[SCA-Dance] advice on starting a small sca dance practice

[K. N. Schmid]

>  We keep a basket of ties for the inevitable nights when we have girls dancing with girls, to keep track of who's dancing the guy's part.  We also have a spare skirt or two for the reverse situation, but not many takers on that one.

We have the "Hat of Manliness" (sometimes a couple of them) which is
taken in great humor since often at that point the woman is also a
very nice skirt and the manly hat.

Another suggestion is to have a tradition / unspoken policy that if
there is anyone new at practice or anyone who doesn't remember a
dance, re-teach the whole dance down to what a double is.  Even if its
those dances you do frequently and most people already know, you don't
want to make the new folks feel like a burden or they won't come back.

>And the MOST important (which we sometimes have to remind ourselves):
Smile and have fun!  If you're having fun, your dancers are more
likely to have fun.

We remind ourselves we are having fun but we also remind them that
there are really two purposes to practice - to learn renaissance
dances and to have fun.  They shouldn't get down on themselves if they
didn't do it perfectly, but if they are getting better and still
enjoying it, then that is enough.

Nicolosa d'Isenfir
(mka Kendra Schmid)