Off to Stanford

After six years, I am once again getting to make a pilgrimage-like trip to Stanford for a wonderful nine days of dancing: Stanford Dance Weekend followed by Stanford Historical Dance Week and then possibly Stanford Waltz Weekend (either dancing if there's space or just observing).  I'm going primarily as a student, though I'll be giving a pair of seminars that I've been stressing about for a month, one on Regency era dance developments and dancing master feuds and one extremely geeky one on choreographic connections across five centuries of set dances.  But mostly I'll just be learning.  I'm signed up as a lead (well, I signed up as a follow, but volunteered to be switched to improve balance) but will switch roles back and forth as necessary to balance any individual class.

I expect results similar to my last such trip in 2004: a substantial improvement in overall dance skills plus a whole lot of new repertoire.  This is a rare chance for me to do everything from Renaissance to Regency to Swing to Cross-Step Waltz in one trip and to learn from expert instructors from all over the world.  And compared to 2004, I'm a much better dancer and leader already and can probably absorb new information more efficiently.  Now I just have the agony of making choices like: Charleston and collegiate swing or Barriera and Gracca Amorosa?  Waltz dips or cross-step troika?  Blues or Steampunk?  Fusion waltz or fusion foxtrot?  Stretch myself with new material every single period or take some classes where I'm already familiar with it to give myself a break?  Do as much Regency as possible to dance it with other skilled dancers or skip it because I already know most of it?  These are lovely problems to have!

I fly out Friday morning.  I can't wait.

I will have limited time available from the dance week, mostly dinner on various evenings.  If any Rixo readers are in the Bay Area and would like to get together, let me know.  I rather expect there to be Wifi access everywhere, given the location, so I'll be checking email and blogs periodically.  I won't have a car, however, so you'll have to come to Stanford to fetch me.

Comments

[Susan de Guardiola]

I just have to note: there is WiFi on this airplane!

I am posting from, I think, somewhere over the southwestern desert while eating a warm, freshly-made chocolate chip cookie on my way to Los Angeles. Paying $9.71 for a few hours of WiFi is a little ridiculous, but I just had to do it so that I could have my first midair online experience.

Of course, I wasn't actually supposed to be flying through Los Angeles, but that's a story for later...

[Serge]

dancing master feuds

That sounds like the premise for a Masterpiece Theater murder mystery. Or for a Jeeves & Wooster story.

[Marilee J. Layman]

Sounds like fun, even with the odd flight!

[AJ]

Yes, I want to know about dancing master feuds!

I love the agony of having to choose between excellent dancing options. I hope you have a wonderful time in Stanford! Can't wait to hear about it.

[Neil W]

I'd almost rather leave the dancing master feuds in my imagination. Almost.

(I'm imagining a student of one master infiltrating a lesson of his rival and making one subtly wrong step that causes the session to grind to an embarassing halt, amongst other more ridiculous ideas. Also: dance fight!)

[Susan de Guardiola]

Neil:
How about writing a poem-play a few hundred pages long and entirely in rhyming couplets satirizing how bad your rival is and how awful the modern generation of dancers are.

[Catharine Eastman]

My husband and I work at Stanford. I think you met us at the Storyreading 25th reunion a few years back. Any interest in getting together for dinner or whatever this week? Email me if interested...

[Neil W]

How about writing a poem-play a few hundred pages long and entirely in rhyming couplets satirizing how bad your rival is and how awful the modern generation of dancers are.

For a moment I thought that was a suggestion aimed at me.

Then I realised that if you were commisioning poetry
from me, you'd probably not be so restrictive on form and
length.

I do not completely reject the idea out of hand.

[Serge]

We're waiting, Neil.

[Paul A.]

and how awful the modern generation of dancers are

It occurs to me that "how awful the modern generation of X are" is a popular theme for nearly every possible value of X.

[Serge]

"I tell you, those kids in Augustus's legions, they just aren't as tough as the ones who followed Big Julie."

[Mary Aileen]

"And their music is just noise!"

[Serge]

"And instead of wearing skirts like any self-respecting Roman man, the kids nowadays dress up like barbarians and wear pants!"