May 10, 2006, 6:16 p.m. (Message 45218)
On Wed, 10 May 2006, Martin Sheffield wrote: > Or if you use a recording dating from the 40s & 50s, when dancers > apparently had more energy than they do today. I'm not familiar with recordings from that time, but I'm convinced that this plays a part in why SCD has (some) problems attracting the young. I know it made a difference to me. Aged 35, and after a spell away I went to an intermediate class for a few weeks, then enquired about moving up to the advanced class. I was told to stay in the current class until I had stopped dancing ahead of the music. I know that I have to fit in with the music and the other dancers, but I was dancing at the speed that was right for me, and I haven't been back to SCD since. This is assuming that those disks record what people actually danced to them - I've heard that it was common to speed them up to fit onto a 78. Andrew C Aitchison
May 10, 2006, 8:06 p.m. (Message 45219, in reply to message 45218)
Andrew C Aitchison wrote: > On Wed, 10 May 2006, Martin Sheffield wrote: > > ... a recording dating from the 40s & 50s, when dancers > > apparently had more energy than they do today. > > > I'm not familiar with recordings from that time, but I'm convinced that > this plays a part in why SCD has (some) problems attracting the young. > Even if we manage to attract the young, I am quite certain we won't keep them with 8x32-bar speys that last 8m, 30 secs, even 9 m. > ... I've heard that it was common to speed them up to fit onto a 78. > I danced with J Shand live once or twice and remember it being an exhausting affair -- and I was still a teenager! > Even when LPs came out, I remember that the usual length for 8x32 R was 4 m 20 secs. Today, these dances are being recorded at nearer 4m 50. Exceptions are R Whitehead, who clearly intends us to put energy into our dancing, and I MacPhail who is capable of anything. I wonder if the American bands are playing slower than the Brits -- and influencing certain musicians that have spent too much time in the States ... Martin, who often speeds up his CDs when making copies (for his own private use of course) in almost bandless France.
May 10, 2006, 8:59 p.m. (Message 45220, in reply to message 45219)
Dear All, In working with an almost entirely-university age group, I've found that sometimes my undergraduate friends want music faster, and other times slower. As far as attracting younger dancers are concerned, speed of music doesn't seem to be the issue for us. If anything, it is in the *perception* of there being a big difference between "us" and "them" (whoever you put into those categories). What we've found is that once you get university age dancers to a ball, they very frequently turn into SCD regulars *IF* they are welcomed, encouraged, and made to feel like "one of us." Conversely, excessive correction seems to be the deathknell of interest among beginning dancers (of any age, I suspect). Once they understand the basics, then they often want good, critical teaching and instruction. But they don't get there automatically. Victor At 01:06 PM 5/10/2006, you wrote: >Andrew C Aitchison wrote: >>On Wed, 10 May 2006, Martin Sheffield wrote: >> > ... a recording dating from the 40s & 50s, when dancers > >> apparently had more energy than they do today. >> >> >>I'm not familiar with recordings from that time, but I'm convinced >>that this plays a part in why SCD has (some) problems attracting the young. >> >Even if we manage to attract the young, I am quite certain we won't >keep them with 8x32-bar speys that last 8m, 30 secs, even 9 m. >>... I've heard that it was common to speed them up to fit onto a 78. >> >I danced with J Shand live once or twice and remember it being an >exhausting affair -- and I was still a teenager! >>Even when LPs came out, I remember that the usual length for 8x32 R >>was 4 m 20 secs. >Today, these dances are being recorded at nearer 4m 50. >Exceptions are R Whitehead, who clearly intends us to put energy >into our dancing, and I MacPhail who is capable of anything. > >I wonder if the American bands are playing slower than the Brits -- >and influencing certain musicians that have spent too much time in >the States ... > >Martin, >who often speeds up his CDs when making copies (for his own private >use of course) >in almost bandless France. Victor J Raymond vraymond "at" iastate.edu
May 11, 2006, 5:45 p.m. (Message 45240, in reply to message 45218)
Andrew wrote.... < I was told to stay in the current class until I had stopped dancing ahead of the music. I know that I have to fit in with the music and the other dancers, but I was dancing at the speed that was right for me.. > Andrew, were you getting further and further ahead of the music? If not, then you were dancing at the same speed as everyone else, but a little bit ahead of the beat. BTW I do hope the negative comment doesn't put you off SCD for good, none of us is perfect anyway! Margaret wrote.... < [in dems] there's nothing worse than one head bobbing out of sync with the others > It's not necessarily as simple as that one person being out of time with the music... It's often (usually?) an indication that their feet are doing something different to everyone else's ;o) Jan Beaconsfield, UK RSCDS London Branch
May 11, 2006, 8:48 p.m. (Message 45244, in reply to message 45218)
Or that the other 7 are wrong ! ;>) Pia