On Thu, 29 Apr 2010 16:16:17 -0400, Delia Clark wrote: > With the mixture of new dancers, lingering families, high school > age folks, we haven't been able to provide the kind of scene dance > gypsies seem to prefer, but we have had some very kind and generous > experienced dancers frequent our dance and they seem to enjoy the > challenge of keeping it all moving.
I think you'll find that the really good dancers are happy to join in. It's the hot-shots who turn up their noses at anything less than the perfect contra dance experience, and you can do without them - I expect there are plenty of other places they can go. > I have considered booting the kids out during the break when we > switch to contra dances, but many of them are becoming good enough > dancers that it just doesn't feel right, though I am aware that > this shifts our dynamic away from appealing to singles, etc. Don't do it! The kids are the dancers of tomorrow, and maybe when you say "singles, etc." you mean hot-shots. I was single for a long time, but I always enjoyed dancing with kids and still do. You can certainly make the program more complicated after the break and warn the kids that they've got to be good if they want to stay for the second half: challenge them, don't ban them. And you can even say quietly to specific kids, "You really aren't up to this yet", so long as you do it with the right attitude. Colin Hume Email [email protected] Web site http://www.colinhume.com
