On Jul 9, 2009, at 4:17 AM, Tina Fields wrote:
I really like Greg MacKenzie's question,
The real question is: What is your purpose? And what is the
purpose of the
majority of those who attend?
What is the purpose of our event and what is the caller's job in
realizing
that purpose?
I agree - this is indeed something I've never heard discussed. I've
also never heard any particular stance on our purpose shared with
dancers by boards, or with callers & bands by dance managers when
booking. We have just sort of been each taking our own individual
ideas of what we're up to for granted, I guess. Building community
is another aspect we might throw into the pot. But who should be in
on the deciding? Further musing: is it even a matter for deciding,
or does the purpose of any ongoing activity sort of grow and shift
organically to suit the times and those co-creating it?
Larry Jennings books shed light on these questions. Check out Give-
and-Take, available from CDSS, for his essay on "Pathways to Contra
Nirvana" which can be summarized as "have a vision" but you should
read the whole thing to get Larry's take on it. Chrissy Fowler's
Belfast ME dance is a wonderful example of a series that has a clear
vision, consistently implemented.
Lisa
