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Too Many Rules? (was Eccles Rant - No Answers?)
Chris1Ronald
Feb. 2, 2006, 6:28 p.m. (Message 44052)
Martin wrote: "Too many rules. And you wonder why the younger generation is not too keen on SCD?" I know what you're saying Martin. But I'm not sure one has to call it "laying down rules". I'd prefer "suggestions". I believe there may have been a tendency in the past (you still see sometimes) to lay down rules - to say you OUGHT to do this or that. Thankfully, most teachers do seem to avoid such expressions, but rather to try to suggest a reason, such as it's safer, or more helpful to your partner or other dancers, or "This what I prefer", or "It may seem peculiar, but if you go dancing in other places, this is how you'll probably see it done", etc. The article in the Scotsman that we were discussing last year talked about us as being "fastidious" in our dancing. I've been thinking about this, and if I'm honest, I suppose you could say we are fastidious in the sense that we get pleasure from completing a dance accurately, with good phrasing and covering, etc. The fact that RSCDS-style dancing offers this type of pleasure is one of the reasons we're keen on it. I doubt we really want that to change. I'm inclined to think that many of us have graivitated to this style because we like the order and precision. Isn't this why so many dancers in our style are librarians, accountants, engineers, mathematicians, etc.? So far as newer dancers and young people are concerned, some will enjoy our precision and others will not. We hope that the ones who do enjoy the style will keep dancing with us. Bearing in mind Martin's admonition, perhaps we need to take more care to let the style speak for itself, and certainly avoid saying things like "you ought to do this" and "ought not to do that". And, as Jim Healy said in the 'Scotsman' discussion, avoid tut-tutting when newer or younger dancers go wrong or when dancers let their hair down a bit. My ha'pence worth, Chris.
Too many rules does not seem to deter the ballooning interest in ballroom dancing. The college where my wife teaches has a population of about 18,000 students. About 240 students are currently enrolled in ballroom dance classes (including one aging accordionist), and they don't seem to be deterred by "too many rules" at all. Anyone looking at salsa or latin dances know that there are rules about good form. For good form to happen, there has to be rules. >From what I've witnessed on the dance floor, what attracts people to a dance style is passion and excitement, and that will always mean different things to different people and of different ages. Cheers, Etienne Ozorak Meadville, PA USA
On 2/2/06, xxxxxxxxxxxx@xxx.xxx <xxxxxxxxxxxx@xxx.xxx> wrote: > > I'm inclined to think that many of us have graivitated to this style because > we like the order and precision. Isn't this why so many dancers in our > style are librarians, accountants, engineers, mathematicians, etc.? I just wrote about it couple of days ago on my own blog at: http://alwayslearning.wordpress.com/2006/01/29/why-scottish-country- dancing-appeals-to-the-programmers/ I think it is important to not give too much hassle to newbies who are still learning to to just get through the formation without tripping everybody else. Needing to remember reel of 3 accross as 7 different moves is so much already, that I am not going to also remember stay behind and hold hands up when I am in a middle of advance and retire. Once they have that chunked and they have memorized the base formations, other things could be reinforced. Regards, Alex.