to be clear, I don't know if it WAS Carol. it's a good dance. And Yoyo - WOW - what a great analysis!!!
Laur >________________________________ > From: Yoyo Zhou <[email protected]> >To: Laur <[email protected]>; Caller's discussion list ><[email protected]> >Sent: Monday, September 30, 2013 9:51 PM >Subject: Re: [Callers] rocks and dirt by Erik Weberg > > > >On Sat, Sep 28, 2013 at 2:27 PM, Laur <[email protected]> wrote: >Can anyone share their opinion on why the caller would have chosen to make the >change in the dance? orientation or flow? >> > > >It's hard to know for sure without asking Carol (or whoever it was that >changed it). Here are some reasons (and examples) I can think of for >variations to be created: > > >- Fix poor transitions (right and left thru->circle left, ladies chain->next >neighbor balance). >- Fix timing issues (swing ending in the middle of a phrase). >- Add things that are missing (no partner swing, no neighbor swing). >- Eliminate unwanted figures (a balance in a smooth dance, a circle right, too >many circle lefts). >- Make a dance easier to dance or to teach (use hands in the circular hey). >- Other aesthetic reasons (substituting balance/gypsy/dosido before a swing). > > >Those who feel strongly enough about choreography to change dances to fit >their programs have some aesthetic by which they judge the new dance to be >better than the original, but different callers prioritize different things. >As Alan mentioned, some callers (myself included) put a high value on a >neighbor swing because dancers seem to like it. Perhaps Carol (or whoever) >values the transitions here more than the original, enough to outweigh the >lack of a neighbor swing. > > >What are the questionable transitions in the original? If the circular hey is >done without hands, the balance is no problem. But swing to ladies chain is >not the smoothest. And (I noticed when I coincidentally called this dance) >there are ladies who will accidentally try to chain back instead of >allemanding. But I think there's still that risk of confusion in the revised >dance, as the ladies have the same cue twice - the other lady extending a >right hand. > > >(For the record, I think I called it with the variation A1 gypsy and swing. My >reasons: it flows well, it feels like a good fit with that part of the dance, >and I hadn't called any gypsy and swings yet in my program.) > > >Yoyo Zhou > > > >
