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Encores
Priscilla M. Burrage
March 16, 1995, 5:33 p.m. (Message 1319)
On Thu, 16 Mar 1995, Ian Brockbank, DEC Livingston wrote: > To start a completely different thread, what do people think about encores? My > personal opinion is that it's better to have a programme with more dances, and > dance more different ones, than to dance everything twice. If you run out of > dances, there are always extras. The university groups in Scotland seem to be > coming to expect encores more and more, probably since they've got used to them. > And they always encore the same boring ones that we've done a dozen times this > year (half a dozen dances, encored - I exaggerate, but you get my drift). Why > can't they encore the nice ones with a bit of novelty value? They have twenty dances on the program and they encore?? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Priscilla Burrage (xxxxxxxxx.xxxxxxx@xxx.xxx) Vermont USA (xxxxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx.xxx)
On Thu, 16 Mar 1995, Ian Brockbank, DEC Livingston wrote: > To start a completely different thread, what do people think about >encores? I've known of some musicians who absolutely refused to play any encores and of MCs that would not allow encores to be played. IMHO, the MC or host of the dance has a responsibility to the dancers and therefore should be sensitive to the overall momentum of the evening. This means making on-the-spot decisions for encores, adding extras at the end, length of intermissions... If a dance is a successful and enjoyable event for everyone, it's more likely that people will want to come back, correct? Etienne Ozorak Meadville, PA USA
If you have the opportunity to look at older Dance programmes (19th and earyl 20th century), you will realize that they had 'encores' on the programme, ie you might find dances twice: before and after the interval. I personally like encores because then you can do the dance either 'right' (if it didn't quite work the first time) or enjoy it - now you and the other know whats coming (or are surprised :-) ). However it is the duty of the MC to realize if the dancers want an encore and he should not ask for one just because there is time left. Helmut Biesenbach Institut f. Angewandte Mathematik Univ. Bonn Wegelerstr. 6 D 53115 Bonn Germany Tel.: +49-228-73-3423 Fax: +49-228-73-7864 xxxxxx@xxx.xxx-xxxx.xx
> > 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
Here in the San Francisco Branch we tend towards the high end in the number of
encores during an evening - generally at least 3 or 4 on programs ranging from
15 to 19 dances. Partly this is an appreciative response to our local musicians.
A few years ago, the number of encores seemed to be getting out of hand, because
the MCs were unable to distinguish whether enthusiastic applause was primarily a
response to the music and thank-you to the musicians, or actually a request to
repeat the dance. Someone, I'm not sure who, started the practice of holding up
a hand with index finger extended to indicate a desire to repeat the dance. This
has helped a great deal - one can applaud as vigorously as desired to commend
wonderful musicianship on "The Birks of Invermay" without worrying that a
confused MC will call for a repeat. The MC can simply scan the hall, count how
many hands are raised, and proceed from there.
-Alan Twhigg
Mt. View, CA xxxx_xxxxxx@xxxxxx.xxx
>> 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'm not sure. I know some of the members were ready for bed by 10 p.m. and that they don't play for SCD any more. Etienne
As a musician, I thrive on encores, or at least thunderous applause because sometimes an encore is not appropriate. It validates the arrangement I have made, especially when I know the dance is popular and is often encored. It tells me I am doing something right. And as a dancer at a ball or party, I enjoy a talk through because I simply don't have the time or incentive to thoroughly learn each dance in advance. Therefore, I look at a program and if I am not familiar with at least half the dances, I am less enusiastic about going than if I find the program has lots of familiar dances. Sylvia Miskoe