My writings in this blog are my factually based and sincerely held opinion. I take no responsibility for comments posted here by others. I may disagree with some opinions expressed, but I will strongly defend everyone's right to freedom of speech.
Could I suggest polite comments? Offensive language can be a huge distraction, and offended readers aren't going to get your real message. If you disagree with someone, it’s appropriate to state your point of view, but never appropriate to use insults or personal remarks. It’s perfectly fine to offer constructive criticism, just be polite. If you see others writing disrespectful comments, ignore them. Paying attention will just encourage them.
I have never had to censor any comment, and hope I never have to. If I ever do, I cannot advise anonymous authors, but they will probably realise that their comment could not be published and may try again with something more appropriate. Most opinions, clearly identified, are okay, but false statements and disparaging remarks are not.
16 February 2011
04 February 2011
More Micro-Survey Results
We have received more responses to our Micro-Survey and this survey is now closed. It's great to have all these ideas seeing the light of day, even greater if we can turn them into us helping you to help us to increase bush dance participation. Come what may we have a public resource to help dance organisers and callers etc.
Thank you everyone, for your ideas and actions that they may inspire in you as well as us.
Here are the responses in full, with [our comments].
11. Encourage families to come along, bring the children and have fun as was done in the earlier days of Yarralumla woolshed. Stop separating the children and adults.
Less couples dances. More drongos, Troikas etc
Create a more welcoming friendly atmosphere - bush dancing is about fun, not whether you get the steps right.
Less of the dressups - bush dancing can be done in jeans.
12. make it a family night, then you have young clientele for the future.Ads in regional centres and queanbeyan might also help.
[We would appreciate ideas on how to get publicity out there in all areas, remembering that we generally use free publicity opportunities]
13. Make the first half of bush dance classes - always very easy so beginners can start at any time. My husband and I went to bush dance classes Monday hoping for simple dances, but even though we had both bush danced a lot in the 80s, we found the dances too complicated to be enjoyable. When they were too hard we dropped out and didn't bother going to the dances because we thought they would be even harder. However we went to New Years eve at the Woolshed and the Sydney band taught simple dances - the kind we wanted to dance.
So - my suggestion -
1) make bush dance classes very simple dances and slower rather than faster.
2) Advertise as being for all beginners.
3) Instead of having to ask for a partner, line up in lines of men and women and take the person who matches - like they used to do in square dancing. The fear of course is that there won't be a partner.
3) Tell everyone participating to ask two friends. If I knew the dances were always simple enough for beginners in the first hour I would encourage everyone I meet-and i meet many people.
4) Have slow, simple dances also for people with injuries.
5) Have some dances desigend for same sex - such as some international circle dances are.
Thanks for asking.
New Years eve advertising worked well - perhaps try that again?
[We are working on something similar for the Shearers' Ball at the Yarralumla Woolshed.]
14. I no longer go to bush dances unless I am playing music. I get some satisfaction out of playing and occasonally from calling. I get almost no satisfaction from being on the dance floor.
The reason is that the standards of dance have sunk so low in Canberra that the dances are no longer worth going to. The attitude of the people who run the dances seems to be that it does not matter what people do on the dance floor, as long as they are enjoying themselves and go home happy. It is for this reason that most of the Society's experienced dancers now go elsewhere. There is no pleasure in dancing with people, some of whom have been dancing for many years, who simply do not make any effort to improve their behaviour on the dance floor, or their abiity to follow the music or the dance instructions.
I accept the criticism of the good dancers forming their own sets, but these people have paid their money too, and have a right to escape the nonsense that passes for dancing in other parts of the floor.
The situation is different in Newcastle, the Central Coast, Sydney and Melbourne. Here much higher standards are set, and people are expected to put more effort into what they do.
Several groups of interstate dancers have asked me recently what has happpened to the dances in Canberra - they used to be worth going to. Hardly anyone from interstate in town for the weekend comes to MFS dances now. They have heard reports like "I saw some Canberra dancers at the Forbes weekend, and they were an embarrassment to watch...." and "Canberrans do not dance - they amble."
"Lowest common denominator dancing of the form we have in Canberra has been a recipe for failure!
[Here is a short video clip from Forbes so you can form your own opinion. Not bad considering the cramped conditions on stage, if we say so ourselves :-). After the show, we were approached by an event organiser in the audience for a weekend festival booking, which unfortunately clashed with the National Folk Festival.
However I am sure that all readers will appreciate the reminder - “Poetry is to prose as dancing is to walking" (John Wain)]
15. Be friendly to each other as well as newcomers. Keep the prices more affordable - they are much more than comparable venues. Encourage younger folk and be prepared to admit that there are new and better ways to attract and retain newcomers.
16. Have good bands, different dances, callers who 'get on with the job' less walk throughs, some easy dances and som dance for the more experienced dancers, less Posties and more Love 'm and leave 'em or Arkansa traveller etc. Introduce a new and different dance from somewhere else or a differnt version ie. NSW, instead of ACT. etc.Try a theme night or 50/50 dance, old time, and bush, scottish/bush let people experience the variety that can be had in bush dancing. All beginners need to feel that they have progressed to the enxt level of dance and be proud that 'they did it'!
17. Plan and promote a variety of dance - music, styles ie a theme or country. Include more challenging dances and the experienced dancers might return. One dance per month.
18. Encourage dancers from your scene to attend dances from other scenes - they will make friends and bring them back to your dances. Unless you mingle you will isolate yourselves. Be inclusive of others. Support other organisers, not just your mates or your favourites, and the scene will strengthen.
And finally, teach your men to dance. How many know how to do a proper Australian waltz, pre-1900? Good dancers do not stay - they join other dance scenes to get more challenges. Doing the same old thing does get boring over time.
Bush dancing is a modern 1970s term coined by the band Bushwackers. The original term was country dances.
19. Make them more interesting, do more waltzes and learn to polka.
20. the Bush dance news (the email version) needs to be a simple straight forward document about the coming events. it does not need a contents list or all that continual info about shoes, partners etc, the receivers of this list already know all that.
all it needs is a simple list, with bold text for the name of the event & details.
scrolling up & down trying to fine the event you want to go to & you've forgotten the date is a pain.
the quip of the day is also unnecessary.
i usually just delete it now.
21. Have more "dancing" in the dances - less "walking around". People seem to have lost the ability to "slip-step" when circling or to "skip-step" in lively dances like Dashing White Sergeant. The mill in the Tivoli Gallop should be a high-stepping lively can-can not just walking around.
Also some men are like wet dishrags to dance with - they don't turn you properly with any strength, when they waltz they flop about, and the dance leaders do nothing to improve this.
Bush dancing should be lively, not just walking through the steps.
Thank you everyone, for your ideas and actions that they may inspire in you as well as us.
Here are the responses in full, with [our comments].
11. Encourage families to come along, bring the children and have fun as was done in the earlier days of Yarralumla woolshed. Stop separating the children and adults.
Less couples dances. More drongos, Troikas etc
Create a more welcoming friendly atmosphere - bush dancing is about fun, not whether you get the steps right.
Less of the dressups - bush dancing can be done in jeans.
12. make it a family night, then you have young clientele for the future.Ads in regional centres and queanbeyan might also help.
[We would appreciate ideas on how to get publicity out there in all areas, remembering that we generally use free publicity opportunities]
13. Make the first half of bush dance classes - always very easy so beginners can start at any time. My husband and I went to bush dance classes Monday hoping for simple dances, but even though we had both bush danced a lot in the 80s, we found the dances too complicated to be enjoyable. When they were too hard we dropped out and didn't bother going to the dances because we thought they would be even harder. However we went to New Years eve at the Woolshed and the Sydney band taught simple dances - the kind we wanted to dance.
So - my suggestion -
1) make bush dance classes very simple dances and slower rather than faster.
2) Advertise as being for all beginners.
3) Instead of having to ask for a partner, line up in lines of men and women and take the person who matches - like they used to do in square dancing. The fear of course is that there won't be a partner.
3) Tell everyone participating to ask two friends. If I knew the dances were always simple enough for beginners in the first hour I would encourage everyone I meet-and i meet many people.
4) Have slow, simple dances also for people with injuries.
5) Have some dances desigend for same sex - such as some international circle dances are.
Thanks for asking.
New Years eve advertising worked well - perhaps try that again?
[We are working on something similar for the Shearers' Ball at the Yarralumla Woolshed.]
14. I no longer go to bush dances unless I am playing music. I get some satisfaction out of playing and occasonally from calling. I get almost no satisfaction from being on the dance floor.
The reason is that the standards of dance have sunk so low in Canberra that the dances are no longer worth going to. The attitude of the people who run the dances seems to be that it does not matter what people do on the dance floor, as long as they are enjoying themselves and go home happy. It is for this reason that most of the Society's experienced dancers now go elsewhere. There is no pleasure in dancing with people, some of whom have been dancing for many years, who simply do not make any effort to improve their behaviour on the dance floor, or their abiity to follow the music or the dance instructions.
I accept the criticism of the good dancers forming their own sets, but these people have paid their money too, and have a right to escape the nonsense that passes for dancing in other parts of the floor.
The situation is different in Newcastle, the Central Coast, Sydney and Melbourne. Here much higher standards are set, and people are expected to put more effort into what they do.
Several groups of interstate dancers have asked me recently what has happpened to the dances in Canberra - they used to be worth going to. Hardly anyone from interstate in town for the weekend comes to MFS dances now. They have heard reports like "I saw some Canberra dancers at the Forbes weekend, and they were an embarrassment to watch...." and "Canberrans do not dance - they amble."
"Lowest common denominator dancing of the form we have in Canberra has been a recipe for failure!
[Here is a short video clip from Forbes so you can form your own opinion. Not bad considering the cramped conditions on stage, if we say so ourselves :-). After the show, we were approached by an event organiser in the audience for a weekend festival booking, which unfortunately clashed with the National Folk Festival.
However I am sure that all readers will appreciate the reminder - “Poetry is to prose as dancing is to walking" (John Wain)]
15. Be friendly to each other as well as newcomers. Keep the prices more affordable - they are much more than comparable venues. Encourage younger folk and be prepared to admit that there are new and better ways to attract and retain newcomers.
16. Have good bands, different dances, callers who 'get on with the job' less walk throughs, some easy dances and som dance for the more experienced dancers, less Posties and more Love 'm and leave 'em or Arkansa traveller etc. Introduce a new and different dance from somewhere else or a differnt version ie. NSW, instead of ACT. etc.Try a theme night or 50/50 dance, old time, and bush, scottish/bush let people experience the variety that can be had in bush dancing. All beginners need to feel that they have progressed to the enxt level of dance and be proud that 'they did it'!
17. Plan and promote a variety of dance - music, styles ie a theme or country. Include more challenging dances and the experienced dancers might return. One dance per month.
18. Encourage dancers from your scene to attend dances from other scenes - they will make friends and bring them back to your dances. Unless you mingle you will isolate yourselves. Be inclusive of others. Support other organisers, not just your mates or your favourites, and the scene will strengthen.
And finally, teach your men to dance. How many know how to do a proper Australian waltz, pre-1900? Good dancers do not stay - they join other dance scenes to get more challenges. Doing the same old thing does get boring over time.
Bush dancing is a modern 1970s term coined by the band Bushwackers. The original term was country dances.
19. Make them more interesting, do more waltzes and learn to polka.
20. the Bush dance news (the email version) needs to be a simple straight forward document about the coming events. it does not need a contents list or all that continual info about shoes, partners etc, the receivers of this list already know all that.
all it needs is a simple list, with bold text for the name of the event & details.
scrolling up & down trying to fine the event you want to go to & you've forgotten the date is a pain.
the quip of the day is also unnecessary.
i usually just delete it now.
21. Have more "dancing" in the dances - less "walking around". People seem to have lost the ability to "slip-step" when circling or to "skip-step" in lively dances like Dashing White Sergeant. The mill in the Tivoli Gallop should be a high-stepping lively can-can not just walking around.
Also some men are like wet dishrags to dance with - they don't turn you properly with any strength, when they waltz they flop about, and the dance leaders do nothing to improve this.
Bush dancing should be lively, not just walking through the steps.
01 February 2011
Canberra Dance News Micro-Survey Results
We received 10 responses to our micro-survey in Canberra Dance News. They are shown in full and unexpurgated below. Because the survey was anonymous we cannot contact respondents for more details, but we have shown our comments and calls for more details in square brackets below. Maybe you could leave further comments against the points, on this blog?
If you have not responded to the micro-survey then it is not too late, just surf along to:
and let us know what you think about the subject "How can we help you to help us to increase bush dance participation?".
That's all - you won't be asked any other questions or for identifying information. Please have all your household ideas ready for one response, or you can email your response or afterthoughts to dance@pcug.org.au.
Here are the responses so far, with [comments]
1. Provide me with vouchers for first-timer free entry for my friends.
[First-timers are offered free entry to the classes starting next Monday 7 February at All Saints Ainslie. First-timers will have more confidence that they have understood the offer if they have a voucher to present, so we will have some vouchers printed.]
2. Offer 2 for one entry price on their first night or bring a friend along for free
[There is also the thought that if you can get a new person along for a second time then they will be "hooked" and keep coming back after that]
3. Reduce thse prices
[The Monaro Folk Society is a non-profit organisation and prices are set to break even, with a small surplus to cover contingencies. Sometimes events run at a profit and sometimes at a loss, indicating that on average the prices are about right. We are very fortunate to have excellent musicians who are willing to perform for our dances even though entry fees and band remuneration has not kept pace with inflation. There has been a marked increase in the cost of the Albert Hall, Woolshed and St John's, but we have been able to keep costs down by using All Saints Ainslie and the Cook Hall.]
4. More couples dances perhaps, but it's readily available and very well organised as it is.
5. Dancers be more inclusive with newcomers. There's a definite sense of the incrowd at some dances. No use going to a dance to sit watching others having fun.
Also, SOME men need to be advised about hygiene. SOME are very smelly. Don't want to dance with them. Women make an effort to look and smell good - how about it men? This is what puts me off coming to dances.
6. Run a regular session in Goulburn!! Yay!! That would be Wonderful!!!
7. Have one bush dance per month only.
8. Simple Firstly, Get the word "Music" back into the societies' title. "Monaro Folk Music and Dance Society" for instance. Secondly, Do not use the word "Bush Dancing" or "Bush Dancers". What you are talking about is either "Australian Folk Dancers" or Austrailian Heritage Music and Dance". Just because the venue for many of these traditional dances was a woolshed in the Bush does not mean that those involved should be called "Bush Dancers" which seems to infer some sort of rough group of would-be dancers. They were in fact just "Dancers" who were performing all the latest dances of the period to just as high, if not a better standard than the good sophisticated folk in the cities, and with all the grace and style of the well dressed city folk. Lift your sights, The words Traditional, Heritage, Original, Pioneering, Historical, Australian Folk Music, all have some meaning to the wider English-Speaking Community out there. (to many of whom, English is not their mother tongue) Perhaps "Bush Dancers" to many of those good people conjures up an image of some Red Necks having a good time. So lift your sights, use the right wording, try to appeal to a much larger section of the great Australian Populace, you might get more people through the door.
[Bush Dancing is a fairly well recognised name for the dancing that we do, see for example http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bush_dance. It's a short word and comes out near the top in alphabetic newspaper listings etc. The essence of bush dancing in 2011 is the social nature of the dances, the accessibility to all, and the variety of formations and traditions that are included in a "bush dance" evening. We couldn't think of a better label so we decided to go all-out promoting "Bush Dancing for fun & fitness". It has had a lot of media exposure and so to re-badge would be to start again to build public awareness.]
9. Discourage the FIGJAM inf dancers, callers and musos. Discourage bad musicians and weak out of town bands, callers, bands from a long way to drive and their callers.
Support and build on the local product. Nothing is a bigger turn off when we get a flustered caller holding up good dancers and musicians. Encourage the local musicians and callers by remuneration levels covering more than costs. Make sure there is a core of dancers there to mix in and assist new recruits. Encourage a culture that does not scare away timid new comers. The ethos should be the dance. It is not a lonely hearts club.
[In case the acronym has you stumped, we think it stands for something like "Figjam I'm Good, Just Ask Me". We are accepting and tolerant of all and want to encourage diversity and a wide mix of folk participating and sharing their unique talents. Big crowds and development and growth for as many as will. We try to remunerate the musicians as well as we can, but it is in no one's interest to have dances closed down because they are not financially sustainable. Dancers want to dance, musicians want to play, and volunteers want to volunteer.]
10. better layout for the canberra dance news
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