Some thoughts about long walk-throughs:

Dave Kaynor 1988

Notes in 1998:

I think (or at least hope) I have achieved somewhat quicker walk-throughs these days due to more astute choices of dances and improved teaching skills. The behavior which troubled me does not seem to occur much at my dance these days. I believe the concerns I expressed in this letter touch on the variety of agendas and ways of pursuing them on the dance floor, which remain interesting and important.

The Original 1988 letter:

A long walk-through occasionally results from my lapses into socializing or general distractibility, but it more often means that a significant number of people are failing to understand some (or all) of a contra dance.

Frequently, it might seem appropriate to forego the extra teaching, to simply say "Good Luck" and start the music. My cousin Cammy often does this. I sometimes do. But I am not always confident that it's the right choice.

I can't begin to guess how many times I've said, "Don't worry if you make mistakes in the beginning," only to observe (and later hear) that the beginners did, in fact, receive some very rough treatment at the hands of some impatient individuals who, in effect, saw fit to punish these folks for their mistakes.

I know who some of the impatient individuals are, and I have seen them pushing, yanking, directing, and even simply evading and ignoring beginners who are lost or confused. I have seen facial expressions conveying exasperation and condescension, and I have heard about sarcastic and otherwise nasty instructions and remarks being made. Indications are that extra teaching not only clarifies dance figures and sequences, it also gives some beginners an improved chance to avoid this sort of treatment. As long as I perceive that these "elite" dancers are putting contra dancing's reputation for openness and accessibility at risk, I will not entrust to them the beginners' prospects for 'learning- by-doing' without first teaching the dance as thoroughly as seems practical.

It's ironic that the Greenfield dance, for many years, was known as one of the entire region's more open and hospitable dances. This was due to the fine qualities of a solid core of local dancers, some of whom had learned to dance right here in the Guiding Star Grange, all of whom were so friendly and accessible that beginners never got stuck at the bottom of a side set, nor lacked partners who could teach them something in a manner which was fun, nor received punishing treatment during the inevitably mistake-laden process of learning-by-doing. And yes - we had shorter walk-throughs, too.

That core group is still around, and thanks to them, we have fewer "one-time-only" beginners, fewer terminal beginners, and more friendly folks than do many other dances. But sheer weight of numbers is obscuring the very positive influence which these folks exert on the powerful first impressions of beginners at the Greenfield dance. You might think we have plenty of dancers as it is, but I fear that contra dancing can not thrive as a closed club, and I will take extra time, if need be, in hopes that the beginners, some day in the future, will remember how great their first contra dance was, and come back. Please: your friendliness will come back to us all, and we'll have shorter walk-throughs, too.

Published with the express permission of David Kaynor. Email: dakaynor@k12.ucs.umass.edu