PETER AMIDON'S E-MAIL #8
In this edition:
- Dance Workshop: Left Right, Inside Outside
- Announcements: Autumn 2007 Amidon Workshops
- Musings: Practicing silence
DANCE WORKSHOP
Left Right, Inside Outside
In many squares and circle/partner dances, especially circle mixers, it is important for the left/right partner roles to be consistent; in other words, for the 'gent' to stay on the left, and the 'lady' on the right of their partner. However, for many folks, and certainly for elementary school age children with little dance experience, telling them to "stand with the gent on the left, lady on the right" has little meaning.
Whenever I teach a dance, like 'Heel and Toe Polka', 'Blaydon Races', 'Simple Square' or 'Circassian Circle', I always start by having the dancers promenade.
Occasionally at this point I might say "as you promenade put the talls on the inside and the smalls on the outside." If you are doing a circle mixer, the smalls and talls concept breaks down as the partners mix, so an alternative is: "Decide who is the more responsible dancer and put that dancer on the inside."
In any case, I always define the left/inside and right/outside roles while
they are promenading by having them all repeat after me: "All the
inside dancers say: 'I am the sun.' All the outside folks say 'I am the moon,'" or
even, having the inside dancers say "I am an inside
person" etc. The next time folks promenade, especially if it is a circle
mixer, I remind the 'gents/moons' promenade on the inside, and the 'ladies/stars'
to promenade on the outside.
In order to make this work the promenaders need to remain on the correct side when they face in and make a circle from the promenade. I always remind the dancers: "Make a circle, moons on the left, suns on the right."
To further insure that the dancers end up on the correct side after promenading in a circle I use the following exercise.
I have everyone promenade. Then I say:
- "Everyone hang on to your partner, stop walking.
- "Hang on to your partner, turn and face the center.
- "Drop your hands. Take hands in a circle."
Hanging on to their partners' hands as they turn and face the center helps
insure that the dancers stay on the correct side of their partners. Conversely,
if they drop hands with partners before they turn from
the promenade to face the center, it is likely that some dancers will end
up on the incorrect side of their partners.
Announcements: Amidon autumn 2007 workshops
Friday - Sunday September 14 - 16
Star Guilford
Star Island (off the coast of New Hampshire)
(sold out - get on the waiting list or come in 2008)
An annual weekend singing
workshop for church choir directors and singers led by Peter Amidon, Tony
Barrand and Andy Davis, the three (rotating) Choir Directors of the Guilford
Community Church, UCC
Contact: Tony Barrand * tbarrand@comcast.net
Wednesday September 19
New York City Association For Education Of Young
Children
New York City
Mary Alice presents evening one hour presentation of songs,
chants fingerplays, singing games, after the NYCEYC board meeting.
Contact: Tracy * 646 294 2137
Thursday, September 27
Vermont Alliance for Arts Education Conference
Ludlow, Vermont
Amidons present morning workshop on teaching traditional dance to children.
Contact: Ann Taylor * vaae@valley.net
Friday, October 5
Maine Music Educators Association
Augusta, Maine
Amidons present two workshops:
- Morning workshop:
Storytelling & Music in the Classroom
- Bringing picture Books & Storytelling Alive with Music & Movement - Afternoon
workshop:
Teaching Traditional Dance and Singing Games to Children
Contact: Mike Davis * mdavis@auburnschl.edu
Saturday October 13
Kodaly Northern New Jersey
Princeton, New Jersey
Amidons present 3 hour workshop: Teaching Traditional
Dance to Children followed by community dance.
Contact: Kristen VanOllefen * NetsirkVO@aol.com
Thursday - Sunday, October 18 - 21
Pourparler National Conference on Teaching
Folkdance to Children
Williamsville, Vermont
Dance educators from around North American get together for a weekend of
shared workshops and conversation.
Contact: Peter Amidon * peter@amidonmusic.com
Thursday, October 25
Vermont Childrens' Librarians
Kellog-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, Vermont
Amidons present a 10 am - 3 pm
workshop: "Literature, Storytelling and Music in the Library - Bringing
Picture Books & Storytelling
Alive with Music and Movement" to Vermont childrens' librarians.
Contact: Megan Allison * megan@kellogghubbard.org
Thursday - Saturday, November 15 - 17
National AOSA (Orff Schulwerk) Conference
San Jose, California
Amidons and New England Dancing Masters present
workshops on dance and music/literature/storytelling
as well as an evening community dance at this national
music teachers' conference.
Contact: Karen Medley * kmedley800@aol.com
Thursday - Sunday, November 30 - December 2
New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA)
Amidons lead workshops on
dance and music/literature/storytelling as well as an evening community dance
at this statewide music teachers' conference.
Contact: Missy Rozelle * missyrozelle@yahoo.com
Musings
Practicing silence
Sam is coming out with a spectacular new album (I know, I'm the Dad, but you just wait!) this autumn. He sang a few old songs, some of which he learned growing up, some learned from great old (now dead) home grown American singers. He recorded his own authentic but quirky interpretations of the songs to his own sparse and always interesting banjo or guitar accompaniment. Then Sam's composer friend Nico Muhly added some stunning orchestrations with a small (well, really, not so small) chamber ensemble: strings, winds, brass, keyboard. It is called 'All Is Well', the label is 'Bedroom Community', and it will be out sometime in October. (Of course I will announce it in a later e-mail.)
I find it striking how, hmmm, patient Sam's singing is. There are a lot of spaces in the music. I'm talking big silences between some of the phrases. The silences are bold and beautiful.
I particularly appreciate this as someone who has come only lately to appreciate the power of silence. I can get bored easily, and I assume other folks do too, and so, left to my own inclinations I tend avoid silence by talking fast, talking constantly, filling empty space with something, anything. But I have started to learn how powerful it can be to slow down, to pause, to leave some space in a story I am telling, a musical arrangement I am working on or a dance point I am making.
When I wonder where Sam's skill with silence came, I remember a ritual he and his pal Gabe had when they were teenagers. Frequently (daily?) they went into the basement for an hour of 'free jazz'. Gabe beat on the drums and Sam did long tones on the violin. Really long tones, that changed only very slowly. It was not something anyone would want to hang around and listen to. Did I already say for an hour? They timed it: 60 minutes. A form of meditation? Absolutely.
I love the word 'practice' as a synonym for 'meditation'. Sam and Gabe were practicing, well, not silence exactly, but certainly patience. And, judging by his new recording, Sam clearly now is a master of both.
Be bold, be bold, but not too bold.
Peter Amidon
for Peter and Mary Alice Amidon