pennsicdance: Re: Bright Idea (Duck!)

[cclark at vicon.net]

Tibicen wrote:
>Not a guild of dancers, though.  A guild of Dancemasters (and dance
>musicians).

I quite agree that if there's to be a "guild," it's the dancing-masters and
not the dancers who should form it. Recreational dancing is not the sort of
thing that a guild does. However, I see some possible problems with any sort
of guild.

A guild could easily become too assertive, so that it makes trouble for
those who do not wish to join. It could (especially after the first few
years) develop a topheavy bureaucracy that gets in its own way. It could
come to be dominated by people who are better at manipulating than
accomplishing. It could even enforce "quality control" in favor of
mediocrity. However, one could argue that similar (or equally bad) problems
can occur without such an organization.

At the very least, there would have to be a rule that the guild (if any)
must be willing to work with non-members, rather than insisting that
membership in the guild is a prerequisite for involvement in activities in
which the guild is concerned. This rule might not seem necessary at the
outset, but it would eventually become necessary. Best to establish the rule
first.

>I propose that anyone who approaches the guild is considered a
>"journeyman" just for saying so -- unless they *want* to be an
>apprentice. ...

I'm ambivalent about this idea. It would tend to promote inclusiveness, but
as a guild policy it sounds questionable to me. As I understand the word, a
journeyman is a skilled tradesman or craftsman who works for daily wages.
Admitting journeymen indiscriminately sounds just a bit like hiring an
architectural draftsman or a cook with no references and no credentials.

Rather than give free "social promotions" to everyone, it would be better
for such a guild to use a policy of working with outsiders to promote
inclusiveness within its activities. That way, one could still work with the
guild without serving an apprenticeship or otherwise applying for formal
recognition of one's ability, but would not receive any rank or title within
the guild.

Alex Clark/Henry of Maldon


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