If confronted with that bias again, one could always point out that many improper dances if started in the b section instead, become Becket dances and vice versa.
On Thu, Dec 10, 2015 at 8:25 PM, Neal Schlein via Callers < [email protected]> wrote: > Actually, I can see this. > > As others suggested, it is probably a matter of the couple's prior poor > experiences with dances in Beckets. That said, there are two fairly common > tendencies in Becket formation choreography which are somewhat aggravating > and another which absolutely drives me up a wall. Other callers and > dancers don't seem to mind so much, but were it possible I would completely > avoid the dances which have the last one. > > 1. The first tendency has to do with diagonal figures, even though I like > them myself. They are often scrunched and uncomfortable, particularly > right and left throughs; people run into each other. Add to this the > slight disorientation for someone not used to diagonal figures, and it can > be unpleasant. In a nice open hall, they're perfectly fine. Not a problem > so much with the formation as with the fact that everyone is in the middle > all at once and it's confusing. > > 2. The second is what I like to call the "DeBecketize Manuever." How many > beckets start with, "Circle left 3/4 (and usually swing your neighbor" and > end with "Partner swing on the side!" (answer: TOO MANY) If all you are > going to do with the first move is take the dance out of Becket, it seems > like a cheap trick done just to make the dance "different." Again, not an > inherent problem of the formation, just a problem of choreographic > selection. > > 3. The third choreographic tendency is often tied to dances which feature > swings at the end of the dance: *partial or non progression*. This > problem, unlike the others, is actually made possible because of the > formation: such a difficulty isn't possible in a regular duple minor, and > it drives me absolutely NUTS. I have experienced a number of dances in > which the caller instructs the dancers to "fudge" or "maneuver" or "sludge" > or some such to make the dance work. The contra doesn't actually progress > the couples down the line, but leaves them 1/2 progressed or > non-progressed--usually swinging partners on the outside, but not always. > Sliding up the outside from a circle is one thing; swinging on the outside > and fudging down the hall is another. > > The annoyance of a non-progression can be mitigated if the caller teaches > it well (end facing across, look left and...), but to me the partial > progression problem always jars and simply seems to be excessively lazy > choreography. > Beak > > Neal Schlein > Youth Services Librarian, Mahomet Public Library > > > Currently reading: *The Different Girl* by Gordon Dahlquist > Currently learning: How to set up an automated email system. > > On Thu, Dec 10, 2015 at 6:26 PM, John W Gintell via Callers < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> My favorite progression requires Becket formation: circle left and then >> slide up/down and circle with the next pair. >> >> >> > On Dec 10, 2015, at 6:43 PM, Greg Allan via Callers < >> [email protected]> wrote: >> > >> > Hi, >> > >> > That is a somewhat familiar story from my point of view. I dance in a >> number of different folk dancing communities - a varied program here in >> Winnipeg. It's quite common, as people from one group attempt to get >> interest from other dancing groups, that some people know what they like >> and what they don't like, and that's that. For example, people who English >> country dance often don't like contra because of the increased exertion and >> tempo. Personally, I'm not much of a fan of triple minor dances. Everyone's >> got their thing. But there's always a reason for it. It could be a bad >> experience, or it could be a stylistic feature of a region, where everyone >> does a figure in a way you find unpleasant. Hard to say. To leave an event >> because someone programmed something you didn't like? ... I'm not sure to >> make of it. You don't like it you don't like it, I suppose. >> > >> > We don't do Becket formation here at all, really. If someone left at >> the end of a night because of Becket formation, I would assume they didn't >> want to start learning new things late in the evening. >> > >> > Greg >> > >> > >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Callers mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net >> > > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net > >
