27 Feb
2012
27 Feb
'12
11:40 p.m.
Hmmm....
One of my little snippets of design understanding is that highly
distinctive elements should not be used in a repeating design. So I would
not program an evening with 5 dances with Petronellas, or large ovals, or
contra corners. But why wouldn't it be okay to have lots of dances with
swings, circles, long lines and allemandes if they help set up or unwind a
distinctive move? They're so bland and common they almost shouldn't count...
M
E
On Mon, Feb 27, 2012 at 5:21 PM, <95sg23(a)comcast.net> wrote:
For me, it's from my dancing and also from a
comment I heard from a
dancer. I've been to dances where men AL 1 1/2 was used 5 or more times.
The comment was from a lady who thought waiting for the men so much was
boring. I think it's a nice move for 1 or 2 dances in an evening, 3 at the
most if the rest of the choreography makes it worthwhile. Guess
I've enjoyed circles as a dancer, maybe because they weren't used that much
in one program.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Greg McKenzie" <grekenzie(a)gmail.com>
To: "Caller's discussion list" <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
Sent: Monday, February 27, 2012 5:37:39 PM
Subject: Re: [Callers] Overused figures
What is so great about the "ProgramPlanning Matrix" is that it seems to be
based upon input from a number of experienced, key people. Nevertheless,
the matrix does place a significant burden on programmers. If you add in
local preferences and personal preferences the task of programming becomes
much more of a challenge. In general this is probably a good thing.
I agree that it is the variation in the transitions, the music, the
dancers, and the calling styles that adds excitement to contras. I'm not
too concerned, personally, with "overused" figures. For me it is the
non-basic figures that seem to be "overused." Keeping it simple and
accessible allows greater participation which is what insures lots of
variation in the people you interact with at each dance, and this--in my
opinion--is the real draw of contras.
If you think a figure is "overused," what is the basis of your opinion? is
it:
- comments from dancers
- comments from programmers
- personal preference
- or something else?
Just wondering.
- Greg McKenzie
*****************
On Mon, Feb 27, 2012 at 10:53 AM, <Dhuntdancer(a)aol.com> wrote:
--
As you set out for Ithaka, pray that your journey be long, full of
adventure, full of discovery...
May there be many summer mornings when, with what pleasure, with what joy,
you enter harbors you're seeing for the first time.
~Constantine Cavafy, "Ithaka" 1911
I agree.
Does anyone else think that Men allemande Left 1 1/2 is overused?
How about Circle Left 3/4? Lately, I've been programming specifically
to
avoid having a circle in each dance. It's
surprisingly difficult to
find
dances that don't have circles.
Donna Hunt
"Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we're here we should
dance." -unknown
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