Talking About Curves

Marie Disiewicz

Message 53004 · 8 Jul 2008 19:58:22 · Fixed-width font · Whole thread

Hi to all
" SORT OF LIKE A HALF GYPSY"
I do know what you speak of Pat about the "intense eye contact"
I can tell you that in the Vancouver and Seattle area this has almost gone
away thank goodness.
What I speak of is not romantic/passionate either.
It was just a very nice dance experience and whether I dance with Women or
Men it would not matter.
I would say for that brief moment in time we danced as one and I will look
for this again.
Lots of time to try it out at TAC AGM & S/S.
There is "dancing with someone" and then there is "DANCING WITH SOMEONE"
Cheers
Marie
Surrey B.C. Canada

----- Original Message -----
From: "Patricia Ruggiero" <xxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxx.xxx>
To: <xxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxx.xxx>
Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2008 9:28 AM
Subject: RE: Talking About Curves

Marie wrote:
> It was a nice experience also, sort of like a Half
> Gypsy that is done in English Country dancing. Do you know
> what I speak of???

Oh, dear, I'm afraid I do. I know I'm in the minority when I say this, but
I've long felt that the Gypsy and Half-Gypsy were overdone in ECD, both in
quantity and quality. They appear so often in place of hand turns,
back-to-back, and cross over that they no longer impart the bit of romantic
spice that once made them delicious figures.

As to quality, I dislike the intense eye contact with which the gypsy is
often executed. Anyone will tell you that I'm a Happy Dancer who smiles and
makes eye contact with my partners; however, I find the gypsy too invasive
for my tastes.

Mind you, I like to dance a passionate gypsy, but I prefer to choose with
whom I do this. I guess I feel that Gypsies and Half-Gypsies are figures
that should be done between Consenting Adults; I lament their having
becoming routine figures.

I do find myself cringing when I see new Scottish dances incorporating these
figures. There's a vagueness about them that seems not in keeping with the
crisp phrasing I like so much in SCD, and there is a sultriness about them
now that seems incompatible with the lightheartedness of country dancing in
general.

Thus spake the curmudgeon.

Pat
Charlottesville, Virginia
USA

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