For those of us who are used to twirls, spins may make a Do Si Do
easier. This idea of the challenge of "back-up" vs "spin" is intriguing.
I've never noticed it particularly hard to back up and miss. And
occasionally a shoulder might bump. "Nice running into you!" is what I
say. And one learns to glance over a shoulder. As far as positional
awareness and spinning goes, this takes practice. For the novice this
awareness is not automatic -- it can become more so to the seasoned
dancer. Many newcomers complain -- in the spinning world of fast-swing
and twirling contra dancers -- of dizziness. For them, spinning may be
eons away, if they decide to return.
And, as I stated in an earlier email, a Do Si Do starts on a spot,
facing a direction, and ends on that spot facing that direction. Or it
ends "a quarter more" from that spot, or "one and a half" from that
spot, facing the direction one started in -- it's a directional move.
Often, when people spin, they loose this sense of direction. This is
true of many somewhat "experienced" dancers.
At a one-night-stand dance, since the Do Si Do is something people
actually "know," as the arms cross and the smiles of "knowing" appear,
and since that sense of "knowing" brings such joy that I would never
"correct" it from this version of "correct!" Again, an arms crossed Do
Si Do is not incorrect, it's just gone out of fashion in the contra
dance world. And, anyone who comes to a contra dance and returns will
quite quickly stop crossing their arms, as it's not the style there.
At a contra dance, I teach the directional details of the Do Si Do, and
demonstrate the spin that they'll see. I actually object to teaching
beginners to spin, as I consider that a modern flourish (that I actually
do -- about half the time), and find that adding that flourish confuses
more beginners than helps.
John Sweeny writes:
Why teach the dosido spin? Because it helps people to know which way to
spin, and because there are elements like catching your partner's eyes
between the spins that people won't necessarily pick up without some
guidance.
Hmm, I think this might be a good idea to show this after someone's been
coming for a while. Most of the people I know who solo spin were never
taught these things, and seem to have successfully learned them. As far
as eye contact goes, don't forget that, as many of us over-emphasize the
importance of eye to eye in the contra dance world, many newcomers find
this a bit too intimate at first, and need to get comfortable with it.
I always let people know that they don't have to make all that eye
contact if they don't want to. And there are lots of opportunities in
just about every contra dance for eye contact, it need not be so
ubiquitous...
As far as teaching twirls and spins, I'd focus much more on cranking
leaders, and strive to teach how it is the leader's invitation, the
follower's choice, and the importance of how small the leader's motion
actually is: No Cranking!!! This is something many "experienced"
dancers need a lesson in.
~erik hoffman
oakland, ca
On 5/31/2013 12:48 PM, Aahz Maruch wrote:
[been offline almost two weeks, so responding late]
On Tue, May 21, 2013, Donald Perley wrote:
On Tue, May 21, 2013 at 4:28 PM, John Sweeney <[email protected]> wrote:
Why teach the dosido spin? Because it helps people to know which way to
spin, and because there are elements like catching your partner's eyes
between the spins that people won't necessarily pick up without some
guidance.
There may be an easier way to spin (easiest is not spinning, so you
are already beyond worrying about easy), but no mandatory direction.
Actually, I find that spinning is easier than not spinning, partly
because of the point someone else made about backing up and also because
the spin puts my feet naturally into the right positions for each spot.
