Hey you down in the front!

[dancenoutlaw]

i just watched this video and was wondering why t-ride fans have went from dancing everywhere... to (for the most part) only dancing in the dust pit behind the sound board?

ya'll got any ideas?

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7298847911422706933&q=source:009335455440018555607&hl=en

 Listening to: chatham county line

[Tiki Bar Lara]

Wow, that's a great video, did you see Peter?!?!  Of course Sam looks exactly the same!  I only skimmed the movie, but as far as I know from experience, behind the sound board is the best place to swing dance with a partner, without bumping into people.  As for my crew, we are always dancing on our tarp, and everywhere!

[iamgdubya]

This is a sweet video!

my two cents...

seems to me as time rushes on folks at many shows have to an increasing degree settled in to the roles of spectators and departed from a particpatory mentality that would encorage widespread dancing. 

the word for today is participatory!


1. characterized by or involving participation
 to take or have a part or share, as with others; partake; share




 Listening to: todd snider

[TellurideTom]

One key factor here...
That video was taken quite a few years ago when the crowd was a lot smaller.
It was much easier to dance anywhere you wanted to without bumping into someone. 

[amandalynne]

I for one wish there was more dancing all over, but I've been yelled at enough times to know that people seem to prefer it when we move to the side or back. Perhaps it is a matter of training- the old timers train the newbies to sit down and they assume it's the custom and oblige. I know it has worked on me (somewhat). And you can see that as soon as a good number of people decide to stand for a particular act, most people follow suit. It seems to simply be a matter of doing what your neighbor's doing, as in the rest of life
 
You'll always find me dancing if the music's fast! I find it amusing that this dancing smiley depicts slow dancing, which we do so little of at festival

xo
Amanda


 Listening to: the music on that video

[RockyMtnGuy]

.. Speakin' of 'Down in Front!' .. last year .. I recall being asked to 'move out of the way' by someone who was recording the stage acts with a handheld digital video recorder.  I recall seeing in another post that said that video recorders are strictly forbidden (and no, this wasn't the 'hired help' that records the festival acts).  They were just holding up a little video recorder and got upset when we stopped in front of them (unknowingly).  SO .. what IS the policy regarding those little digital handhelds? Are they not allowed?  OR .. should I invest in one .

/r

  Kevin

 Listening to: ..the sound of the sprinkler in the back yard ;)

[LuAnna]

Some random thoughts about the "up front"

well, frist there is the upfront upfront... the Poser Pit...  I am not talking about that place. if you are privileged enough to be allowed in there,  I am sure you will figure out what goes in there...

but in the regular upfront.. there are some common courtesies that prevail and mostly for good reason.

1. There is a tapers section right in front of the sound booth. Obviously that is a good place for good sound and so they can get good tapes there. I used to get a lot of those recordings... and I can tell you... the recording is not enhanced by TALKING during the music! so.. if you know that a big part of the festival experience for you is sitting on the tarp and visiting about random things and just kind of letting the music be a background to your party, you might want to put your tarp somewhere else, as a courtesy to the tapers. As a matter of fact, just trying to listen to the music while people around you are having a conversation can be difficult. best to leave long conversations for between sets. Even if the band that is playing is one that you don't even want to hear, the people on the next tarp may have come to the festival specifically to hear that band. 

2. Dancing in the non dancing areas and standing in front of people who are sitting is.... well....I think that Amanda makes a good point.  People attending any event need to be able to look around and determine what the culture of the event is.  At Telluride it is the culture to sit during the day and stand up for the night time acts. The staff at Planet Bluegrass has established this with their policiy on low festival chairs  only in the front section and having aread set aside for dancing. I will admit that one year during the middle of the day when I was hearing Hot Buttered rum for the first time, i HAD TO GET UP AND DANCE! ( I don't think we were blocking anyone's view and we weren't talking except I think i did shout... "I LOVE THIS BAND!"  Sometimes we can't help ourselves but mostly we try.

3. There will always be a few twirly girls who  like to become part of the entertainment by dancing on the path across the front. The staff will ask them to move... mostly they just wanted you to see their bodies and their tattoos anyway.  Look fast.

and the REAL REASON for sitting during the day is....
4. There are all  kinds of  festivarians, they are all shapes and sizes,... and ages, too! Some have way more energy than others.. and some of us wouldn't want to stand up all day, anyway...  once the crowd stands up, those of us who are short can no longer see anything that is happening on stage.

 
Peace and love,
LuAnna ... too old to stand all day, too short to want to!

[Bevin]

Merely my $0.02...

Dancing - Sit down at the movies.  Dance at concerts - w/in reason, of course.  There's no reason to entirely block someone's view and stomp their buzz if you can dance many places.  But then again, no one can stand in one spot and dance all day, so if someone in front of you has the spirit inside 'em, maybe let 'em boogie a while.  They'll move along eventually. 

Talking - Talk at camp; or in town; or in the corn dog line.  Listen at concerts.   I'm not there to listen to someone's conversation, I'm there to listen to Bela pick it.  And if you gotta say something, it's possible to talk with your tarp-mates without drowning out the music. 

And unfortunately, as I always say, "there's always a clapper."  Dang it!  I'm not there to listen to someone's poor sense of time.  If you can't sit still, please tap your feet.  Clapping along (when not solicited by the performer) is often worse than talking over Peter Rowan telling his story about the Free Mexican Air Force. 

Oh and I'd also vote to leave the video cameras at home, lest we jeopardize the long-sought freedom to make audio recordings.  My tapes, from back in the day when taping wasn't legal, well, those tapes suck. 

Bring on the twirly girls!!!  (sorry, LuAnna  )

[Courtney]

talker clapper  dancer


Hmmmm Some of the people that are now "sitting" might have been in this video "dancing". 

Bevin, How about the sing-alonger.  I went to see Mick Jagger at the Hollywood Bowl not to recently and was tortured by the guy in front of me who sang every song, loudly.  It took all my energy to stay in the zen with Jagger.  Even from a distance, his legs are so characteristic of him.

[Bevin]

Courtness,

I'd have to say that I regard the Singer-Alonger as a less-evolved and more rude version of the Clapper.  I mean, a few bars here and there is one thing, but to sing along to everything is just being disrespectful of others. 

But how do you deal with these people?  As soon as you say "hey, do you mind keeping it down?" then you've become the rude one.  I feel like I just have to walk away when I find that I'm near a Clapper.  I'd rather be behind a Dancer than beside a Talker or anywhere near a Singer-Alonger or a Clapper. 

There's always a Clapper.

[Gorfolio]

Merely my $0.02...

 

And unfortunately, as I always say, "there's always a clapper."  Dang it!  I'm not there to listen to someone's poor sense of time.  If you can't sit still, please tap your feet.  

Amen to that!

 Listening to: Tim O'Brien Cornbread Nation

[TellurideTom]

I've got plenty of recordings that were ruined by people talking, or even worse walking up the microphone and yelling "test, test, test".

[Courtney]

Could you imagine, and don't even think this is a good idea, big signs up at a festival "clapper section"  "sing-alongers"  "talkers section".   

Or how about this:  "A clapper, a singalonger and a dancer go into a bar...."

or 'What did the clapper say to the sing-alonger"

or "Once upon a time there was a clapper who went to festivals and never seemed to meet any friends.  In fact, people always left the area they were standing in.  They were sad but kept on clapping.  Then, on a dark and stormy night, the festifairy put them under a mysterious spell.....they couldn't clap, they tried and tried, their hands would never meet to create the sound.  They still went to the next festival and when the music hit, frustrated by the lack of clapability, they started to dance.  It was like magic, they didn't get any weird looks or strange vibes, and people stopped leaving the area and started dancing with them.  ... You know the rest.

[Tiki Bar Lara]

Lovely thoughts, well said! 

I think if we all just follow the lead of this guy, we'll be golden!  He's another reason why I luuuuv telluride...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaqXLvWHIBI&eurl=http://www.youtube.com/user/darsb

[Bevin]

I was actually sitting behind that guy last year!  He was awesome.  He kept turning around, smiling and looking at everyone sitting behind him and saying "Down in back folks!"  He was cracking my head off!