11 Feb
2009
11 Feb
'09
10:59 p.m.
Hi group,
Weird situation: I am supposed to put together a five-minute presentation on
myself as a leader for a "Leadership & Organizational Behavior" graduate
class, and I just think that perhaps the way to go is to create a VERY
SIMPLE English Country dance set to my favorite song--and teach it to my
classmates.
Most of you don't know me, but I'll nonetheless spare you with explanations
as to exactly how weird this is. And, yes, I realize, too, that it may not
be an optimal ECD introduction for my classmates, but I hope it will be
beautiful in some degree, and moving, and indeed an expression of the kind
of leadership I am trying to develop (yes, I'm a budding caller).
In addition, the favorite song, Carrie Newcomer's "Bare to the Bone"
(see http://carrienewcomer.com/chords/age_of_possibility_chords.pdf
<http://carrienewcomer.com/sheet_music/Bare_to_the_Bone_sheet_music.pdf>
and
http://carrienewcomer.com/sheet_music/Bare_to_the_Bone_sheet_music.pdf)
expresses everything I want to be as a person.
So I'm writing for advice. Since I am supposed to take 5 minutes for the
whole dang kit & kaboodle, I will probably only run the dance three times
through--one verse, one bridge, and one more verse. I've written moves for
8 bars of 4/4, and I do not think I need any additional moves for a
rank-beginner group:
***
"Bare to the Bone"
Lark-Aeryn Speyer, 2009
DRAFT
2-couple sets, facing across the hall; or 3-couple circle sets
1 taking hands in a ring, balance in and out
2 cloverleaf turn single away from partner
3-4 clockwise, single file circle 1/2 (step-pause step)
(If you're in a 3-couple circle set, just circle as far as the
music suggests)
5 taking hands in a ring, balance in and out
6 taking 2 hands with your partner, balance in and out
7-8 2-hand turn partner once
(If in 2-couple sets, you are now on the other side of the set. This passes
for a progression.)
***
The music (in case you don't know it) is sweet, soft, simple, and healing.
The lyrics (I intend to sing one verse beforehand in lieu of "let's listen
to the music once through") and the general feel of the tune are a condition
of complete openness, an approach of utter goodwill. What I would hope my
classmates could take away is a feeling of lightness, ideally even of
spiritual availability. (Of course, this also depends on my fiddler
classmate who has offered to learn the tune.)
And I'll bring along a handful of flyers for local English dances, just in
case. :-)
Thoughts very much welcomed! I assure you that any other ideas I have for
this presentation are much scarier to me!
Thanks,
Lark Speyer
--
There is no conceivable beauty of blossom so beautiful as words,--none so
graceful, none so perfumed. It is possible to dream of combinations of
syllables so delicious that all the dawning and decay of summer cannot
rival their perfection, nor winter's stainless white and azure match their
purity and their charm.
--Thomas Wentworth Higginson