ANST - Dance Teachers Event
dssweet at okway.okstate.edu
dssweet at okway.okstate.edu
Wed Jul 1 17:37:55 PDT 1998
Philip White wrote:
>I almost lost my voice from teaching at Midsummer's Ball, and would
>love a chance to dance without having to call/teach every one. After
>a discussion with other dancers, I find that their is a hope for this
>kind of ball.
There is a precedent for this type of non-teaching ball that's been
done in other kingdoms. It's called a "Caroso-style ball". Countess
Mara from the East researched the typical ball during Caroso's
lifetime and came up with this way to do a more authentic style dance
event. It's been recounted on the sca-dance list, and various events
have tried it out. I attended the one at the last Gulf Wars.
A Caroso-style ball is very formal in nature. It is usually being
performed to honor someone (or a couple), who sits at the head/top of
the room, with the musicians at the foot of the room. Chairs line both
sides of the room, with the sexes sitting segregated across from each
other. If you're sitting next to the dance floor, it's assumed you
want to dance; if you're in the back row, you're just there to watch
(you can move switch which row anytime). There is also a Master of
Ceremonies who communicates between the dancers, musicians, and the
honoree(s). To start the ball, the honoree(s) may start or the person
of highest rank may. The person starting informs the Master which
dance he would like to do (chosen from a list of 30-40 dances that the
musicians have had prior time to practice on), and then chooses a
partner of the opposite sex. If more people than just two are required
to perform the dance, the starting person then chooses the appropriate
number of his own sex, who then choose their own partners. The Master
has informed the head musician of the choice, and then the dance is
performed. The ladies are escorted back to their seats by the lords.
Now the partner of the starting person gets to pick a dance and
partner and it continues thusly, until time runs out. The Master of
Ceremonies tries to make sure that everyone gets a chance to pick a
dance by asking those who've already chosen once to defer the choice
to someone who has not chosen yet. There's probably some other fine
points I've left out in this attempt to provide a brief description.
No talk thru or walk thru, just getting out there and dancing. The
longest delay comes from someone looking at the list of dances and
trying to decide what to pick. Some people have likened it to a bardic
circle, but for dancing.
>A round table discussion also sounds like a good idea. I'd like a
>chance to discuss with other teachers why they dance/teach in a
>certain way. As well as a chance to compare sources/documentation.
>It all sounds like fun.
>Interest sounds best voiced by the North right now, so why don't we try
>and meet there. Coronation sounds like a good a choice as any.
I'll volunteer my brains for picking. (Brains, bring more brains.) And
just maybe we'll get some dancing in before pumpkins start appearing.
Estrill Swet
Mooneschadoweshire
(that radical dance agitator)
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