May 9, 2007, 1:46 p.m. (Message 48703, in reply to message 48682)
Ill second everything Bryan has said! Re who dances with whom for the Bridal Waltz, if parents are divorced I always suggest that they can mix & match Grooms Dad with Brides Mum, and vice versa. I would usually bring them onto the floor in order: bride & groom, best man & chief bridesmaid, parents, rest of bridal party, and all the guests. The only ones I actually name though are bride, groom, best man & bridesmaid (less opportunity to make mistakes!). Re Canadian Barn Dance I have a theory about this (and do bear in mind Im not a musician so I may be talking nonsense). When played in 2/4 time one round of the dance is actually only 8 bars, although it lasts as long as one round of The Military Two-Step, which is 16 bars. Therefore if a band plays the same number of bars for a Barn Dance set as they do for a Two-Step one, the dancers are actually dancing twice as long. Thats my excuse for only dancing one half anyway! Youre right Bryan, weddings never run to time! Another hint that the ladies will understand if the bride is going to change into a going-away outfit, try to get her to do so during the half-time break or soon after. Ive known so many brides leave it till the last minute and the band is marking time before announcing the last waltz. I usually say to the bride, Youll be more comfortable dancing in your going-away outfit, and if you change early on you can relax and let your hair down. The bride always thinks it will take her 10 minutes to change allow at least ½ an hour! The bands I work with do play Quicksteps and Foxtrots if asked for which we find happens quite regularly. Id advise any SDB to have at least a couple in their repertoire. We also sometimes just announce an Old Time Waltz so they can do a St Bernards a Pride of Erin or whatever takes their fancy. If the bride and groom arent dancers we often play a Modern Waltz for the bridal and/or last waltz, because they find it easier to shuffle round the floor to that. I often take the bridal couple to one side before they start and advise them to take tiny steps that way it isnt so obvious if they cant waltz. I liked Bryans advice re demonstrating. I wholeheartedly agree and would always pick an older gentleman as my partner. The one exception is if theres a loud-mouthed show-off around (and its always a young bloke!); he would be my lucky partner for The Swedish Masquerade, which is guaranteed to raise a laugh and will usually put him in fear for the rest of the evening! If the bridal party make the effort to be on the floor for every dance then you usually find that the other guests will get up no problem. I always say this to the bridal party before we start, and I tell the best man that its his duty to make sure that everyone dances. (I know its down to me really, but at a wedding the guests feel less pressurised if the best man drags them on to the floor.) I also suggest that he makes sure that all the single ladies get at least one dance (the bridesmaids can do the same for the single gents). One last hint to callers and teachers learn how to use a microphone properly. Dont shout, project theres a huge difference. Ladies lower the tone of your voice so you dont sound squeaky. Most hand-held mics are uni-directional; they should be held at right angles to the body, so that you are speaking directly into the mic, not talking across the top of it, which is what happens if you hold the mic in line with the body. A few years ago we held a Callers Share Day, when callers and teachers (as well as people who wanted to give it a shot but didnt know where to begin) got together to discuss and share dances. If anyone thinks it would be a good idea we could do another one probably somewhere central Stirling, Perth? Best wishes, Karin PS Ive never called at a Wake what on earth happens there? Who is the guest of honour? Last waltz takes on a whole new meaning! PPS Its just The Riverside Bryan; there is actually another dance called The Riverside Jig. But thanks for using it! No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.467 / Virus Database: 269.6.6/794 - Release Date: 08/05/2007 14:23