Choosing demo dances (Was: dances for 3 cpl sets?)

Martin Sheffield

June 2, 2008, 7:36 p.m. (Message 52601)

Le 2 juin 08 à 17:28, James Mungall a écrit :

>  I'll second Wendy's suggestion of Flight of the Falcon.

For a public performance?
I'd say that reels of three are among the least readable/ 
understandable figures for the layman. And while a falcon reel well  
executed can be very elegant, I imagine that it must be even less  
clear for the average spectator.  Straight lines, circles, triangles  
are easy on the eye. Promenades, poussettes & allemandes should be  
worth watching. Turns (RH/LH or 2H) are fine. Reels, however,  
especially when not symmetrical, are a different matter. Just think  
how long it takes a beginner dancer to undersand the logic of a reel,  
in spite of regular practicing.  The spectator sees a reel once or  
twice and wonders what on earth we are doing.

Although it is not our main purpose in life, our club was asked to  
put on a little show the other day.
We did Shifting Bobbins and Postie's Jig, for their symmetry;
Wind on Loch, since the timing of the interlocked reels allows an  
in&out movement for the whole set, easier to understand than an  
ordinart reel;
Piper & Penguin, for a different formation, with understandable  
patterns;
Johnnie Walker, likewise, plus the change of tempo to wake up the  
audience;
St Martin's Cross, for straight lines symmetry and movement.
Midnight Toil, a 5-cp set (but works as a 3-cp), with the two active  
couples echoing each other (covering) .

Sorry, these are not what Monica originally asked for, but I think it  
is wise to consider which dances are worth watching and why.
I did not mention the real reason for choosing the above. Our dancers  
know them well enough to be relaxed and look as if they are enjoying  
the activity.  The non-specialist spectator does not care a damn  
whether our feet are pointing correctly or whether our hands are the  
correct height from the floor. But he can see whether we are enjoying  
ourselves or not, and that is what counts.

Martin

James Mungall

June 2, 2008, 7:59 p.m. (Message 52602, in reply to message 52601)

Well whether fortunately or unfortunately reels are a basis of SCD.
I'm not one that supports avoiding reels for demos.  I agree that they
might be harder to catch/comprehend for the average spectator--but we
shouldn't "dumb-down" our selections either.  Reels are too much a
part of SCD to avoid them for demos entirely (in my opinion anyway.)
I understand the symmetry that's attractive to the human eye...
Posties is great and Shiftin' Bobbins (though I really dislike dancing
it) is also visually interesting.  I'm all for picking visually
attractive dances for demos but I don't like to disclude reel-based
dances.

James Mungall
Baton Rouge, LA, USA

Bruce Herbold

June 2, 2008, 8:06 p.m. (Message 52603, in reply to message 52602)

Mirror reels are a good way to avoid this issue of visual
understandability  -- West's Hornpipe is a very good demo choice --
albeit needing 4 couples and a bit of space.  But it meets the need
for fun for the dancersand clarity for the audience and good music for
both.

Bruce Herbold
San Francisco

Monica Pollard

June 3, 2008, 2:25 a.m. (Message 52624, in reply to message 52603)

I agree mirror reels are more visual understandable than "those other kinds" :)

Not that it matters much at this point, after a raft of wonderful
suggestions :), but I probably should have mentioned in my original
post that I want to avoid re-choreographing these two demo dances.
I'll be lucky to get 4-5 brief rehearsals as it is, and I don't want
to worry about how we're changing things.

Anyway, thanks again all.  I am leaning heavily towards Red House or a
couple others.  But I'm certainly going to make a list of the
suggestions for future reference.

Off to class now!
Monica