pennsicdance: ball suggestions

[Keith McClune]

Hi there:

> From: "Matthew Underhill" <digitalblade at hotmail.com>
> 
>    ... it does seem like (to the novice) that you'll have one dance
> that you'll know, followed by 3 that you don't.

Well, that will happen to a novice.  Don't be discouraged!  There are literally
hundreds of period dances (not to mention OOP and SCA inventions that we do),
and you haven't had time to learn them all.  Come to think of it, neither has
anyone else, so don't worry too much.

I would add, however, that if your group only does one kind of dance (be it ECD,
Arbeau, Italian, or something else), you will be at a disadvantage when
traveling.  Fighters have the same problem when one style becomes popular in a
group - they go to Crown (or whatever) and get whomped because everyone else has
seen some other tricks.

>  It's just very frustrating to an individual who's not as well versed in
> dance to attend the dancing events at Pennsic...

Been there, done that.  And I am considered one of the top dancers in my kingdom
(the queen said so).  At Pennsic (or any larger gathering), people come from all
over - and bring the dances they do "back home."  Now, there are a lot of homes,
and only one grand ball, so not everyone gets an equal share.  With 34 dances at
the Pennsic Ball and 50 states (plus several other countries), you can't count
on even 1 dance pick per group.  I fully appreciate how intimidating that can
be.  All I can suggest is:  check out what they're doing, practice some new
dances, and jump in!  (This is also why publishing the play list in advance is
important.)  At least there are classes to help you out.

I think the existing ball list has two strong points:  it does have a number of
(in my experience) common dances, and it is relatively stable (for two years, at
least).  Since it is stable, you can make an effort to learn many of the dances
during the year to be better prepared next year.

>   My suggestion: Find out what dances are the most
> popular, most widely known.

It is impossible to record "the most popular" dances.  Who could you ask?  How
do you keep it up to date?  What we have now is a list made by a knowledgeable
leader, approved by a consensus of dance experts at a Pennsic meeting.  That
sounds like a darn good start.

I think the best way to approach any changes in the Ball list, at this point, is
with very specific suggestions:  e.g. "we should add a bassa dance" (we should),
or "here's my alternative list, and why I think it's better."  My first example
reinforces the stability I mentioned above, making only small changes.  The
second example lets you say "we've been doing it all wrong, and if you look at
this alternative, you'll agree."  I haven't heard any suggestions, so far, that
make the current list sound that obsolete.

BTW, I tried tracking ball lists from around the Known World for a while to get
a feel for what dances other groups are doing (so I could prepare our own
dancers for any traveling they might contemplate).  I came up with a list of
over 100 dances that appeared at least twice before I gave up.

Actually, I would still like to see what other groups are doing.  If anyone out
there is planning a ball, don't be afraid to post the play list.  I, for one,
would like to see it.  If you are interested, our local group's play list is
linked from our web page at:  http://home.earthlink.net/~smcclune/dance.html

FWIW, I can probably do 26 of the Pennsic Ball dances, and can teach 24 of
them.  That's part of why I think they're common.  I do not (yet) know M.
Sosilia's, 4 of the ECDs, and, I'm guessing, any of the three (unspecified)
"16cI of medium complexity" (I only know some less complex 16cI).  (I couldn't
get to Pennsic this year, so I don't know what the 16cI's were.)  On average, I
could probably do 3 out of 4 of the Ball dances.

> From: Annikki Weston <nikki at mcdonaldsag.com>

> ECD has also been done a lot longer than Italian in a lot of places, which
> adds to the feeling that it's easier.  It's familiar.

This is a BIG factor.  What's familiar is easy, what's not is hard.  If you only
practice ECDs, then only those dances can ever be easy.  Having seen a large
group of occasional dancers attempt Hole in the Wall for the first time, I can
confidently say that it is one of the *Most Difficult* dances done in the SCA. 
The fact that many SCA folk practice it for 10 or 20 minutes a week does make it
much more familiar, however, than a 3-minute dance done 2-3 times a year.

Keith / Guillaume  S:}>

(Fencer, dancer, illuminator/calligrapher, marshal, philosopher, feast tester,
archer, gamer, lamp worker, book herald, researcher, sometimes costumer, and
retired chronicler and chirurgeon)