That was really cool! I especially liked the bit with the cell phones.

But was that Western Star Dancers, or Western Stair Dancers?



-wassamatta_u



_____

From: LbNCA@yahoogroups.com [mailto:LbNCA@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Paul
Sent: Tuesday, August 14, 2007 12:05 PM
To: LbNCA@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [LbNCA] A nontraditional square dance piece I choreographed



Hi folks --
I'd like to share a video of a piece of nontraditional square dancing
I choreographed for Western Star Dancers, a queer square dance group
based in San Francisco.
It's unique because:
1. it's danced on beautiful mosaic stairs overlooking the Pacific
2. there is no caller
3. it doesn't use 8 dancers arranged in a square
4. it's expressive or lyrical with the theme being about hopes,
friendship, dancing & love -- where the realization that what you're
hoping for may be right where you are.
5. it's a new genre

It's on YouTube. Here's the link:
http://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=VoeK_tLQbQk

Enjoy!
Paul in SF





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi Paul--

We watched it and thought it was wonderful!

It reminded me a bit of my husband's grandfather-- so many years ago, he was a folk dancing afficianado, and as time went by he used to re-choreograph traditional folk dances. This was when he lived in a retirement community and the women far outnumbered the men, so instead of just couples, he re-worked them so that he would be dancing with several of the widowed ladies all at once--- That was quite lovely too in its own way...

Thanks for sharing with us Paul!

Anna and the kids



Paul wrote:
Hi folks --
I'd like to share a video of a piece of nontraditional square dancing
I choreographed for Western Star Dancers, a queer square dance group
based in San Francisco.
It's unique because:
1. it's danced on beautiful mosaic stairs overlooking the Pacific
2. there is no caller
3. it doesn't use 8 dancers arranged in a square
4. it's expressive or lyrical with the theme being about hopes,
friendship, dancing & love -- where the realization that what you're
hoping for may be right where you are.
5. it's a new genre

It's on YouTube. Here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoeK_tLQbQk

Enjoy!
Paul in SF






---------------------------------
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Wow....I really loved this.

And how often can you see this sort of thing?

Lisa

Thanks! In its own way, the piece has shaken up the square dance world
a bit, since it's a new genre. I've been calling it "expressive or
lyrical square dance".
Normally, square dancing is a left brain activity. Dancers are at the
mercy of the caller. Brains are busy processing the calls on the spot
as they are announced by the caller. That makes 'flow' and expression
difficult, as dancers rush to complete each call before the next one
is called out.
Originally, there was no caller. People learned and knew whole dances.
The caller came into play in the 1950s, when folks started being more
mobile. Regionalism kept people from Virginia from dancing with people
from Utah. Plus, new amplified sound speakers allowed callers to be
heard.
Then in stepped a standardization committee, with definitions & rules,
and levels of dance, etc. Now nothing happens without a (paid) caller.
Yes, paid.

By replacing the caller with learned choreography, I shifted the whole
equation. A couple of callers have accused me of trying to "bring down
the institution of square dance" by doing nonstandard pieces!!!

But the dancers like it -- and next Sunday, I'm putting together a
totally improvisational piece called, "The Circle Dance for Square
Dancers"! How subversive!!!

P.S. You never know...there might one day be a letterbox that's based
on square dance calls...




--- In LbNCA@yahoogroups.com, "Lisa Lazar" wrote:
>
> Wow....I really loved this.
>
> And how often can you see this sort of thing?
>
> Lisa
>