strathspey@strathspey.org:27813

T L Harris

Re: Cribs

Oct. 9, 2001, 2:15 p.m. (Message 27813, in reply to message 27729)

>>> xxxxxx@xx.xxxxx.xxx 04/10/01 15:28 >>>
Quoting Adam Hughes <xxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxx.xx.xx>:
> Is it the norm outside the UK (or even in the UK) for dances to be briefed?

Hi All,

Our practice here for balls and socials (like our Summer Social this
coming Friday) is to provide crib sheets before the time. Our teachers
try to go through the dances on the programme during classes in the
weeks before the event. At the event itself, the dances are called. At
our Club, we have an social evening of dancing in lieu of classes once
a month. Cribs aren't provided for that. The idea is that the dances
are called, but not walked through, to give especially new folk the
chance to get used to this. This year, however, we've had a number of
enthusiastic new folk and for a few of the more complicated dances
we've actually walked them through rather than just calling them,
although the easier and more well-known ones are just called. We would
rather do that and have our new and less experienced dancers join in,
than stick to the practice of only calling the dance and having the
new people feel too intimidated or nervous to join in. For the more
advanced dances, the more experienced dancers also try to partner the
less-experienced to help them along.

Terry Lynne Harris
Pretoria, South Africa