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Unambiguous Teapots (long but thorough)
e.ferguson
Jan. 13, 2005, 11:45 a.m. (Message 40270)
The first part of this discussion can be considered closed. Alan asked
for ideas for "modifier" names to the main formation "3 hands Across"
in DanceData. Alan now certainly has enough ideas to make a choice.
The main issue remains.
All dancers need a short term for the common figure "Second couple with
first woman and first man with third couple dance right hands across;
first couple then pass right shoulder into second couple with first man
and first woman with third couple dance left hands across" (recite out
loud in four bars ; sigh). We need that short name for teaching
dances, for recaps at dance events, and for dance descriptions [how
could we write legible descriptions if we had no names for poussette,
knot and allemande?]
We all know "teapots"; its widespread use confirms our need for a short
name. Any other short name would be just as good (avoiding "wheels",
which in poor acoustics can be confused with "reels").
But why change it ? Everyone knows "teapots" already. Why don't we
just remove the taboo, and forget the unwelcome association with poor
dancing style (we do not associate poussettes with pushing, nor
allemandes with german ladies, nor the knot with shoelaces, nor reels
with drunkenness, nor cast with throwing, nor chains with bicycles, nor
espagnoles with spain).
Alan is right, at present "Teapots" is ambiguous. So let us make the
definition precise, and say:
"Teapots" means "the M and W of the lead couple, each with two other
dancers, simultaneously dance 3 hands across in 4 bars".
All names can now be made unambiguous. I give a few examples:
The full "figure_with_a_long_name_given_above" becomes
Teapots Right and Left (has anyone ever met a teapots L and R ? )
Just one of these figures alone (e.g. in Irish Rover) becomes
Teapots Right. (who knows any lone Teapots Left?)
If the two "3 hands across" are with corners (i.e. on the sides) one
will say
Teapots across, Right
which in "It's Just for Fun" allows us to be quite clear with
first time "Teapots R" ; later "teapots across R"
In Shiftin' Bobbins and Mary Erskine the two wheels have different
hands, so we can say:
Mirror Teapots across
while in the Waggle o' the Kilt we have
Teapots across R twice, 1C changing sides in between by a quick LH
turn.
My plea is to accept "Teapots" as official name for the 4-bar figure,
as defined above. But any short name for that 4-bar figure will do,
the same way of unambiguous naming of all the various forms can be
copied unchanged.
It is a bad option to attach the basic name to the 8-bar "Switch Ends"
"figure_with_a_long_name_given_above". There is then no easy way of
naming all the other figures mentioned in the examples, and the naming
problem remains partially unsolved.
Dance some happy teapots,
Eric
--
Eric T. Ferguson,
van Reenenweg 3, 3702 SB ZEIST Netherlands
tel: (+31)(0) 30-2673638 mobile: (+31)(0) 6 4437 8997
e-mail: x.xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxx.xx
I agree with Eric, especially his last point about it only applying to the 4-bar figure (but then I suppose I would, because that's what I've always called it) and also with Pia's later message - it's so much easier to whisper "Teapots" or "2-Teapots" to your partner when you're actually dancing. However, I think we should be told whether Eric's middle name - the 'T.' of his signature - stands for Teapots??? <g> David David Bowd-Exworth Berkeley, Gloucestershire, U.K.
>Eric's proposed teapots nomenclature makes great sense! No reason I can see >that it could not be officially adopted by the R.S.C.D.S. and added to the >Manual. I am inclined to disagree. I do use the term "teapots", because a lot of people know what to do when they hear it. BUT, I try not use it alone. We do have standard, unambiguous terminology, while more verbose, that actually describes what the dancers do! AND if you use the terminology of "1st and/or 2nd Corner Couples" the verbosity is really reduced. A teacher can easily cue "Right Hands Across with First Corner Couple" in one quicktime bar (the bar that precedes the action), rest for 3 bars and then cue "Left Hands Across with Second Corner Couple". The advantage of using the word "teapots" is that it is brief. The disadvantage is that for some people, it is cryptic (too brief), so they aren't necessarily sure what to do. The really important thing is to communicate with the dancers. With that in mind, when I am cueing or briefing a dance I will use BOTH descriptors, e.g.: "Teapots--that's Right Hands Across with First Corner Couple, then Left Hands Across with Second Corner Couple" (Sorry, for me Teapots is an informal descriptor for an 8-bar figure. Also, stretching its use to dances like Shiftin Bobbins does not work for me--I prefer "Hands Across with Corners") In an environment where we tend to wordiness, looking for brief ways of describing our dances is a good thing. However, brevity can cross the line to being cryptic, and that is not a good thing. Good communication and clarity are more important than brevity. Oberdan -- 184 Estaban Drive, Camarillo, CA 93010-1611 USA Voice: (805) 389-0063, email: xxxxx@xxxxx.xxx