The Folk Dance Thread

[Zhena]

I want to explore something from the "Dance Weekend" thread without hijacking, so here's a new thread.

I went to the Friday night opening dance that was part of the festival Zhena is referring to. I was planning to go to the Saturday party as well but was depressed by the shift in the dance repertoire. The groups that organize these events are increasingly doing contrived choreographed dances that do not pass the "drunken peasant" test (or even the sober peasant test). They also do what I call insipid novelty dances (INDs). Most of the people there seemed happy with this selection, but perhaps that is because people that don't like them stopped coming.

You are correct about the shift in the repertoire, but it's welcomed by some people. One person told me they thought the reason attendance has increased over the last few years is because the repertoire had shifted away from "the same old thing year after year."

I might disagree about that conclusion ... I think attendance has increased because the organizers have more enthusiasm as well as some new blood involved. But the people with the most enthusiasm and drive are those who like a lot of the "INDs" ... and what's currently being taught at camps and workshops is heavily weighted in that direction. Remember that half the festival program this year was requests, so the playlist was a function of the people who attended.

I think there's a way to counter that trend though. Most dancers don't necessarily have a strong preference either way ... they just want to dance without getting bored. I think we agree that the old festival playlists had plenty of dogs as well ... we don't want to return to that format. What we CAN do is to make a point of requesting the GOOD "classics". There's enough material out there that people's need for variety can be satisfied with decent material. This is more of a reminder to me ... I'm often too lazy to plan a list of requests ... I tend to just go with the flow and sit down when I don't like what is played.

 

[tancos]

I would disagree with your conclusion that the requests necessarily represent what the participants wanted. The requests covered the spectrum from authentic folk material to INDs, but the MC had the authority to decide which requests were granted. Since there were vastly more requests than time slots, what got played was also a reflection of the MCs taste.

Those that know me (note to DFers - Zhena and I are good friends and attend a lot of the same dance events and classes) have followed some of my rants (including on DF) about non-authentic dances. Responses have ranged from distain to enthusiastic agreement. What I've really noticed is a schism between people that attend the University of the Pacific folkdance camp in Stockton California (over 60 years old!) and people that attend other camps and events such as the Kolo Festival, Mendocino Folklore camp, Scandiavian camp, Balkan camp, etc. Nowadays the Stockton camp seems biased towards non-authentic material based on choreographer's whims, while the others strive for authenticity.

My point is that the Heritage Festival last weekend was put on by groups that teach the Stockton material and largely reflected their repertoire. Additionally, the Saturday afternoon workshops (which I did not attend) only taught material from the Stockton camp (just like every year).

 

[Zhena]

Those that know me (note to DFers - Zhena and I are good friends and attend a lot of the same dance events and classes) have followed some of my rants (including on DF) about non-authentic dances.

And we've mulled over these issues once or twice with our respective spouses and anyone else who happens to be present (and why do the discussions usually occur while we're sitting on lawn furniture sipping our favorite beverages?). Rants aside, tancos is good company.

I would disagree with your conclusion that the requests necessarily represent what the participants wanted. The requests covered the spectrum from authentic folk material to INDs, but the MC had the authority to decide which requests were granted. Since there were vastly more requests than time slots, what got played was also a reflection of the MCs taste.


...

What I've really noticed is a schism between people that attend the University of the Pacific folkdance camp in Stockton California (over 60 years old!) and people that attend other camps and events such as the Kolo Festival, Mendocino Folklore camp, Scandiavian camp, Balkan camp, etc. Nowadays the Stockton camp seems biased towards non-authentic material based on choreographer's whims, while the others strive for authenticity.


My point is that the Heritage Festival last weekend was put on by groups that teach the Stockton material and largely reflected their repertoire. Additionally, the Saturday afternoon workshops (which I did not attend) only taught material from the Stockton camp (just like every year).

My point was that the requests represent what the requesters wanted. I believe the request board, like most other things that involve active participation, follows the 80/20 rule. 20% of the participants make 80% of the requests. Most participants don't make any requests at all.

The only way to change the playlist is to be in the 20% that makes requests. The outcome may vary depending on the MC, but most of them are willing to play anything that a majority of the participants will do. If we let good dances die because they're never requested, we have no cause for complaint.

Since the "Stockton-oriented" contingent are the ones making the effort to organize regular events and parties, they tend to play what they're comfortable with. Rather than abandon our primary opportunity to dance with a large group, I suggest we make a stronger effort to support and encourage authentic dances.