Were you at the
“Welcome to Canberra 2013” bush dance at the Yarralumla Woolshed
last night? What did you think?
I thought it was a
fantastic night, with excellent dance music from the Bush Capital
Band and a great crowd of dancers. The crowd numbers were up because
of support from National Folk Festival volunteers and lots of
newcomers and groups, and even groups of newcomers.
I have often said
that the newest dancer is the most important person in the hall. They
have the most to learn, and they are our future. And that was
certainly apparent last night with the buzz of excitement that comes
with lots of new folk. Newcomers bring fresh energy, new ideas,
greater diversity, more dancers, more volunteers and more
possibilities for promotion of bush dancing. Newcomers also shake us
up and keep us on our toes. Newcomers represent growth.
Our caller Beryl
not only provided an excellent program and calling but also imparted
a little “corporate knowledge”, because it is the centenary of
Canberra and a time to reflect on history, and because of the
interest provided for old and new dancers alike by these little
snippets.
Beryl reflected on
the times when crowds were more like 300 dancers and they had to
close the doors to latecomers when the house was full. Actually I
have heard of recent (non-Monaro Folk Society) bush dances at the
Yarralumla Woolshed attracting many more than that from around
Australia, but of course they have to take it in turns to dance.
Judging by last
night many in the crowd enjoy socialising and just chatting as well
as dancing. With a big party crowd, sharing the dance floor is a good
solution to over-crowding.
The dance floor
was pleasantly filled last night, but nothing like the over-crowding
that would follow from a crowd of 300. Beryl recalled seeing the
power lines to the Woolshed jiggling to and fro as the Woolshed
swayed to the dancing beat. I have often heard stories of the
Woolshed moving on its stumps, and vaguely recollect the feeling,
something unheard of in our risk averse times.
It was such a
delightful night with such pleasant associations, that our caller was
actually moved to tears by a particularly beautiful waltz number from
the band, and the swirling patterns on the floor as viewed from the
stage.
What a night to
remember. It's great to see the new End of Month Dance Organising
Team not just taking over the baton now that Barbara
and I have retired, but extending the bush dancing calendar with new
events like the “Welcome to Canberra 2013” bush dance.
When I asked folk
last night how they found out about the event, the answer was often
“word of mouth”. How many times do you hear someone say "Oh
I saw a great movie, you have to go see it"? And how many times
do you hear someone say "Oh I went to a great dance, you have to
come try it"? If you enjoy a dance, or if you enjoy dancing,
playing or helping, why not tell your friends? Just as you would if
you enjoy a movie. We don't need to "convert" anybody, all
we have to do is invite them to give it a try and they'll say things
like "this is great, why didn't anyone tell us about it sooner?"
and they'll come back for more.
Cheers
Lance
