Foreman's Burden

1998

A lengthy response to the mailings of the infamous MAD Paul Millennas who wrote:

And for you creative Foremen, who think it is fun to change the dances every year, I feel this is counter-productive in the long run. I have noticed in one team, where dances have changed over the years, new and old dancers alike are being more hesitant to dance, unsure of what "flavour" would be danced.

An interesting point, Paul, I can see the difficulty it may cause and the likely outcome of messing up dances but this is exactly what the winter practises are about aren't they?

cler124.jpg (27618 bytes)The dances which my team (Clerical Error) have altered have been done with the intention of improving their 'entertaining' value. So many years of flogging our guts out during a dance, and being aware that the audience are gradually drifting off in the middle of it does not inspire me to want to continue performing it. The choice is to drop the dance completely or 'spice' it up in some detail which will boost the enjoyment to the dancers and audience alike. I am aware of the arguements surrounding the performance of 'traditional' dances and performing them in their pure state and it is not my intention to upset anybody by altering them. It is the desire of the team to promote Clerical Error as a morris side who can 'entertain' and it is on this basis I look at the dances and style and see how the whole package can be improved.

A foremans job is not a happy one as far as I am concerned, all the years I spent perfecting my juggling acts did nothing to help;

(having a husband in the team I am treated at the end of each practice session to the views on how it went wrong that night!)

In respect of the content of the practise night, working this out has been close to a nightmare (albeit an enviable one) this season. We have recruited 8 new dancers this winter and 3 people have returned from the 'wilderness'. The last two years practice nights have been spent teaching the same dances to the then newcomers which I and the majority of the team learnt years ago. Imagine what would happen to the turnout and committment of the regulars if the same dance was taught in its smallest detail year after year? I therefore decided it would be more interesting for the established members to concentrate on dances which we all needed indepth teaching in. The result is that this season we have taken on a number of new dances and my head too is boggling at the thought of remembering the figures sufficiently well enough for a good performance. I hope I have got it right though because it should mean that we will have new dances which everybody can perform and old dances which the established members can perform (and the newcomers can pick up at another time) instead of the same number of dances being performed but by a greater number of dancers all vying for their place in the set, yet another source of stress - trying to adjudicate between those who will or will not perform that dance and providing the weapons as they take their six paces.

So, Paul your thoughts on this will be welcome, and anybody else's for that matter.

And in response to:

Talking of "Women and dragons", when Clerical Error was just a number of sperm ideas heading up the uteris of imagination, one of the names tendered was the "Georges and Dragons", playing on the fact it would be a mixed Welsh team. I opposed it as I thought it sexist (next we'll have the females dancing in skirts and doing girly steps) and that it was too English. Ali Luyah, of this list, thought it was so fab that she married the author of the idea.
I didn't like it any more than you and neither did I like your suggestion of 'Clerical Error' but being totally unoriginal I couldn't come up with anything better. I have had to pay the price in both respects and I find myself burdened with the name and the husband, who incidentally I married for his money and the tax advantages.

Apologies to all for the length of this

Ali Lujah
Clerical Error (absolutely abysmal name)