Saturday Report, 3-11-06
Mar. 12th, 2006 01:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bjarvisI'm not a morning person. Never have been, never will be.
This Saturday was the first of a new Mainstream-level square dance class with the DC Lambda Squares. Although we weren't calling or teaching, Kent & I committed to being present in case experienced dancers were required to fill in on the dance floor. The class started at 9 AM so the alarm went off at 7. Ugh.
Hoping that we wouldn't be required on the dance floor, I brought my old Toshiba laptop and some CDs with me. The machine still works well but it's woefully underpowered for many applications these days. It's been a little flaky of late thanks to some software issues so I've decided to reformat the hard drive, reinstall Windows & key applications and extend its lifetime a little further.
Sure enough, we weren't required to dance: we had 9 new dancers with enough angels to fill two squares but not quite enough for three. This was unfortunate, I think: the limited permutations of new & experienced dancers meant that at various times, there was no way to avoid two newbies dancing together during a figure (or sometimes several figures) so mutual confusion resulted rather than gentle learning by observation. Personally, I also thought Jim was pushing through the call list a little too aggressively... when dancers are clearly so mentally overloaded and exhibiting issues discerning right from left, hitting them with 'swing thru' probably isn't a good idea, IMHO.
Head angel Cindy did a great job in socializing the new dancers the long-time members, including organizing a group lunch at my favourite thai restaurant two blocks away. Hopefully, angst or self-consciousness about dancing --if any-- will be overshadowed by the camaraderie long enough so that they find their feet.
Class wrapped up shortly after 3 PM and although I hadn't danced a step, I was feeling exhausted. Too many early mornings following too many late nights. We crawled home and napped very soundly for two hours.
Fortunately, our evening was only lightly booked. We drove out to Brunswick, MD, for dinner with Matt & Allen, friends we knew from two-stepping in Baltimore many years ago. Their dog, LB, was a little excited by the strangers in her home but settled down enough after a while to let me pet her. She's a rescued puppy and still has some lingering issues about unknown humans as well as certain boundary issues, but fundamentally she's a fun & loving dog once she gets to know you.
From Brunswick, the four of us headed to Dear Park Lodge, a gay bar west of Frederick, MD. Kent & I have heard of it before but it's more than 45 miles from home so it's not a place we'd check out on a whim. Since it's the only gay night spot in the entire region --the closest alternatives are 50 miles away in DC, in Baltimore or in Harrisburg, PA-- it attracts an eclectic crowd: cowboys, twinkies, preppies, drag queens, leatherfolk, etc.. It was like a huge gay buffet; there was something for everyone.
While I was glad we made the effort to check out the place, it's not somewhere I'd venture in future. The bars closer to home are smoke-free and I don't have to risk hearing damage by far-too-loud disco. Thank god for the outdoor patio area and relatively warm weather!
We were home by 1 AM or so and promptly headed for bed.
This Saturday was the first of a new Mainstream-level square dance class with the DC Lambda Squares. Although we weren't calling or teaching, Kent & I committed to being present in case experienced dancers were required to fill in on the dance floor. The class started at 9 AM so the alarm went off at 7. Ugh.
Hoping that we wouldn't be required on the dance floor, I brought my old Toshiba laptop and some CDs with me. The machine still works well but it's woefully underpowered for many applications these days. It's been a little flaky of late thanks to some software issues so I've decided to reformat the hard drive, reinstall Windows & key applications and extend its lifetime a little further.
Sure enough, we weren't required to dance: we had 9 new dancers with enough angels to fill two squares but not quite enough for three. This was unfortunate, I think: the limited permutations of new & experienced dancers meant that at various times, there was no way to avoid two newbies dancing together during a figure (or sometimes several figures) so mutual confusion resulted rather than gentle learning by observation. Personally, I also thought Jim was pushing through the call list a little too aggressively... when dancers are clearly so mentally overloaded and exhibiting issues discerning right from left, hitting them with 'swing thru' probably isn't a good idea, IMHO.
Head angel Cindy did a great job in socializing the new dancers the long-time members, including organizing a group lunch at my favourite thai restaurant two blocks away. Hopefully, angst or self-consciousness about dancing --if any-- will be overshadowed by the camaraderie long enough so that they find their feet.
Class wrapped up shortly after 3 PM and although I hadn't danced a step, I was feeling exhausted. Too many early mornings following too many late nights. We crawled home and napped very soundly for two hours.
Fortunately, our evening was only lightly booked. We drove out to Brunswick, MD, for dinner with Matt & Allen, friends we knew from two-stepping in Baltimore many years ago. Their dog, LB, was a little excited by the strangers in her home but settled down enough after a while to let me pet her. She's a rescued puppy and still has some lingering issues about unknown humans as well as certain boundary issues, but fundamentally she's a fun & loving dog once she gets to know you.
From Brunswick, the four of us headed to Dear Park Lodge, a gay bar west of Frederick, MD. Kent & I have heard of it before but it's more than 45 miles from home so it's not a place we'd check out on a whim. Since it's the only gay night spot in the entire region --the closest alternatives are 50 miles away in DC, in Baltimore or in Harrisburg, PA-- it attracts an eclectic crowd: cowboys, twinkies, preppies, drag queens, leatherfolk, etc.. It was like a huge gay buffet; there was something for everyone.
While I was glad we made the effort to check out the place, it's not somewhere I'd venture in future. The bars closer to home are smoke-free and I don't have to risk hearing damage by far-too-loud disco. Thank god for the outdoor patio area and relatively warm weather!
We were home by 1 AM or so and promptly headed for bed.
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no subject
Date: 2006-03-12 10:36 pm (UTC)I yak with Jim Wass online now and again, since we like to compare notes on the Fast Track program. We both have found these things:
- it can be overwhelming to new dancers
- dancers do get a sense of accomplishment without having to go to classes for weeks upon weeks
- it's not intended as a full-fledged definitional class
- retention of new dancers is higher after a year than traditional classes.
I haven't taught another Fast Track since Kris and I did it in July 2004, but I'm still game for it. The Square Dance ABC program will not end up being an intro to our sport, but for those willing to commit a few Saturdays for a month, it's useful.
no subject
Date: 2006-03-12 10:51 pm (UTC)One of the things I observed from yesterday's session was the need for constant observation & frequent solicitation of feedback from the new dancers, along with a willingness to revise the program somewhat to accomodate. Because the program is so short, there's little opportunity to make up for misconceptions or errors, esp. in the early sessions.
I'm looking forward to seeing how much everyone retains for next Saturday. I believe all of the new folks were at the open house last week: they remembered an amazing amount of material considering how much was thrown at them in a very brief time. I'm optimistic they'll be in good shape for the next session once they've had a little time to process the new material.