Thread

strathspey@strathspey.org:27664

Previous Message Next Message

Todd Pierce

Todd Pierce

RE: Contra dancing

Oct. 2, 2001, 6:53 p.m. (Message 27664, in reply to message 27661)

Some responses to the recent messages on contra vs SCD. I've been doing SCD
for 12 years now but only doing contra for 6 months - so perhaps that's not
long enough to talk about contra as a knowledgeable person. But right now I
far prefer contra to SCD. Maybe it's just that I am tired of SCD after 12
years - but I think right now the attraction is because of two reasons -

First dancing is my only chance for exercise and contra is far better for
that. In a typical SCD class here we may do 5 or 6 dances in 2 hours. Each
dance may last from 2 to 6 minutes. That's a total of say 30 minutes of
dancing in 2 hours - or 25% of the time. The rest of the time is spent
teaching a dance, or socializing, or trying to round up enough dancers from
the kitchen to form a set. In contrast I can get through 10 or 12 contra
dances in a good 3 hour class and there is very little break between them.
And a typical contra dance may last close to 10 minutes (I've never actually
timed one but it seems that long). I'd say I am dancing for close to 75% of
the time I spend at contra. At SCD I rarely break a sweat. After contra I am
drenched. (Of course that very fact turns some people off on contra!)

Second the contra group here has live music every week. In 2 1/2 years of
living in Asheville NC I have yet to see a live SCD band appear at our
class! Though I can see one if I travel.

Some of the recent posts have talked off 'people vs perfection'. That's a
bit too simple, though I will say yes, some contra dancers don't look at me
when I dance with them; but I can say the same about many SCD dancers. But I
do know contra class here has a 30 minute lesson every week for new dancers,
and after that, most of the beginners are able to do the rest of the dances
that night. Compare that to most 'general' SCD classes where if a beginner
turns up, they may get to do a couple of dances, but are told to sit out the
others because they are for 'experienced' dancers - and that may happen for
weeks until the beginner is allowed into these other dances. I don't know
what we can do to prevent that - if you changed it, SCD would no longer be
SCD - but the numbers here speak for themselves - 150+ dancers a week at
contra, 5-8 dancers a week at SCD.

That's enough ranting!
Todd Pierce
Asheville NC
xxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxx.xxx

Previous Message Next Message