On 12/11/2013 3:51 AM, Perry Shafran wrote:
I'm trying to figure out why having a database of dances would detract from the folk process. Isn't the folk process considered the handing down of material from person to person, generation to generation? And should that not also include the way that material is handed down? I think that a database of dances is extremely helpful to the evolution of the folk process. When the web evolved, people put their dances on the web for all to see, use, adapt. Now we have the cloud, and callers can share their dances using a cloud-based database. Considering that this is what was highly requested on the survey, I think that we need to find ways to create this repository of dances that also respects the rights of the choreographers who write them.
True enough, but hearing the experience of others with those dances can be really helpful. Just like on a recipe site, reading the comments can make a world of difference. If a preponderance of the commenters say "the dough was really sticky when freshly mixed, but a few minutes in the fridge made it perfectly easy to handle," or "letting the dancers who are out at the ends know not to cross over until _after_ the partner dosido solved the end effect problem," that would be really useful information to have. I'm all in favor of putting the dances up in original form, but followup user commentary is also incredibly helpful.
Kalia
