10 Feb
2014
10 Feb
'14
6:10 p.m.
Read noted that circle three places and pass through takes 8 counts for
1/4 of the room and 10 counts or something like it for the rest, and
asks if there's anything to be done about it.
It seems to me that the extremely common "circle left three place and
swing your [partner|neighbor] on the side" teaches people that a 3/4
circle is eight counts, so if you want something different it'll take a
lot of emphasis. (And we're somewhat used to killing extra time from
the circle with a twirl out or something. This may be why I see some
guys twirling women out in circle and pass through, where it has no
place at all and makes them late and possibly confused. That is, it
might be inappropriate reflexes, rather than being showoffy or smartass. )
You can also try to hide the mess by doing something a little sloshy
after the pass through, like a gypsy and swing or dosido and swing,
which will work if you can see the person coming at you even if they're
not there yet. That finesses the problem rather than solving it.
-- Alan
On 2/10/2014 2:42 PM, Read Weaver wrote:
In the last few years, I find myself dancing a lot
more dances that end with
Circle left 3 places and pass through
What I find is that about 3/4 of the dancers take 8 counts to do the circle 3 places,
then a brief but indeterminate amount of time to do the pass through, and then arrive late
to the next couple & next figure. (The other 1/4 take 6 counts to circle, 2 to pass
through, and are then on the music's phrasing for the next figure.)
It seems to me likely that this is frustrating to almost everyone. The "eight and
late" dancers think "what a stupid dance, I can't get where I'm supposed
to be in time," and the "6 + 2" dancers think "why are 3/4 of the
people not here when I get here?"
I haven't done a careful study, but I did just go to an experienced dance, and my
impression is that the 3/4 - 1/4 ratio doesn't change with level of experience (though
the experienced dancers, whatever their timing is, do it with more confidence). And I
don't think there's anything all that surprising about that: we hardly do anything
in contras to a count of 6 or 2. (If I've noticed any pattern, it's that contra
dancers who also do English are more likely to dance it 6+2.) I do it 6+2, since it's
the only way I can see to both dance to the phrasing and not be late to the next figure.
It seems like a caller could point it out which might help some (though dancers'
experience that everything is in a count of 8 or 4 is pretty ingrained), but the avoidance
of teaching seems to prevent that--I don't recall any caller ever saying anything
about it.
Have others noticed it as an issue? (And am I right that it's a relatively recent
issue?) Thoughts on what to do about it, if anything?
--Read Weaver
Jamaica Plain, MA
http://lcfd.org
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