April 3, 2006, 5:28 p.m. (Message 44968, in reply to message 44961)
Hi Dick, > So you reckon that more rules [like the goalie standing in First position] > might solve Scottish Football's problems? I know little about football, but > I somehow doubt that is the answer. As I understand it, Scottish football > has achieved OUTSTANDING international achievements in the past, despite all > the odds against them succeeding. No-one's advocating more rules. Just don't be too quick to completely throw out the technique which makes our dancing what it is. > Conversely, perhaps you are agreeing with me that dispensing with the > absolute letter of the rules, unless you want to play real COMPETITIVE > football, would increase the fun element, to the overall benefit of the > game. It depends who you are. For beginners, of course you shouldn't concentrate on niceities until the basics are there. However, please don't ask me to turn my toes in and start doing a 2-beat pas-de-basque just because the way I dance has been honed over years of practice and won't be achieved by your typical beginner on their first class. I ENJOY the fact that there is an ideal to strive for, and I like to get as close as possible most of the time. But that doesn't mean I expect other dancers in my set to do the same (except when performing, of course). But a more important, more general point: YOU ARE PART OF THE RSCDS. Your achievements in Glasgow are a shining example of what _the_RSCDS_ can offer and achieve. Remember, the RSCDS is a collection of volunteers, each with their own agenda, with a few organising committees of volunteers doing their best as they see it. There is no official "accuracy police force" which lurks at social events and will strike you off forever for being fractionally out of place on bar 6.239 of the tournee (though there are a *few* sad individuals who unfortunately seem to see that as their role), and this runs counter to the attitude of the members of the executive committees who I know. Have you danced with Stewart? I keep seeing people complaining that "the RSCDS" is hide-bound and a stickler for rules being obeyed all the time. In my experience, in attending events run by RSCDS branches this is not generally the case - as your example shows. Sure, there are some teachers who do still teach this way. That doesn't mean "the RSCDS" in general (whoever that is) thinks this way. Yet for some reason, every time someone is inappropriately strict, it is taken as because they are RSCDS members. Every time someone is appropriately lax, it is taken as despite being RSCDS members - even if that is the more common occurrence. And this is the marketing battle we need to fight - to convince everyone that "the RSCDS is strict and stuffy" is an out-of-date image, and to convince members (an in particular teachers) that behaviours that give this impression are now inappropriate. On the other hand, we do need to recognise that the structure which the RSCDS style provides is a major asset. It's certainly the reason dancing is _my_ main hobby. I enjoy dancing well, and I enjoy the mental and physical challenges that offers. If I was just ceilidh dancing, it wouldn't be such an obsession - there's just not enough to it for me. As has been said before, no-one complains about David Beckham being a good footballer. So why do so many people complain about people who want to dance well? Cheers, Ian Brockbank Edinburgh, Scotland xxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx http://www.scottishdance.net/