Why do we need to consider the do's and don't's in folk dancing?
Answers
Answer:
because folk dancing is a rules-based activity. In the areas where folk dances are done by the actual people who developed them, the rules are based upon the goal of the dancing as “enforced” by the community- is the dance ritualistic (religious, agricultural, etc.), is it to welcome strangers, does it perform a duty regarding defense or solidarity among the participants? Does the community have a hierarchy of elite vs. common, do certain dances belong to certain class or age groups? Each one of these involves who’s in, who’s out, and the order of the people involved. Certain regions do dances in a set order for each purpose, which can change when changes occur from inside or outside the culture.
As for us foreigners who do folk dance, we are beset by organizational rules regarding rental or arrangement of place, maybe insurance to cover injury, scheduling of events, etc., etc. All involve rules for behavior, support via payment, occasional meetings to organize special events. Also, in the USA, folk dancing was originally organized by professional people (not professional dancers) who set rules about who could attend, attire, and the type of dances to be done (in the 1930’s, it was mostly Western European and American couple dances, later it became Eastern European and Middle Eastern dances of all sorts).
For each dance done, the steps involved and the body attitude changes, and between regional and cultural areas, it can be drastic. Folk dancing instruction is necessary, requiring attention to those differences, with an “etiquette” about how those being instructed should behave. Since folk dancing is not a free-for-all, formless style a la rock’n’roll or the latest urban dance craze, it is frowned upon to attend and “do your own thing”, disregarding the dances as they have been taught. While excellent folk dancers do improvise, the improvisations are within the bounds of the cultural rules of that particular dance and its set of steps that are acceptable. In other words, when in Rome, do as the Romans do.
I hope this answers about all you are asking. There once were whole books about the organizations and the dance backgrounds, but they are long out of print, and outdated in their choice of dances and other details. I suggest looking into the Folk Dance Federation of California websites (there are 3- the umbrella group for the state [Home - Folk Dance Federation of California], southern California’s own [Folk Dance Federation of California, South, Inc.], and northern California’s own [https://www.facebook.com/FolkDanceFed]. This organization is the most organized (and rules-based) grouping in the USA, although there are others with specific ethnic dances done (Latin, square and contra dance, Scottish, etc.).
Answer:
Lessons in folk dancing is required, necessitating awareness of these variations and providing "etiquette" for how people receiving instruction should conduct themselves.
Explanation:
- Folk dance is a social activity, thus it's critical to remember that your actions have an impact on other people. There are several fundamental "rules" of conduct that apply to all worldwide folk dance organizations. Some of these are common sense guidelines, while others are more folk dancing-specific.
- Folk dance honors a particular group of people's cultural heritage. At social events, folk dancing is often done as a ceremonial kind of entertainment. Folk dances can be used to express cultural pride or to tell the origin stories of a society.
Thus this is the answer.
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