[SCA-Dance] etiquette while lifting a lady (was The Creepy, the rude, and the weird)

[(John) Byron Boyd]

When I was new to the Society, I heard the Official Bransle called "Toss
the Duchess" (its nickname in my kingdom) so often during my first
events that I thought the lord was supposed to help the lady reach the
greatest height possible.  Eventually, I learned that this causes
problems for women.  I still enjoy seeing how high I can l help a lady
jump (notice the word "help") but now judge her size so that I can give
her a gentle return to the ground.

And on this note, my favorite partners are those who have training in
ballet, as these women jump high during this and other dances.

Finally, a story is told in this kingdom of a lady who was lifted so
high in a room with a low ceiling that she was almost struck by a fan
that running.

Iohann se pipere
Sable, a gyron argent
Ars Longa Vita Brevis (art endures, life ends)


--- In sca-dance at yahoogroups.com, Andrea Collis <andrea.collis at ...>
wrote:
>
> Here's another one.
>
> As a tiny female, dancing "toss the wench" is not my favourite.  I
know how
> to jump, but some lords take it upon themselves to see how high they
can get
> me.  Now the trip up is fine, but the trip down can be less then
> comfortable.  There was once this lord who held me by the waist and
let me
> down ever so slowly, which actually meant that instead of landing
normally
> (my knees are just fine), my waist was crushed while waiting to be
released.