strathspey@strathspey.org:44031

Ron Mackey

Re: Scottish Country Dancing VS Scottish Folk Dancing

Feb. 2, 2006, 1:07 a.m. (Message 44031, in reply to message 43964)

On 30 Jan 2006 at 13:20, Richard Goss wrote:


> LOL on the grass vs grass pun. However this quote suggests another
> point ""English" country  dances on grass, but it's really hard to do
> in SCD". The fact that SCD style requires a certain type of floor,
> whereas Scottish folk dancing does not, does point out a difference
> caused by the removal of country dancing from the folk and into the
> area of a practiced art form. I know of no other national dance form
> that requires a special place to be performed, or for that matter the
> complaints about the floor not being sprung, too slippery, too hard,
> too bumpy, not level etc.   

	After all the Fetes, Garden Partys, Lawn Dances (as some used 
to be called) and various other events I have attended over the years I 
have only rarely seen dancers in trouble over the surface underfoot.  A 
bit damp sometimes, worms to slip on, a bit bumpy - but nothing to 
hinder the dancing.
	We had a teacher long ago who regularly used to tell us that if 
we couldn't do a Strathspey on grass, then we couldn't dance a 
strathspey!  'Pick up your feet and put them downagain' was another 
saying.  He started in me the dislike I still posess of dancers sliding 
their feet round the floor.   It's like squeaky chalk on a blackboard!