Newsletter Feedback!
Previous Month's Feedback can be found here.
Here is the feedback for October:
Comments = My current favourite dance at the moment is
Love Sex Magic by Lawrence Allen, I'm from Ontario,Canada and I don't even
know who he is. I think I'll look him up and see what else he's done.
Username = Karen Kirk
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So I pictured each person finding one dance and
mentioning it and I came back to a problem I've had with this. I don't know
the relationship of the person promoting to the choreographer. Sometimes
it's their best friend. Sometimes they really impartially found a dance they
like -- which I what I want to read.
The last dance I found that was not promoted was "Ain't No Sunshine" by
Frank Cooper. I know Frank, but we are not best friends and I would only do
this dance if I liked it and the music.
This is what I would like to see in the reviews.
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Comments = mark,
you cleared everything up with this Oct. newsletter and if people don't yet
get it, it's because their narrow minds won't all them too. EXCELLENT
article and I hope next week you have the time of your life with your REAL
friends. Put this behind you and start from fresh and you'll probably make
a lot of new friends as well. Much continued success with WC!!
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Subject = Newsletter Feedback
Comments = Many times over my years in Linedancing [16yrs]i have been an
honest and vocal critic of issues in Linedancing, thinking always of the
greater good of the industry and not myself. I discovered that honesty and
well meaning only brings about criticism and alienation which hurts like
hell when your intentions have been good. Those who seek fame and fortune
will always be fairweather freinds with any one or group that facilitates
their progress up this ladder and will attack anyone who speaks out about
that person or group. Once there is some success then there are those that
quickly want a piece for themselves by attaching to and supporting the
successful person or persons. Its business. Its ego. You cannot change it.
You only set yourself up as the bad guy. The more you say, the more you fuel
the fire. I have the experience and learned the hard way. I now do my own
thing, have a happy thriving club and keep most of my opinions to myself. I
take no sides in the issu!
es you raise - you make some fair points - but you will never stop any
egotistical group of people from pushin and shovin and stampin on your toes
in their quest for a high profile. There are many of us out here who know
who the good guys are and take our influences from many sources. Our lives
are too short for bitching and hurting.
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Comments = I usually don't put my 2 cents in- I go
with the flow, but in this case Mark-right on!!!!! I learn dances that I
like and I don't care who in the world is the choreographer. I like new
talent. I don't care that a certain dance is #1 or # 20. If I like the
music and I like the dance, then it will be one of the dances that I will
dance to. I don't know why all the fuss. It doesn't make sense to like a
dance just because a choreographer is famous. They have some sucky dances.
There are some crazy people out there. JUST DANCE!!
By the way, good job
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Note: One
dancer forwarded me this blurb from Big Dave's Site and added their own
comment:
"Probably spend 20 hours a week or more researching and updating it to
keep it as up-to-date as possible with all the latest dances and comments/
feedback on them. I've got a site sponsor now 'GEM-N-I Diamante' who help
me finance the site, along with 40 VIP sponsors who collectively
help cover the costs of keeping the site on-line by contributing a small
annual donation. And I also do a Dance of The Month based on dancer votes
which helps encourage lots of great feedback on all the latest dances
being taught across the country and all around the world."
http://www.danceinline.com/bigdave.htm
Hi Mark, I am busy doing my homework …downloading sheets and watching video to make educated choices on how to spend my time at your event. While doing so, I came across the website above …the ‘interview/bio’ was published~ 2006 …the complete interview was of GREAT interest to me … I think it validates your understanding of his promotional blurbs …I would venture to wonder if the choreographers he promotes are part of the 40 VIP’s who financially keep his site going.
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Subject = Newsletter Feedback
Comments = Mark, I think you aren't crediting teachers with enough sense.
Maybe in the event scene you see more "driven " instructors, but for many
here we are very careful about what we teach. There are many teachers who
are low profile, jsut turning up each week doing many classes for the
average social dancer who just want to move to good music, and forget their
troubles. To that end their teachers will be looking for "dancer friendly"
steps and good music. Big Dave does mention improver dances that we may miss
otherwise. I expect there are many such teachers in the USA too.
Sure there are classes for the "addicts" who just can't get enough dances,
their teachers are desperate to get a dance with a "name" and a following
they can mention.Here Big Dave does help too.
The Linedancer magazing's "top ten" can cause problems too, as many teachers
use that to base their main teaching on, regardless of whether the dance is
suitable or not ( I visited a class on holiday full of elderly people
wearing comfy sandals , being put through hell trying to learn a fast
turning funky dance - why? it was no.5 in the linedancer chart!)
Myself? I DO seek out John Robinson's dances, also Michele Perron ( I
taught one of her dances even before she had taught it to her class, as I
liked the music so much!) Jo Thompson, Judy McDonald, Jackie Miranda and Max
Perry .
I also look at all the dances coming out after big events in the USA and
have bought many DVD's from CJ - I consider this part of my professional
duties! I'm proud of what I do, and spend AGES researching what will suit my
9 different class levels best. Recent new class members from a "top 10 only"
type class were gobsmacked to see " Sunset Bolero" (Max Perry), but likewise
2 big hits for me recently are "Release me" (Dee Musk) and "Paying with
fire" Craig Benett, both flagged up by Big Dave and helping me pay my
mortgage!
In short a GOOD instructor will be looking to the USA for inspiration, but
we are grateful for Big Dave's indications ,whilst still realising he is not
the whole scene. If you could get a similar thing going in the USA we'd be
thrilled! More on Yipee perhaps? I check that daily, reagardless of the
choreographer.
Username = Pauline Horkan
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Comments = Mark,
I just wanted to once again express my disappointment that you feel you have
to defend or explain yourself. I agree with you and have to confess I am
guilty to some degree when it comes to looking at new dances. I have my
favorite choreographers and will check out their dances first but it is time
to change that and help the unknowns perhaps become a favorite. Personally
I try really hard not to watch a Graham Skinner demo as his style I find
very difficult to endure. There are others out there who really don't do
justice to some of the dances either and I find it most helpful to watch the
choreographer demo his or her dance. Then I know what they are looking for
and can strive for my interpretation to be something akin yet my own. We
have good talent and good dancers. We just have to promote them. I took
the workshop from Carol D on Love, Sex, Magic and loved it. Will be
teaching it next week and I tip my hat to the choreographer. That being
said, peace to you and!
hope you can put this all aside now and move on past. Enough is enough.
Thanks for a really great event. I look forward to returning.
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Agree or Disagree?
Got some feedback for Mark?
