of mostly old-timey musicians.
So I did a "Soldier's Joy" Sicilian circle, "Haste to the
Wedding" as a
longways, and then moved into a more modern-ish contra. Worked out okay.)
-- Alan
--
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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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