Re: [Callers] Limited Views on Dorky Dances - Contra Callers

9 Jul 2009

I have noticed that sometimes if a dance has a "dorky" figure in it,  
a tune that's slightly different can help free people up to enjoy it.  
A ragtime tune,  a klezmer tune, a riff from rock and roll, something  
that makes people want to be playful or to bounce or shimmy as they  
dance, will free them up to enjoy the "dorky" part and be playful  
with it.

On Jul 7, 2009, at 9:00 AM, callers-request(a)sharedweight.net wrote:

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 Today's Topics:

    1. Re: "Limited Views" on Dorky Dances (Martha Edwards)

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 Message: 1
 Date: Mon, 6 Jul 2009 20:56:00 -0500
 From: Martha Edwards &lt;meedwards(a)westendweb.com&gt;
 Subject: Re: [Callers] "Limited Views" on Dorky Dances
 To: "Caller's discussion list" &lt;callers(a)sharedweight.net&gt;
 Message-ID:
 	&lt;7d8d864a0907061856k5d2b99c5gc67897718922d7bd(a)mail.gmail.com&gt;
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 My own foray this year into attempting to broaden people's idea of  
 what kind
 of dancing they liked has led me to this hypothesis: People become
 comfortable with the dance figures and music AND social setting (!)  
 of one
 dance form, and they dislike other dance forms in precisely the way  
 those
 other forms differ from the one they're used to.

 They say "I know what I like" but if you watch closely, you may see  
 that
 it's really "I like what I know."

 It's reasonable, really. Human evolution probably favors the  
 development of
 people who find a safe way to live. If they don't venture too far  
 out of
 their, let's call it, "culture", they survive. They have babies. The
 adventurous are admirable, but they don't tend to stay home and  
 watch after
 the kiddies.  So, it makes sense that once your body has a certain
 neurological "set", it may be pre-programmed not to like changes  
 very much.
 I try to become a nice, healthy tea drinker, but every morning, I  
 just make
 the coffee.

 On the other hand, my kids made it to adulthood, and so I am  
 evolutionarily
 free to be adventurous. Although contra is my village social, my  
 comfort
 zone, I dance Greek, contra, swing, and salsa, and recently added  
 English
 and (gasp!) Modern Western Squares. I have become "used" to feeling  
 awkward
 and inexpert, and know the feeling passes.

 I am sympathetic with those who have fought their way to competence  
 in one
 dance form and are not about to give it up and feel awkward and  
 inexpert
 again. I just wish I could figure out a way to help them stand it long
 enough for them to experience the pleasures of other dance forms.

 M
 E

 On Mon, Jul 6, 2009 at 4:51 PM, &lt;gregmck(a)earthlink.net&gt; wrote:

 Well.  Yes.  I can see how many folks feel.  Many of us encounter  
 rolling
 eyeballs when we tell our friends about contras and we feel  
 compelled to
 assure them that:  "No.  Its NOT like the goofy square dancing you  
 learned
 in Jr. High.  It's NOT about bouncing up and down, waving your  
 arms, and
 making foolish animal sounds.  Its actually very cool and you'll feel
 comfortable doing it."

 Then, when we finally drag these folks to a contra dance, the  
 caller does
 one of "those" dances.

 Is this being "limited" or "close-minded" (as one caller once  
 referred to
 me)?  Maybe.

 If you want to see real "closed mindedness" just try fitting one  
 simple
 mosh pit slam dance with recorded screaming rock music--for just ten
 minutes--into your contra dance program.

 The point is that "folk dancing" is an extremely "limited view" of  
 what
 dancing should be.  Contra dance is an extremely "limited view" of  
 what folk
 dancing should be.  And "folk music" is an extremely "limited  
 view" of what
 music should be.

 On the whole, I would venture to say that in many ways contras are  
 more
 open to variation than most "folk dancing."  We have seen electronic
 instruments sneak in along with non-traditional percussion (such  
 as trap
 drum sets), and many variations of dance figures.

 Personally I think that the beauty, magic, and sustainability of  
 contra
 dance comes precisely from the limits of the tradition that  
 governs it.  It
 is within that rigid traditional structure that people feel safe,  
 and free
 enough to open themselves to others and to connect in  
 extraordinary ways.
  This is not to say that I am a "traditionalist" by any means.   
 But we
 should not try to "change the direction" of that tradition without  
 a clear
 idea of what our common purpose is.

 The real question is: What is your purpose?  And what is the  
 purpose of the
 majority of those who attend?  Are you trying to "preserve a  
 tradition," to
 "open folks to other dance traditions," or simply "to offer an open
 community social dance with live music," or a combination of all  
 those.
  ...Or are we doing something else entirely?  The answer will  
 surely vary
 for each dance series or event.

 This is a question seldom discussed yet it seems to be a central  
 issue
 regarding how we organize dances and what the role of the caller  
 is.  I
 think that discussion would be very useful.

 What is the purpose of our event and what is the caller's job in  
 realizing
 that purpose?

 Perhaps if we answered that question we might come to a better
 understanding of why we sometimes get "hairy eyeballs" when we  
 wander off
 into some more "limited" goal.

 Just a thought,

 Greg McKenzie

 *********

 Winston Wrote:

  I think I'd believe how much of a hairy
eyeball you got.  There  
 are a lot
 of
 people with very limited views of what ought to happen at a  
 contra dance,
 and
 they're not shy about letting you know.  [I once saw somebody yell
 "English!"
 and refuse to do a bouree balance (not unlike an English setting  
 step) in
 what
 was otherwise a perfectly conventional longways duple improper  
 contra.]

 (Wide assortment of *reasons* for not liking what they don't  
 like, and not
 being willing to give a chance to what they don't know they won't  
 like.
  It's
 hard to influence the program and the dancer attitude very much  
 if you're
 not
 the main caller, and if your desire to change the direction isn't  
 shared
 by
 other callers.  But anyway, if half of 'em sit down and grumble for
 squares,
 getting them to do a dorky (in a good way) scatter mixer to non- 
 Celtic,
 non-old-timey, non-New-Englandy music is going to be a challenge.)

 -- Alan

 --

 ==================================================================== 
 ===========
  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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 For the good are always the merry,
 Save by an evil chance,
 And the merry love the fiddle
 And the merry love to dance. ~ William Butler Yeats

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