Re: Kids at contra dances

[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Jaubert) wrote in message news...
> Normally I enjoy having kids at dances.  Generally, they dance with
> their parents and have an inkling of what they're doing.  

> That said, a situation arose at a dance a couple of weeks ago
> regarding kids and I wondered how other groups would deal with it.
> 
> At a special dance (seven hours of dancing with a potluck dinner break
> in the middle) a family brought three kids.  Instead of ensuring that
> each child danced with an experienced adult, the parents allowed two
> kids, ages ~9 and 10, to dance together.
> 
> They were together for two dances, both of which had complicated moves
> (contra corners, Beckett formations, etc).  In each case, the
> complexity was far beyond the kids' abilities and powers of
> concentration, with the result that the sets they were in broke down
> completely.  The parents ignored the problems they were causing,
> though I have to admit they did go home after the second disaster.
 
> In the opinion of my wife and me, the parents were negligent and
> shouldn't have allowed the kids to dance together.  

> As I said, I like kids but this was not a positive experience for
> anyone.  How do other groups have handle situations like this?


Kids at contra dances is a hot topic at our dance. We've always had
kids at our contra dances, and mostly it's wonderful to have an
all-ages inclusive dance. Starting out the night with easy dances is a
good way to ensure skill building and confidence in the younger
dancers (as with any beginners).

You take issue with the parents for not separating the kids, and
making them dance with experienced dancers. If this family is new to
contra dancing, the parents might not know that their kids would have
a better chance for success by suggesting this. Perhaps in this
scenario, the caller might make the suggestion when seeing this
pairing while taking hands 4 from the top. We've done that before, and
many of our dancers are happily willing to step in as partners with
kids. To take it a step further, if the kids (or any two beginners)
end up being "neightbors" during the walk through, it makes for a
difficult walk through. We have learned to suggest that the kids each
dance with an experienced dancer, and not right next to each other.
Some kids are going to be uncomfortable with this - being separated
from their buddy in a sea of tall adults. I like seeing this presented
as a suggestion, not a mandate.

I think parents are negligent when they allow their kids to run around
the hall during a dance, darting in and out of lines of people who are
dancing. This can cause an accident, and is unsafe - mostly for the
kids. I think parents who are oblivious to their children's
potentially dangerous behavior are negligent. But allowing their kids
to participate in a contra dance - these parents should be
congratulated for making the time to do family-oriented activities
with their children, and introducing their children to the wonderful
world of dance. I think they should be encouraged with suggestions for
how their children can be successful in this new activity.

Stacy Rose