strathspey@strathspey.org:44725

e.ferguson

Less stress on Footwork

March 15, 2006, 6:16 p.m. (Message 44725)

Campbell's approach has more to commend it.

In social dancing, poor steps hardly disturb the set, but it spoils the joy 
for all when positioning and phrasing are wrong.  Dancers who are late 
(think of Grand Chain, Allemande, the turns of "turn corners and partner"), 
or early or far out of place can turn a lovely dance into a contest to get 
through and avoid collapse.  I too often see the attitude "if the set did 
not collapse, the dance went well".

Why do we not give good timing and positioning, and dancing with the music, 
the top priority in our teaching?  We would all have fewer frustrations at 
our dance events.  I know a new dancer who says "I need to think so much  
of my feet and the formations that I am leaving it to later to also listen 
to the music". It shows that some newcomers pick up a wrong order of 
priorities.  

Of course, in dems we DO need good footwork, but that is not the issue 
under discussion.