strathspey@strathspey.org:43905

0AM7L@SIA

Please consider this

Jan. 28, 2006, 3:48 p.m. (Message 43905)

About workshops:  Not everyone is 'local' and has had the luxury of
practicing 16+ dances weeks ahead of time like the sponsoring branch has.

We Detroiters can attend workshops in neighboring states and Ontario, and
we're lucky if we get to do even some of the dances once before we go.  (If
Branch dancers are going to different events, it's impossible to work on ALL
those dances, so we have to 'take turns' requesting dances.)

With new & intermediate dancers, they're heading to an out-of-town weekend
with only a brief review (if any) of 16-18 dances in their heads, and don't
need a strange new dance sprung on them (been there, done that, more times
than I care to remember).

They are going because it's a _workshop_ and they need work on their
_skills_, not a larger repertoire of dances.

I am speaking from the dancer's standpoint, _not_ the teacher.  The only
reason my husband and I attend workshops any more is to encourage our new
dancers to go.  I'm thinking of them and their jam-packed brains.  1st and
2nd year dancers NEED someone other than their regular teacher to 'whip them
into shape' but not fear losing them.  Many people don't absorb 'polite'
suggestions from their teachers about improving their technique, and need an
independent party to get through to them (i.e., workshop leader).

A workshop should be to improve one's dancing skills.  Our regular teachers
can teach us new and/or complicated dances any time.  No need to drive a
couple hours for that.

I've made my suggestion, and I can see it's been taken to heart (by some).
That's all I ask. 

Margaret