[SCA-Dance] Translating Dance Names

Bruce Padget bapadget at pop.mail.yahoo.com
Mon Jul 9 05:10:41 EDT 2007


At the last Portrero War, we had a couple of dance classes with a little 
twist.  Instead of teaching Petit Vriens, Gelosia, Anello, and 
Villanella, the teacher taught Little Nothings, Jealousy, The Ring, and 
Country Girl.

Of course, she also called the dances by their original names, but she 
mostly referred to them in translation.  I had not previously 
encountered someone who did this.  (I had hoped to ask her about it at 
KWDS, but she didn't make it.)  So far I've taught using the original 
names of dances, but I'm pondering a change.

Saying the names in the original language has a certain exotic appeal, 
but the names can be pretty charming in English, too.  I am a firm 
believer in
calling things what they would have been called in period.  But to the 
folks who did the dance, "Villanella" wouldn't have sounded exotic.  So 
is
it better re-creation to use the Italian name or the translated name?

There could also be a practical aspect to this.  I'm sure we've all 
heard the complaint, "I know the dances, I just don't remember the 
names." Would it help to have the names in English?  It might help with 
the phenomenon of dreadful mnemonics.  For example, way too many folks 
remember Petit Vriens by calling it "Italian bumper cars."  If they
remember it as "bumper cars," should it be surprising when they dance it 
like bumper cars?

Anyway, has anyone here tried calling dances chiefly by their translated 
names?  Did it seem to make any difference in learning?

Regards,
Niccolo
bapadget at yahoo.com

PS:  I have tried this teaching games.   For example, the games usually 
called "Fallus" and "Todos Tablas,"  I teach as "Drop Dead" and "All
Tables."  It seems to help students learn the games.  However, games are 
often named for a distinctive feature of the game, so translation aids 
learning quite directly.


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