strathspey@strathspey.org:44837

simon scott

RE: Two Chords

March 22, 2006, 5:58 p.m. (Message 44837, in reply to message 44835)

Anselm wrote
Don't forget that the RSCDS is, at the end of the day, a standards body.

Standards bodies are conservative by nature. Conservatism in a standards
body 
is commonly considered a Good Thing, as one does not want do chase after

every new-fangled idea that might come up. Things should settle down for
a 
bit before they show up on a standards body's radar screen.

	Anselm, as you mention, two chords for these dances were never
an adopted standard. They just happened (maybe from Glasgow Highlanders,
I'm not sure). I'm very sorry they ever became "current practice". 

	Left foot start for men in a poussette only involves that man
and has little affect on the appearance of the figure. Hands in set and
link don't make a large visual effect. However, I find that four people
changing sides in an "un-dances-like" way spoils the elegance of the
beginning of a dance and is "very" visual.


For the just-one-chord proponents, it seems a more promising approach to

educate the people out in the field directly -- dance dev^H^H^Hauthors,
event 
organisers/MCs, and musicians. Apparently John Drewry, one of the main 
originators of >two-chord dances< has already seen the light, so if we
give 
the idea another decade or two things may have settled the way Simon et
al. 
would like, and then the RSCDS will be happy to follow suit in their 
publications.

	I completely agree, and I trust this may happen.
	Simon Vancouver