[Squaredancing] Whatever happened to being a polite dancer?

[M0220sr at aol.com]

Thank you, Cynde, for your reply. It was very informative and I agree with 
you. 
 
We have several elderly people in our club who can  no longer dance faster 
than the standard 128 beats per minute. If a caller  generally plays his records 
(patter or singing call) faster than that, these  elderly dancers do well 
just to get through a tip without breaking down the  square they are in. You can 
see it in their faces that they are having trouble:  faces red, breathing 
hard, etc. But the caller often has no idea that he is  causing a lot of stress 
for people in the squares before him/her. He/she is  calling what he/she feels 
is a good dance, keeping the dancers "up" and  happy.  It isn't until a member 
of the club comes up and asks that the  speed be reduced due to whatever the 
conditions are in the hall that changes are  made.
 
Whenever I'm in control of a dance (primarily  rounds now, not calling) and I 
see rowdy behavior on the floor I know other  people see it as well...as far 
as our club is concerned.  I rarely have to  say anything to someone being 
rude, there are several other people in the club  who I have seen talking quietly 
and in a very diplomatic manner to someone  who has been pushing or being 
rude. Usually it is taken care of and the  aggressive person eventually finds out 
that his/her manners are not welcome and  "calm down".
 
I was speaking primarily (and I didn't say that)  of when we go on vacation 
or to a special dance out of town. There, you have  dancers from many different 
places and, yes, it would likely be difficult to  "control" their behavior 
unless they cause a bad problem like hurting someone or  cause the beginnings of 
a fight in a square. We are supposed to be having fun,  after all.  
 
I've known Nasser for years. He is a great caller  and provides a wonderful 
evening of square dancing. His "creativity in  delivering material" is well 
known throughout the world. If you have  never been to a dance where he is 
calling, you should make every effort to  attend the next one if he is in your area. 
 Some people like him, some  don't. You just can't like everybody and that's 
fine.  We're entitled to  our opinions.
 
No one should have to leave a dance because of an  injury inflicted by 
someone else in a square. If that aggressive person is not  taken aside (maybe by 
someone who knows him/her well) and asked to cease the  rude actions, then it's 
likely that other kinds of trouble and bad feelings  will happen sometime 
during the evening.  
 
Our activity is supposed to promote fun and  fellowship and generally does. 
We can't let that periodic instance of  someone who wants to dominate their 
actions over others spoil an evening of fun.  But let a friend of that person or 
a club officer handle the situation for the  best solution to the problem.
 
Richard
 
 
 
 
 
 
In a message dated 8/5/2006 3:01:33 A.M. Central Daylight  Time, 
cynde at twistercom.fi writes:Do  you think a caller could/should/would remind people now and 
then of this? I know  I have been to dances where the callers call too 
quickly, double speed or two or  three calls in a row causing 'dancers' to race 
through -everyman/woman for  him/herself to get to the final position before the 
next set of calls are  blurted.(even though the music is the same!) If you ask 
me, even if three calls  are given at once the music should still dictate how 
many beats each call takes,  wouldn't it?. The above mentioned just causes 
'dancers' to become charging  buffalos to the amusement(?) of the caller(?) I 
certainly don't find it amusing  when it happens too often and without humour.

We had a guest caller, Nasser Shukayr,  come recently and call an unusual 
dance with odd calls  causing  a mild chaotic scramble. This is NOT what I'm 
taking about.  This was welcome silliness and a lot of fun, as it was intended,  
to be fun. The caller was laughing the dancers were laughing and it  didn't 
continue throughout the day.(but will be fondly  remembered)
Richard, as a caller you are in charge, if you see dancing  you don't like 
could you not prompt, encourage, force them (as often as  it takes) away from 
these bad habits and teach them about dancing  and manners? I like twirling but 
I don't like my shoulder and elbow  in a sling for the rest of the week or my 
feet (even ankles!) stomped on  either! (funny, that) I'm sure most dancers 
really want to dance  well.
Dancing is one thing, stampeding for the blue light special  is something 
competely else.
 
Cynde, dancer dependant on caller

----- Original Message -----  
From: _M0220sr at aol.com_ (mailto:M0220sr at aol.com)  
To: _squaredancing at rbnsn.com_ (mailto:squaredancing at rbnsn.com)  
Sent: Saturday, August 05,  2006 9:16 AM
Subject: [Squaredancing]  Whatever happened to being a polite dancer?



Lines:  Pass Thru, Wheel & Deal
Lines:  Pass Thru, Bend The Line
Wave: Swing Thru, Centers Run, Bend The Line
(or any call where the dancers temporarily break contact  then remake contact 
before turning to another position)
 
What happens on that last call of the three examples  above?  Somebody turns 
in a small space to make the turn and  somebody takes longer steps to make the 
arc of the turn to finish in  the ending position.
 
When dancers are taught, they are generally (hopefully)  told that whenever 
they come to a position adjacent to someone else that  they make hand contact.  
 
If this is true, then why is it that some dancers who  are in the position to 
do the small turn usually forgets that they are  dancing with at least one or 
two more people who they will come into contact  with them?   What do they 
do? They forget to take the hand of  the person next to them who has just 
finished doing that Pass Thru or  Run figure and they...by themselves...turn to the 
ending position and the  other person has to play "catch up" to end in 
position next to  them.
 
Don't you think this is kind of rude on the part of the  person who left the 
other person "in the dust"?   These people are  so worried that they will not 
be position to do the next call that they  forget that they are dancing WITH 
seven other people. I've seen these  same types of people get big frowns on 
their faces when they are  promenading, getting real close to the couple in front 
of them as if to push  them out of the way so they can get home to do their 
"end of promenade"  swing, hip bump, hands clap, etc.  
 
I was always taught that a lady is not twirled if she  doesn't want to be 
twirled. She initiates the twirl, not the man.  Do  they still teach that in 
class so a lady's arm is not wrenched or hurt so  badly that she has to go home?  
Is it that  some aggressive male  wants to twirl and thinks, "Darn it,  you 
are going to twirl or I'll break your arm!"  
 
As to the above scenario, don't you think that the  person who is going to 
make the small "inside" turn do the  following:   He/she should wait for the 
person that did the Pass  Thru with them or the Run around them remake contact 
with  them  before they initiate their turn?  Are they dancing by  and for 
themselves or are they "working with the team"?
 
I doubt if I am the only member of this  group who has some pet peeves about 
what happens in a square.  

Whatever happened to being the polite dancer?  Thank  goodness that the 
number of the type of people described above are  in the small minority.
 
Thanks for letting me get one item off my  chest.
 
Richard
 



 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://rbnsn.com/pipermail/squaredancing_rbnsn.com/attachments/20060805/232b6641/attachment.html>