strathspey@strathspey.org:63995

Anselm Lingnau

Re: re Open Meeting in Edinburgh!Q!

April 24, 2013, 2:04 a.m. (Message 63995, in reply to message 63994)

Robert Lambie wrote:

> I don't have
> any desire to REPLACE the Milligan style, but to be less fixated on that
> as the only possible one, exactly as is expressed in "the Art of Dancing",
> to choose whatever is appropriate for the circumstances and the dance. I
> will shortly be going to Mull to dance EFDSS style for a week, but it will
> include some RSCDS, Contra, Square, and possibly others that I wot not of!

I don't think anyone here believes that RSCDS-style SCD is »the only possible« 
way of doing country dancing. Personally I spent a very enjoyable Saturday a 
few weeks ago at a big meeting of dance groups (most of whom were doing 
Playford dances, but some French and others) where the various groups took 
turns teaching dances in »their« style to the rest of the attendees. It is 
great to be able to get together and share our love for dancing in this way, 
but it doesn't mean that RSCDS-style SCD will necessarily improve from taking 
on board the various things that make these other styles special. Curry is 
great in a chicken dish but I still wouldn't want it on my sponge cake.

The great thing about RSCDS-style SCD is that it defines a »framework« of 
steps and formations that is reasonable to teach and learn but supports – with 
very few exceptions or special cases – a very considerable scope for artistic 
expression. Do note that 95% or more of the current SCD repertoire is 
»modern«, i.e., was invented during the last 75 years or so, based on the 
tenets and style promulgated by the »Jean Milligan School of Dance« rather 
than the earlier styles from the 18th and 19th centuries. You may feel that 
SCD is »narrow«, but a style that covers everything from basic audience-
participation dances up to awe-inspiring performance art like The Waverley 
Fugues is never going to grow old for me. People like Hugh Foss or Barry 
Priddey have proved that there is ample room for innovation *within* the 
framework, to a point where adding new »fancy footwork« seems cheap by 
comparison. (Adding more technique would also make the style more difficult to 
learn, when one of the major criticisms leveled at RSCDS-style SCD is that it 
is »too difficult« already – so it may not be worth it after all.)

Finally, there are people who enjoy RSCDS-style SCD as well as, say, ceilidh 
dancing or salsa. This does not mean that the RSCDS should try to extend its 
efforts to cover ceilidh dancing or salsa. It stands to reason that people who 
are into these styles will know where to find them. In that respect having a 
forum where the proponents of various Scottish dance styles talk to one 
another is useful because it will keep the people who are into any one of the 
styles from labouring under the misconception that theirs is the most 
traditional, most popular, most »Scottish« … one and concluding that all the 
others must be inferior by comparison. If it leads to more opportunities for 
dancers to find out about and practise what they like to do then so much the 
better.

Anselm

PS. For the record, I've done EFDSS-style country dancing as well as ballroom 
dancing, international folk dancing, Argentinian tango, lindy-hop and probably 
a few other styles that I can't remember just now, but out of all of these it 
is RSCDS-style SCD that I like best. Other people may reasonably disagree and 
I don't have an issue with that.
-- 
Anselm Lingnau, Mainz/Mayence, Germany ................. xxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxx.xxx
Terrorism is not a leading cause of death in the world. If we want to save
lives, far better to divert a small portion of the world's counterterrorism
budgets to mosquito netting.
  -- Charles Kurzman, »Why Is It So Hard To Find A Suicide Bomber These Days?«