End of year feedback

Well, that is another year of classes finished.

I would really appreciate it if you could provide some feedback on the class over the last year and give some indication of what you would like from demonstration class. Here are some pointers to get you going:

1. Have you enjoyed demonstration class this year? What have been the good points and what have been the bad things?
2. Have we got the balance of the class right? Did we focus too much on the big dems and competitions or did we not do enough for these? Did you get enough feedback about your own dancing or should you have got more? Was the choice of dances/figures/etc correct for the class?
3. Was the class formal enough or too formal? What was your opinion of the skirts and kilts attire for class? Did it help you with your dancing or just a waste of time?
4. What, in your opinion, is the purpose of demonstration class? Is it only to prepare for the big dems and competitions or should it be about preparing a group of dancers to do any demonstration for the society? Should it be about doing obscure and difficult dances or about developing peoples performance abilities and thus lots of repetition of the same dances so that you know them inside out?

Thank you for taking the time to respond. If you do not want your comments to become part of this blog, then please email me directly with your comments. These will not be posted.

Thanks,

Alasdair

Week 4, Semester 3

Last week was taught by Liz Green. I believe she did some work on strathspey covering the Knot and in reel or jig time hello goodbye setting.

Step Practice

• Skip change of step: Need to get a straight leg with pointed toe at the start. Need more elevation, hop, at the start.
• Pas de basque: Most of you are getting a good weight transfer now.
• Strathspey travelling: Also need to get a straight leg here.
  

Exercises

• Hello goodbye: Move only on the jete of the left pas de basque. That is, set and move, set and move, etc.

Formations

• 1 couple allemande: progression in four bars. 1: dance round to the men's side. 2: dance down inside the set. 3: bring the lady in and under. 4: retire.
• set and rotate: keep the body facing across for the setting. Cast round (including 1man and 2 lady), change places with your partner and chase round one place.

General Stuart's Reel
8x32 Reel Book ?

• I prefer the corners to dance for four bars in the turn, although the manual says two.
• Think of the body angles for the hello goodbye setting.
• Remember to slide into place at the end of the 6 bar reels

The Earl of Home
8x32 Strathspey Book 12

• Watch the lines going across in the set and pass right shoulders.
• First couple adapt the end of the 1 couple allemande to face their corners.
• Think of the body angles in the set to corners
• Again, 6 bar reels so slide into place.

The Gilly Flower
8x32 Jig Book 36

• This dance requires "continuous motion" for the first couple. Dance through the sideline positions at the end of each phrase.
• It is horrible for 1st man to go from the set and rotate into the reel of 3.

Week 2, Semester 3

Step Practice
We worked a bit on pas de basque. Main errors were:

• Not getting 3 beats
• Need a straight leg on the jete
• Need to close in 3rd position
• Turn out

Formation
We did the all round poussette in reel time. It is a bit of a beast of a figure and can never really be done neatly.

1. Away from centre and quarter turn
2. Up or down and quarter turn
3. Into the centre
4. Away from the centre and quarter turn
5. Up or down and quarter turn
6. Into the centre and start to turn.
7. Turn to own side.
8. Retire to own side lines.

Longwise Eightsome
32S + 32R Bk 18

This dance contains some difficult phrasing, e.g. right hands across half way in 4 bars, and cross right and cross right in 8 bars.

The Palindrome
2x32S + 2x32R Brockbank

The full instructions for this dance can be found at http://scottishdance.net/dances/ThePalindrome.html.

This dance is a bit of fun and attempts to be palindromic, i.e. the same forward as it is backwards. It is a good challenge on the brain and there are lots of covering points in the dance.



Next week's class will be taught by Liz Green.