Playford ball
May. 15th, 2007 12:55 pmIn the interests of continuing to convey ceilidhs to non-round dancing friends, are any other non-regulars going to Playford (http://www.srcf.ucam.org/round/pball) again this year?
Dancing and Carlton and schedule
Jun. 16th, 2006 12:33 amOnce again I'm sufficiently free to dash in to the second half of the round. Cycling and exuberant dances together make a *glow* :) I can't remember the name of the penultimate dance, but it was beautiful doom: two sets of four people passing through each other in the middle doing many chains[1] with people flying past in the middle.
In theory, you could have four sets of four intersecting at that point, because everyone is going round the same way at the middle, but you'd have to run really fast.
Then I ran off to the Carlton, where there were fewer people than often, but many nice people, and I wandered round asking "What is [whoever]'s name?" because I need to make Veizla place cards. But I think I got them all now :)
[1] What is the easiest way to describe this? I walk up and down the line, going left round one person, right round the next, etc except that we all do that and it so happens that this works. (Tip for beginners: at the end, you pass the same shoulder twice.)
In theory, you could have four sets of four intersecting at that point, because everyone is going round the same way at the middle, but you'd have to run really fast.
Then I ran off to the Carlton, where there were fewer people than often, but many nice people, and I wandered round asking "What is [whoever]'s name?" because I need to make Veizla place cards. But I think I got them all now :)
[1] What is the easiest way to describe this? I walk up and down the line, going left round one person, right round the next, etc except that we all do that and it so happens that this works. (Tip for beginners: at the end, you pass the same shoulder twice.)
I danced with a man who...[1]
May. 11th, 2006 11:45 pmI went to the round, and danced with many nice people. The dance in the middle I joined in with the girl's part, and it's been ages since I've danced a non-symmetric dance the wrong way round, but apparently at some point in my patchy dancing career my body learnt to follow.
This did have "being led round in promenade" and "doing that elegent thing where you take both hands and go round someone under their arms spinning in such a way that neither of you break your wrists" and all the guys led them well, and I've got practiced enough at taking physical cues in country dancing that it all just worked.
Leading and following is much less demarked in round than in ballroom, because there's no choice about where to go next, just sometimes about which sort of step to use, and because women at least often dance as either, but people definitely led me more than they do when I'm a man :)
There also was a round-waltz in one of the dances, which I've muddled up before due to clash of round/ballroom signals, but went perfectly smoothly when I worked out to trust my feet to go lefrightleft rightleftright to the music, my brain to steer, and my partner to indicate which way we were supposed to rotate and how far :) (Thanks!)
[1] "I danced with a man who danced with a girl who danced with the Prince of Wales," is a line from an old song, apparently 1920s, so I've no idea why it's a meme in my head except that my parents say it. I think I danced with a girl who *did* this, kinda.
This did have "being led round in promenade" and "doing that elegent thing where you take both hands and go round someone under their arms spinning in such a way that neither of you break your wrists" and all the guys led them well, and I've got practiced enough at taking physical cues in country dancing that it all just worked.
Leading and following is much less demarked in round than in ballroom, because there's no choice about where to go next, just sometimes about which sort of step to use, and because women at least often dance as either, but people definitely led me more than they do when I'm a man :)
There also was a round-waltz in one of the dances, which I've muddled up before due to clash of round/ballroom signals, but went perfectly smoothly when I worked out to trust my feet to go lefrightleft rightleftright to the music, my brain to steer, and my partner to indicate which way we were supposed to rotate and how far :) (Thanks!)
[1] "I danced with a man who danced with a girl who danced with the Prince of Wales," is a line from an old song, apparently 1920s, so I've no idea why it's a meme in my head except that my parents say it. I think I danced with a girl who *did* this, kinda.
Is it sensible to keep some pot noodles at work? I do end up staying at work sometimes, and it's better to have something reasonably like food, rather than having some crisps.
But for the first time, I went along to the Round. It was fun. I hadn't realised how much I'd missed having some physical musical activity. I did all the dances ok, and sensibly considered mods to two dances.
I'm still a bit shy at meeting large crowds of people I don't know, but Sally and Susan and Matthew and Rachel were lovely as always, and lots of organised girls and bearded or exuberent men I recognised from ceilidhs.
But for the first time, I went along to the Round. It was fun. I hadn't realised how much I'd missed having some physical musical activity. I did all the dances ok, and sensibly considered mods to two dances.
I'm still a bit shy at meeting large crowds of people I don't know, but Sally and Susan and Matthew and Rachel were lovely as always, and lots of organised girls and bearded or exuberent men I recognised from ceilidhs.