*Fair disclaimer: *To say again, not everyone finds what I'm describing below to be a problem; one caller I know and respect really likes it. I grew up with folks who do high-precision and high-energy performance square and folk dancing, so I'm a bit more sensitive to stylistic and timing discrepancies than others may be. I prefer contras and contra tunes to be crisply phrased, smooth, and tightly timed--almost like ECD. Squares, on the other hand, I like to see full of driving power and energy.
That said, I'm not sure my point about frequent "fudging" at the end of the dance quite came across right--I don't mean the final time through, I mean every time through. Here's an example--it's not a good dance, just something I'm writing down as an example based on the first time I encountered the problem. *Fudge the Position Sample Becket* Becket Author: Please don't credit me with this! A1: Across the set, right and left thru. Right and left back. A2: Across the set circle left 3/4, neighbor swing on the side. B1: ladies chain over and back. B2: Circle left 3/4 and partner swing. (Oooze/shift/fudge left) At the end of the sequence, I'm right where I started; if I swing for 12 and face in, I'm needing to do a right and left thru on the *diagonal*, not straight across. The dance itself did not progress me, hence the need for the fix at the end. My options are to: - end the swing between 2 and 4 beats early (off phrase) and shift down, - end the swing on time, shift down at the start of the A1, and rush the R<, - move down set while swinging with no fixed point of reference--something difficult for many dancers, - face the new two and do the first three figures on the angle, circling 7/8 instead of 3/4...but because we're on a longer path of travel, we're going to have to rush, will likely be in other people's paths, and after the swing there's a good chance we STILL won't be lined up across the hall properly. By comparison, if I did the first right and left thru on the diagonal and ended in straight lines facing a NEW couple to right and left thru with, the dance actually progresses everyone with no need for a fix, and all the figures all start and end with the phrase. Yes, this particular dance becomes a double progression in the process, but it would be less confusing and flow better. I hope that makes more sense. Neal 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 Fri, Dec 11, 2015 at 10:21 AM, janet <[email protected]> wrote: > My first guess isbthatvthey were not overly familiar with what a Becket > dance is. Recently I asked a person to dance who had been coming fairly > frequently for a few weeks after the caller announced it was a Becket. He > was going to sit out because he didn't know what a Becket dance was. Some > callers don't say Becket, they just say turn your circles one place to the > left/right. As the last dance of the evening, I would hope the call > didn't have anything too complex (a major programming flaw in my book). > > To address comments in the email below ... > > 1. Diaganol figures ... Except maybe slice left to a new couple, I can't > think of much I would consider for a last dance. Last dances should be > relatively simple so dancers can enjoy the music and the flow. > > 2. Debecketize maneuver ... I find this slightly annoying when callers say > "like all Becket dances" circle left and pass through. I hate more when > they either skip that part entirely in the walk through or start it un > Becketized and then tell you afterwards that it is Becket. If you don't > teach the walk through the way the dance is actually danced, you very well > could have confused newer dancers, especially. > > Since he is unlikely to say anything himself, I will point out that the > "as with all Becket dances" comment was so annoying that Cary Ravitz once > called an entire evening where none of the Becket dances have that > progression ... None! And as most of you probably know, he writes a lot > of Becket dances. > > Partner swings at the end of the dance. .. To me that is the number one > reason to have a Becket dance, especially as the last dance. You get to > end with your partner and the caller doesn't have to break the moment to > fudge the end to make you end with your partner. That being said, I do > know a couple Beckets that do not end that way. Cary's Autumn Air is a > pretty easy Becket that does not end with a partner swing. > > 3. If callers fudge the end of a duple improper dance to make it end with > your partner, it is generally their responsibility to make sure it works > smoothly. Most choreographers do not include an alternate ending to suggest > how to make this work, so it is on the caller to figure it out. If poorly > done, it can be really disappointing. > > Janet > > Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone > > > -------- Original message -------- > From: Neal Schlein via Callers <[email protected]> > Date: 12/10/2015 8:25 PM (GMT-05:00) > To: > Cc: callers <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [Callers] Becket Formation > > 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 >> > >
