Jim, I really like your idea for the A1 (Prom ccw,wheel, prom cw).
Bouncing ideas back and forth is something I really enjoy and I think
that the dancers sometimes benefit in the long run.
Last night I called The Wheel with the cw promenade. It worked
fine. It wasn't a riot as Bill described so I was a little
disappointed. I don't know why. It seemed to have the same
excitement as the the Atlantic Polka Mixer (see Zesty) which I
wouldn't describe as a riot. I don't think that the change in
direction of the promenade was the reason.
The wrong way promenade wasn't an issue in terms of negative
learning. It was, perhaps a bit new and different for
the 'experienced' dancers. I called a square early in the evening,
The Wheel in the middle and a square later in the evening and there
weren't any issues with promenading.
For me this isn't about trusting or not trusting Gene and Bill. It's
all about finding a better mouse trap. Innovation from both
musicians and choreographers has given the dance community an
incredible amount of enjoyment. If Gene were alive today I don't
think he'd be insulted by my trying a variation of his dance. Yes he
was a Geneius but he wasn't perfect-not one is.
Trust the folk process instead. There's a reason the Paul Jones
mixers have men on the outside.
Tom
