strathspey@strathspey.org:44537

redrose_solutions

RE: Difference Between Briefing a dance and Recapping a Dance

March 7, 2006, 9:44 p.m. (Message 44537, in reply to message 44502)

I agree with Malcom that a succint re-cap is fine (I'm not arguing in favour
of no recaps at all - at the moment).

A more detailed briefing would be OK if a dance is new, perhaps written for
a special occasion, and is being taught to everyone in the room for the first
time (this happened with Napier's Index at the Sydney Branch 50th Anniversary
Ball a few years ago). Or perhaps for a very "local" dance when the organising
Branch or group is aware of a large number of out-of-towners wanting to join
in.

I would certainly want to know the programme and ideally have instructions
or source references for any unusual or local dances in advance. I would
also be prepared to put some effort into learning some, though not necessarily
all, of the dances unknown to me, and also to sit out anything I didn't know
or didn't feel confident about.

However, I fail to see why one would need both a briefing and a recap of
the same dance, one more or less immediately after the other, all the way
through an evening's programme. Perhaps this is a reflection of an underlying
cultural /educational difference between the UK/Europe and North America?


Susi

Susi Mayr
Vienna, Austria
xxxx@xxxxxxx.xx.xx

>-- Original Message --
>From: "mlamontbrown" <xxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx>
>To: "'SCD news and discussion'" <xxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxx.xxx>
>Date: Tue, 7 Mar 2006 18:17:03 -0000
>Subject: RE: Difference Between Briefing a dance and Recapping a Dance
>Reply-To: SCD news and discussion <xxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxx.xxx>
>
>
>While I have no objection to a brief re-cap, I really cannot see the justification
>for anything more. Presumably it is possible to get hold of the programme,
>and the
>instructions, before going to the dance - what is wrong in putting in a
little
>homework, or even learning the dances while travelling to the dance?
>
>How many teachers and MCs have given in to a request to walk a dance, and
>thought
>"that was a complete waste of time" as people still go wrong? (give right
>hand
>instead of left, cast up instead of down, etc.)
>
>Yes the out-of-towners need to be looked after, but if that's because there
>are a lot
>of home-grown dances on the programme then perhaps that is the fault of
the
>programme
>compiler.
>Making everyone stand through a detailed description of a dance they already
>know is
>as bad as making people dance an unknown dance without any help.
>
>Malcolm
>
>Malcolm L Brown
>York
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: strathspey-bounces-mlamontbrown=xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx@xxxxxxxxxx.xxx
>> [mailto:strathspey-bounces-mlamontbrown=xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx@xxxxxxxxxx.xxx]
>On Behalf
>Of
>> xxxxxxx@xxx.xxx
>> Sent: 07 March 2006 17:22
>> To: xxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxx.xxx
>> Subject: Re: Difference Between Briefing a dance and Recapping a Dance
>>
>> There are 6+ dance parties all within driving distance in the space of
> about
>> 4 months. 16 dances per party, that's 96 dances to be learned by  heart.
> Not
>> possible.  Perhaps there are some repeats but not  many.  This is why
we