Re: [Organizers] Children at Contradance Festivals

in general, i have no problem with kids in dances. some kids dance better than some of the adults. a problem arises when a certain skill level is assumed for the dance and the kids aren't up to that level. however, this problem is no different than when adults are not up to the level of the dance. that said, a five year old is likely to have only rudimentary dance skills. so, while it is ok to have a child participate in a regular local dance to "encourage young dancers", (i have to admit that i like dancing with kids), i think that it is inappropriate to have the child dancing at many weekend dance events, for the reasons that you mentioned: to fulfill the expectations of people that make the effort to come from longer distances and/or expect a higher level dance experience. unfortuneately, it is easier to single out children and ask to have them excluded than it is to single out beginners and perennial beginners (who could be objected to for the same reasons as children). i suppose that you could try a childrens line. i have not seen it. i wonder if parents would use it. would there be enough parents/kids to make a line? would the parents resent feeling excluded from dancing in the regular line? try it and see what happens. i recognize that this is a difficult issue. the contradance community likes to pride itself on inclusiveness. I welcome, and do dance with beginners and children at a regular local dance. otoh, there are others who show lack of interest in the notion of it being a group dance and ignore the caller, are always late and missing steps and generally goofing off (not because they are beginners, but because they don't care: "i'm just here to have fun"). in the interest of community i would be happy to dissuade these types of people from attending. i've heard from people who no longer attend their local dance because the quality of dancing has deteriorated, and for them, it is no longer fun. these older dancers are also part of the "community", carry the dance tradition, impart dancing skills to new dancers, and are not being served. perhaps it is a good idea to determine what "community" is to be served. dancing with children and real beginners is good at local dances, and perhaps at some aspects of weekend dances, because it can be fun, and, healthy for the group. but there are other times when it is not appropriate, also for the health of the group. (for the record: i am willing to accept, but am not an advocate of, "advanced dances"). jeffrey