[SCA-Dance] Contrapasso video

[Huette von Ahrens]

I find it very interesting and well thought out as a teaching video.  However, the dancers are still very unsure of what they are dancing and keeping in tempo.  Not all the time, but every once in a while it shows up.
My opinion is that the dancers need to practice this dance much much more until they can do it in their sleep and not have to think about what comes next.  When you reshoot this video, and I hope that you will, the dancers need to appear confident about what they are doing and the dance should look seamless.  Remember that as a dance instruction video, people are going to be watching this and then duplicating what they see.  If they see things that are wrong then they are going to duplicate that.

A comment was placed on YouTube that the reverenza was done wrong.  I think that the woman eventually started doing the reverenza correctly, but the man did it consistantly wrong.  I also disliked his style in the chase section [where he goes forward and she backward.]  He also looks very awkward in doing the zigzags

Also when they are dancing side by side their hand position is wrong, wrong, wrong!  He is leading his horse, not dancing with his lady.  Their hand position should be totally down by their sides.

I like that the dancers are in clothes that show off their movement.  I like that at the end you show the dance in its entirety.  It would be an added bonus if you then showed the dance again with the dancers in garb appropriate to the era of the dance.  This will show off the beauty of the dance as was seen during SCA period.

I have been waffling back and forth if any commentary and instruction should be given about the nuances of the dance that were not given here.  That, of course, might scare off any beginners because that adds complications.  But perhaps if you do shoot the dance in garb, perhaps the dancers could add the nuances then to show that such was done.  It is a thought, but I am not entirely certain that this should be added.  

I hope that my comments and opinions are taken in the spirit that they were given, to be helpful and give you insights from someone not emotionally involved with the project.  

If you need any explanation about what I have suggested here, I am more that willing to help you as much as I can.

Yours, in service,

Mistress Huette

Barony of the Angels, Kingdom of Caid.


--- On Sat, 6/6/09, Mary Railing <mrailing2 at yahoo.com> wrote:

> From: Mary Railing <mrailing2 at yahoo.com>
> Subject: [SCA-Dance] Contrapasso video
> To: mynyddseren at yahoogroups.com
> Cc: sca-dance at sca-dance.org
> Date: Saturday, June 6, 2009, 8:30 PM
> I've put a video of instructions for
> dancing "Contrapasso in Due" on YouTube.
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmDLK8GYZD4
> 
> Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.
> 
> --Urraca
> 
> 
> 
>       
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