pennsicdance: Elitism and the real Caroso Ball

[Patches023 at aol.com]

I hope no one takes the extremely biased opinions below as a personal affront but instead uses them to improve dancing at Pennsic.

A while a go some on this list were talking about elitism and I would like to add my opinion using the real Caroso Ball as an example.

I see the real CB as a very elitist activity on two fronts: the type of dances danced and the structure of the ball itself.

First some background about me.  I've been coming to Pennsic and dancing as much as possible since 1995.  When I started coming to Pennsic, I only knew ECD and I didn't know that my dance troupe, which is not associated with the SCA, did many dances our own unique way.  I got quite an education that year, I learned how our dances varied from the variations within the SCA and I was exposed to many dances.  In subsequent years, I continued my education by relearning, every Pennsic, the many dances that our troupe didn't do.  In these last couple of years I am actually able to remember these dances from one Pennsic to the next and have even taught them.  I think I qualify as an intermediate dancer.  So when I went the real CB and knew the names of only four dances and could only do one of them, this seems like the dance list is aimed not at the common dancer but at the elite advanced dancer.

The way the real CB is conducted also seems elitist.  I attended the CBs in 2001 and 2002 and I think I was there for the entire ball each time.  In 2001, I got picked as a 1st lady one whole time and I think I was allowed to dance as part of an accessory couple one or two other times.  In 2002, I was only allowed to join in as part of an accessory couple and never picked as a 1st lady.  One of the years I even spent some time sitting on the lord's side in the desperate hope that I would get to dance, as there were fewer lords than ladies, but still no luck.

It is very hard to sit on the side and watch some people get picked 10 or 15 times and you never get picked.  Personally, I feel like I am back in elementary school and getting picked last for the team.  I thought I left those days behind me and I am not happy to endure them again nor am I happy to pay a substantial amount of money to relive them.  [Please keep in mind my disclaimer at the start of this email.  I don't think anyone was purposefully trying to make me feel bad.]

All this being said I can appreciate the CB in theory.  I can appreciate sitting out and observing *some* dances but, again, I didn't come to Pennsic to watch an entire night of dancing.  I also understand wanting to conduct a ball as historically accurate as possible but when the majority of the appropriate dances are aimed at the advanced dancer I question whether the CB should be in such a prime time period.  I think a reasonable compromise is to have the CB during the day. 

I am not enthusiastic about the multitude of parties taking place at night as many of them exhibit the same traits as I see in the real CB.  Many of the parties are double whammies because not only don't you get to dance there but there aren't enough dancers left over for dancing at the barn (at least this was true last year, this year there was good dancing Tuesday night opposite a party).

My suggestions are:
Have parties earlier (6-9) or during the day
Have classes during the day to teach the dances for the party that evening
Have the Known World Dance Symposium more often so that people can really geek out on dancing

Again I was trying not to flame or attack anyone but to voice a dissenting opinion.

Thank you,
Patches