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strathspey@strathspey.org:45484

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Sophie Rickebusch

Sophie Rickebusch

Re: Regarding Dance Technique and Etiquette

June 9, 2006, 5:42 p.m. (Message 45484, in reply to message 45482)

I would tend to agree with you and not let pass something which is potentially
dangerous. Most of the dancers in my class came to SCD through american
barn-dancing or international folk dancing and they do have a tendency to use the
thumb hold. Most of them quickly get the point when I explain why I do not want
to see that in the SCD class. It may not be of much consequence in sedate,
march-type dances, but in reels or jigs, where there is a risk that someone might
slip while doing a fast turn, it's a different matter. If you take shake-hand
hold and the other person stops supporting their own hand, you find yourself
holding it up by the hand itself, which is fairly solid. Do the same with a thumb
hold and you're left holding their thumb... just imagine what that would give if
they slipped at full speed and you tried to hold them back! The other option
being of course to drop hands if they slip, on the assumption that the fall will
be less damaging than ripping out their thumb, but that wouldn't be very
gentlemanly and my guess is they wouldn't thank you for it!

Maybe a diplomatic way to approach this could be that you wouldn't like to risk
causing THEM an injury - then demonstrate the point as explained above.

Can't comment on the Postie's jig issue, as I've never come across people doing
it with Tulloch turns.

Cheers,
Sophie 

Sophie Rickebusch
CH - Wettswil a. A.

On Ven Juin 9 9:27 , 'Thomas G. Mungall, III' sent:

    Regarding dance technique and etiquette -- I attend both Scottish Country
    dance classes and vintage dance classes and I have been presented with a
    problem...what to do when people want to turn using the so called "thumb
    hold". I was always taught that this turn is incorrect and in most Scottish
    classes people use the correct handshake hold for turns. However in the
    vintage classes (which dance a pretty good number of Scottish Country
    dances) have what I call an American influence and while not all use the
    thumb hold, a good many do. My arguement is it can cause injury. Well that
    was what I was always told. My wife says that I should do in Rome as the
    Romans. My arguement is that they are wrong and I will dance correctly in
    order to avoid injury and I wish to avoid "bad habits" carrying over into
    Scottish dancing. I am however at a loss to explain what sorts of injury the
    thumb hold can cause. Can someone please throw some light on this practice.
    Any suggestions on how to approach this issue as not to cause offense?

    Another irritant is the propensity of the vintage class to want to dance the
    "Postie's Jig" using the Tulloch turn rather than the usual turns by the
    right and left giving the handshake hold.

    Thoughts? Suggestions?

    Yours aye,

    Tom Mungall

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