episode 6 - New York (MySpace 8/04/2008)

Subject	Where's the kef? - episode 6 - New York
DateCreated	8/4/2008 11:40:00 PM
PostedDate	8/5/2008 1:03:00 AM
Body	What to do in NYC in July? I'm told I should check out the Greek American Folklore Society in Astoria. "GAFS is like a little Greek village -really!" Never having been to Greece, it sounds as much intimidating as enticing - but I decide to try the Tuesday night "beginner's class," $12 for non-members. I expect a multi-story community center with a reception desk and air-conditioning. But it's like a large studio apartment, with two doors on the street, with big mirrors and mementos on the walls, and electric fans on the floor. The place is crowded. I hear English and Greek. Sink or swim -I take a deep breath and dive in. Somehow, I introduce myself. Their performance team has been practicing for the festival next weekend at St. Irene's. But after I arrive, it rapidly segues into the class. No turning back. A few new people like myself, but it's still mainly their team. Combo practice and class? They start with the men in front, the guys doing an arm-swinging, clapping, and squatting routine that initially flummoxes me. Yikes. Everyone re-assures - says there's NO WAY I'm going to get it first time. Fortunately, no more like that. They move on to strangely familiar material. The dances are all new to me, yet I know this music. It's obviously from Thrace (Bulgaria: Trakia), but from the other side of the border (Greece: Thraki). Amazing - or not - each corresponds to a core Bulgarian dance. In California, folk dancers usually try to match this music with the more familiar Bulgarian steps and balance - even though the fit can be a bit awkward. But here they are doing it the Greek way. Cool. After that sequence, on to Macedonia, etc. Greece has plenty of regional diversity. Hey, so I seem to know a little something, and so I feel more at home. But it's not only that. Despite the novelty, somehow I am able to do this stuff. I can actually follow along and participate in almost every dance, unlike my usual experience at folk dance evenings. Though I am very aware that I have a ways to go regarding the nuances of timing, balance, accent, styling - it feels really good, I can tell I am learning, and it is definitely fun. And, for a few dances that have music and drumming that seems closer to home, I even feel comfortable enough vary the step timing to suit. During the breaks, various people ask me how I'm able to follow along so well. I don't really know, but to make it simple, I tell them that it's because I already know the music. One guy responds that what he sees too often is folks trying to impose the steps on the music. Oh, yeah - I know EXACTLY what he is talking about. So, why was I so comfortable with these strangers, as compared to my usual "folk dance" club experience? Hard to explain. I like these people a lot, but I can't say that they are any friendlier than folk dancers. The difference seems to have something to do with the material, and the expectations. For one, these are "traditional," in other words simple, not choreographed dances. Generally, only one or two step patterns are repeated throughout. The GAFS members who were teaching spent a minimum time making sure everybody understood the basic patterns, then put on the music and took it from there. The rest of the dance, the subtleties that are every much a part as the steps, you learn by doing - by imitation, and assisted by coaching from a teacher or fellow dancers - and mostly while the music is playing. Secondly, these were all Greek dances. Despite definite regional differences, your learning experiences are more likely to reinforce each other - much more so than with an "International" or even a "Balkan" dance club - where on any given evening, the sequence of dances tends to skip around from country to country. As I've said before, many International and Balkan dancers are incredibly skilled. And yet, they also seem very tolerant of mushy dancing. And it's not just because they are friendly, kind, and generous. I think it's also because the awesome breadth of their repertoire makes it difficult for newcomers to acquire basic competence, and makes it unfair to challenge them to acquire it. It's sad when the practical need to keep things "fun" stands in the way of helping people grow, learn, and participate in the cultural experience. Next: episode 7 - different strokes Previous: episode 5 - Santa Monica Start: episode 1 - the Peninsula