March 17, 1995, 12:16 a.m. (Message 1335)
> From xxxxxxxxxx-xxxxxxx@xx.xxxxxxxxxx.xxx-xxxxxxxxx.xx Thu Mar 16 12:01:30 1995 > R> > Regarding the FTWK (For Those Who Know) dances in SF, I recall a ball > in Boston a few years ago when two of the dances on the programme were > clearly marked in the booklet: "These dances will not be briefed". > I wonder why they don't do that anymore? Any Boston dancers out > there in the know? > I can't speak for Boston, but my feeling in SF is that the pendulum has swung towards being extremely beginner friendly and avoiding elitism at all costs. Tis a shame, I think, since I've never known a beginner who got upset at there being a couple FTWK dances. They are fun to watch (see - experienced dancers mess up too!) and provide something to look forward to. Another possibility is the dissappearance of a 'repetoir' - dances everyone learned reasonable early and were done often enough to be remembered. David Mostardi mentioned that Gen. Stuart's Reel was the most popular dance on our Ball programs, yet I remember being at a large dance a couple years ago, in a set of intermediate dancers (all > 1year experience), and even with a briefing more than half of the dancers had to be helped considerably throughout the dance. Several of them did not remember ever having done the dance before. The Contra dance community here has gone as far as possible in this direction, in that I don't believe most contra dancers actually KNOW any dances. Does this trend bother anyone else? Is it inevitable in an active, growing dance tradition? -david newitt