[Bg-dance] Performance dance? Inconceivable

Jane Fisher star7fisher at aol.com
Sun Jul 3 06:16:04 PDT 2011


Funny you should ask...

There are some ideas being bandied around for a fancy pants dance as a between acts of henry V at fall baronial working with choral and musician performers.  Daniel, you are being hoped as the male lead.  It is mainly for two with some circle dancers around them evoking sea images around them.  I am eager to see what the boys develop for the dance.

I believe it was common to put some alternate performances between acts, at least post period, so it seems a good opportunity.

Jane "Star" Fisher

Sent from my iPad

On Jul 2, 2011, at 6:51 PM, Tim McDaniel <tmcd at panix.com> wrote:

> Sometimes I like to mention an idea even though I don't see a
> practical way to make it work, just in case someone else sees how.
> 
> Danced the Pattricke version of Jeepsie (a variation from Playford's
> Spanish Jipsy), in which the head and tail couples get all the fun and
> the remaining ones (one or two middle couples) get no fun at all.
> Then another Pattricke where man 1 and 3 show off, repeatedly, but
> there's progression, so at least all the pairs of mem can show off
> ... but just the men.  I also heard that Italian dances (many?  most?
> all?) were for a couple to show off before the company.  It occurred
> to me that that's a change from modern sensibilities, that they were
> willing to let the spotlight shine on a few.  (Maybe more
> inexperienced people were out on the dance floor and perfectly willing
> to let others do the extra complications?)
> 
> It then occurred to me that I haven't seen similar performance dances
> in our neck of the woods.  Except the Candle Dance, but that's for as
> many experienced people as we can include for a dance we want to do.
> I was thinking more of 2 or 3 people doing a fancy-pants dance.
> 
> But then it occurred to me that I can't see how to do it.  My first
> thought was as Candlemas, during the courses.  But then the dancers
> involved would miss the course (or get it as leftovers later or eat
> some earlier).  And musicians as well, unless they go with recorded
> music, which does not sort well with fancy-pants dances.  And there's
> clatter from the servers and people chatting with the servers and each
> other, so more noise about.  (And much less attention, but personally
> I wouldn't mind that per se for the chance to doa performance
> fancy-pants dance.)
> 
> The only other time I can think of at Candlemas is during the day
> ... which has its own worse problems.  Where's the space available?
> When?  In the gap between classes, 'cause the people doing it are
> likely to want to take classes or teach them, and are they otherwise
> supposed to duck out or stop it while they go dance?  Who will be
> paying attention (the only plausible answer I can think of is "it's an
> entry in the A&S competition").  Or while the hall is being torn down
> and reset for dinner ... but then where do you dance?
> 
> At most any other event, if there's space and time for a performance
> dance, shouldn't you instead use it for dance for the populace?  (For
> example, suppose between course at a Fall event: if the idea even
> flies, which I doubt, and people don't mind dancing on uneven ground
> in low light, which I DOUBT, you have the same
> server+cook+dancer+musician+MC coordination hassles as at Candlemas,
> so why not have everyone dance?)  Our event schedules tend to be full
> now.
> 
> The only possibility that comes to mind, without scheduling problems,
> is at a revel at the Other Wells Branch center, where it goes on for
> hours without much scheduled activity.  But as with anywhere, there's
> the same objection: why don't you have everyone up dancing in that
> time, unless there's a break in general dancing for a breather?
> 
> So I don't see how it can be done, but I wanted to mention it in case
> inspiration strikes anyone.
> 
> Denyel de Linccolne
> -- 
> Tim McDaniel, tmcd at panix.com
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