strathspey@strathspey.org:1329

David Newitt

Re: Encores

March 16, 1995, 8:35 p.m. (Message 1329, in reply to message 1319)

> 
> I've known of some musicians who absolutely refused to play any  
> encores and of MCs that would not allow encores to be played. 
> 
> Etienne Ozorak
 
Hmmm...any idea why? Did they feel it was boring? Was the music so locked
into 8 times thru arrangements that they couldn't do a 4 times thru encore?


I remember a quite widely played SCD band leader (I THINK it was Bobby
Brown, but I'm not sure) saying on this subject that their band would
not play an event with a "No encores" rule. I believe his words were
that the band "lived for encores", or something like that. This seems
like a far more reasonable attitude, since the encore request represents
the peak of excitement and acceptance of the music and the dance. Kind
of the equivalent of a "not bad" from the teacher.

Do many people prefer the 'cram as many dances as possible into the evening'
theory of ball planning? Personnally, an 18 dance program seems like plenty to
me, it quite exhausts me, my feet are sore, I've danced with well over
100 people (in the set). Actually , come to think of it, a lot of my favorite
balls have been only 15-16 dances long. (Exception - the best dance of all -
the Del. Valley Hogmany Ball with its 28 dance program. But it goes
till 3:30 AM!) If the young wippersnappers want more dances, why not have
an afterparty and dance till you drop?

- david newitt