The following information is published with ROUNDALAB's permission from the ROUNDALAB Reference Manual compiled by Richard & Jo Ann Lawson, 1987.

Humor - A Valuable Part in Round Dancing

by Vic & Wynne Mahler

Humor can play a very valuable part in round dancing - especially with beginners. Consider the person who has reluctantly agreed to come to class and still isn't convinced he really wants to be there. If you can get him to laugh and relax a little, he may find he can have a good time after all. Then there's the eager-beaver who is so dead serious and determined to be the perfect dancer that he makes his partner miserable. A good laugh might very well help him!

The dancers themselves often provide the humor. One night when we were teaching the group what it meant to step through on the inside foot, a very puzzled gentleman broke out in a broad grin. "Oh," he said, "you mean my middle foot!" The tension evaporated with a good laugh, and a more relaxed group continued to learn with mush less strain.

Break-time not only gives the dancers an opportunity for physical rest, but also frees them from the mental strain of learning new things. We have been fortunate in having a comedian in every class - he may be a clown or perhaps a dignified looking gent with a dry sense of humor. However, the type of comedian is not important, but the effect on the group is. After a happy break, they go back to dancing with renewed vigor and all too soon the happy evening is at an end.

One other way in which humor can be an aid is through the teacher and partner. The teacher naturally feels the great responsibility for doing a good job and can pass on that tension to the dancers. Here the partner can be invaluable - a deliberate goof, a little friendly mimicry of the teacher, or a facial expression like a confused dancer, for example, can lessen the tension. It creates a friendlier relationship and a happy atmosphere.

To sum it all up, humor is a very important ingredient for the goal we're striving for. We all agree that round dancing should be fun, and it will be fun it we can keep tension to a minimum for both teachers and dancers by all laughing together at ourselves. We can create a happy group held together by our special little jokes like "middle foot" and look forward to many enjoyable fun evenings ahead.

Roundalab Journal, Summer, 1983