The first priority is that we should praise, encourage, and celebrate
the participation of children at any open, public contra dance. Your
question hinges upon how you define the "problem" here. At public
dances it is the callers role to integrate all participants and
provide a program that is enjoyable for all. Integration is the key
factor and should be the focus of your efforts whenever there are
novice dancers present. Generally you should consider calling easy,
flowing dances that require little or no teaching and limit each
partnering to less than 10 minutes. This will make the experience of
dancing with newcomers more enjoyable and will encourage more adults
and regular dancers to be more generous in partnering with children
and novices.
Don't fall into the trap of making the children the
"problem." Remember that the caller is responsible for everything
that happens in the hall and any frustration by any experienced
dancer is your problem, not a child's or even the parent's. The key
is to enlist the support of all the regulars and make sure it is an
enjoyable experience for them as well. Once you achieve the goal of
integrating the novices your "problem" will be greatly diminished.
Generally I think children should be encouraged but, if they dance,
they should pay admission. The community may decide to offer a lower
price but all dancers should pay admission. If the young children
are, in fact, not having fun they are not likely to continue. That
would be the worst outcome. If they are encouraged, praised, and
successful they are likely to take pride in their ability to
participate with the adults and will be motivated to learn
quickly. That would be the best outcome. With skillful, precise,
and effective calling I think you can enlist the support of all of
the regular dancers in achieving that goal.
Just a thought,
Greg McKenzie
********
At 08:38 AM 1/17/2009, you wrote:
Hi,
How have you handled parents bringing their too young children into
a dance insisting "they can do the dance" when they are too small/young
to participate in any meaningful way, and generally are just confused,
clog up the dance and prevent the others from dancing (and the
youngster from having any fun either)? This is probably not a problem
at your usual contra dance, but at "family dance" events (longways and
such).
Cheers,
Sue R.
--
* * * * * * * * * *
Sue Robishaw ~ [1][email protected] ~ 906-644-2598
770N Fox Rd, Cooks MI 49817 ~ ~ ~ [2]www.ManyTracks.com
Don't just Celebrate Diversity ~ Live it, Look for it,
Appreciate it, Enjoy it ~ Allow it !
* * * * * * * * * *
References
1. mailto:[email protected]
2. http://www.ManyTracks.com/
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