[Bards] Bardic and Performing Arts

[Darius]

OK well here goes my two bits (and possibly a bit more)

I have read many good points in this thread, 

Finnicans reflections on competition, I find, ring fairly true in many ways. especially when discusing the fact that we in most cases are not comparing equal points and items. A well sung ballad is not the same thing as a well told story for any judge. the technical points of what makes each performance good are simply different. For that matter when judging some one who is singing a song they wrote the compesition and performance are as far as I can see very diferent artistic endeavors.  on the end of our comunity that is bardic competitions this is one thing that does now and likley always will be a sticking point when one bard is chosen over another as the "Champion Bard of Barony X" 

Which brings me to competitions. I honestly don't think that there is a problem with focusing on competitons, what I find to be a problem is a focus on winning competitions. Personally I like to compete. doesn't have to be in bardic. I can be persuaded to compete for just about any reason. I just tend to be of a competeitive nature. I think it's more the addreneline junky in me than the bard that likes the competitions. However the competition is not why I perfrom, I love to be before an audience and with words ort song transport them to another place. my Rush is when I finish a piece and there is just a heart beat or two of silence while the Audience lands back on earth.  If I ever get to the point that I am more concerened wth how I place in a competiton than how my audience recieved my performance... well put me out to pastur and toss me an occasional bottle of jammie's cause I am pretty much done being a bard at that point. I tend to have a fondness for how Lord Namron describes their competiton, in that it is not a competition to see who is the best bard. It is an audition to see who will be cast in the part of their excellencies bard. 



Next point Performance vs. static arts

I emphaticaly agree that a performance peice tends to loose out head to head with a static piece of the same calibre.  I believe the principal reason for this is the simple fact that when I as a judge go back to the table with the really cool lost wax broach... It's still there.  A story, no matter how well told, is an ephemeral thing that fades into the ether once the story teller is finnished with the telling of it. Judging a memory of nuance and skill in telling a tale vs nuance and skill of wax carving and casting I can hold in my hand and look over as many times as I think I need to, amounts to an unequitable comparison of the two. Documentation is a note that tends to fall in here as well. I can do docs, I don't like to. but in the case of performance vs static the docs are all thats left of the perfromance when it comes time to tally up points and well that sets an appearance that the documentatin oof the piece is more impoertant than how it was performed.


Third Major topic I have seen - Bardic Circles

Many good points have been brought forth about these. one of the major points being we just don't have em much any more and that people aren't doing the foot work for them any more. OK here as a fighter I have to call the shot I have sat and whined I couldn't find a decent informal circle ti kick back sing songs and tell stories. I have yet to do a darned thing about it. there fore I will be opening my camp to who ever wants to join me a Warlord on Saturdaynight, I plan to try and have things like some light snacks and some water and tea on hand lets just get together and see if we can attract an audience.

Oh Gulf war perfromance

um I rarely go to Wars so I really have no intelegent feedback on this topic.

any way that's all I have for now

In Faith
Darius, Bard of the Tor

PS don't forget Dragons Fire Tor has a great competition and circle going on Saturday night the week before Steppes Warlord the format is 2 pieces one should include Dragons http://dragonsfire-tor.ansteorra.org/guardian.html

Oh and Elfsea Bardic competition is next week and there is party space where they want bardsaround the fires to (yah I'm the autocrat pluging my event)
http://home.earthlink.net/~dmriney/Elfsea_Springfaire.htm

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