strathspey@strathspey.org:8338

Trans Vector Technologies, Inc

Re: Mairi's Wedding

July 29, 1997, 10:51 p.m. (Message 8338, in reply to message 8327)

Irene replies to a comment by Colin Garret:

>> I once asked James about this and he said
>> "Do what is comfortable!"
><Hmmm>  So maybe the Mairi's Wedding debate still lives on.  Can we
>take that as factual first-hand reporting?

Then Irene goes on to recall our earlier discussion of this topic including
a quote of a letter written by James B.Cosh showing his explicit preference
for the left shoulder pass as it was written.

Irene remarks further...
>Jim [Healy], you were right to
>>> ... suspect that, no matter what, it won't be long before it
>>> returns :)

First, about THE PROCESS:

I suspect a number of old-timers on the list may have thought, "Oh, here we
go again...". However, I suggest that although we do have an archive of
this list (thanks to Anselm), it is NOT reasonable to expect new
subscribers to exhastively review that archive before making contributions
to the list. I think the process that occurred in this case is very
reasonable. Now that Irene has provided the teaser for the prior
discussions, I expect that the new subscribers who are really interested in
the topic might take the opportunity to see what is in the archive.
However, even if the existence of the earlier discussion is known, that
does not mean that the topic should not be revisited, especially by those
who were not here at the time.

Second, about THE TOPIC:

Sometimes, dance instructions are a bit vague (or overly constrained, i.e.,
they just don't work). If it is possible, it is helpful to ask the
choreographer what s/he had in mind. In the case of Mairi's Wedding, there
is no ambiguity or conflict in the printed instructions. It is certainly of
historical and human interest to get the author's comments, but for
teaching/dancing the dance, that is not necessary. In no case should an
author's comments be given more weight than the printed instructions.

I think the bottom line is whether or not you are going to do the dance as
written. For the social ballroom, I have a strong preference to teach and
do dances as written, even when I believe there has been a choreographic
error (usually evidenced by awkward transitions). Assuming other teachers
would do the same, that maximizes the dancers' ability to dance
successfully with other groups. However, in a dance like Mairi's Wedding
where so many teachers/dancers have taken license with the diagonal reels,
I make a point of alerting my dancers to the variations they will see, and
to the importance of agreeing with your partner how you will be doing the
reels. More than a few times I have seen the unfortunate collision in the
middle.

[Perhaps another list member with the time and inclination can remind us of
the main points of earlier discussions on doing dances as written.]

Cheers, Oberdan.

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