Scottish Festival Peeves?

[Tahshar]

Erm..... once you have had the pleasure of traveling to middle east, and to europe (in my case Spain) and taken the opertunity to see the genuine art of the belly dancer, and of the flaminco, with live music played by guys of.. maybe 120 years or something, you feel the disappointment in the modern american erm...."interpritation" all the more.

[L. Ramsay]

I'm reminded of what the poet Tamim Barghouti said to me once, something along the lines of "people need to realize there's more to Arabs than belly-dancing and hummus."

[artificer]

I'm reminded of what the poet Tamim Barghouti said to me once, something along the lines of "people need to realize there's more to Arabs than belly-dancing and hummus."

sure, there Baba ghanoush, kabob, and falafel too, right

JK: I think it's like that with any group. It's easy for people who don't get out and about to make this sort of assumption (or worse).

As has been said, travel broadens the mind.ith:

[Squeaky McMurdo]

Yeah, our clan chief is a little slow about that sort of thing... He hasn't yet turned it over to me. If he would, I'd get things done. But he's very controlling and dominant... which I suppose is why he's the chief...



Um... I'm going to have that image stuck in my head when I go to the games in Montana this weekend. Thanks so much for that...

Oh and sure, you go to the games in Montana the year I'm NOT going! (going to southern Utah for the 4th...traveling to Billings [I assume it's the Yellowstone Highland Games you're attending] one weekend, then traveling to Richfield the next would be a little crazy, especially with a 2 year old and a 2 month old)

You didn't go to the Jackson Hole Games last year, so tell me the truth. Are you avoiding me? *fake sobs*

--Chelsea McMurdo--

P.S. Say hello to Donell Small and the rest of the Caledonia Pipes and Drums for us (they'll be around Donell's Yellowstone Brewery booth no doubt wearing Mackenzie tartan) If they don't remember us, tell them we were the ones that brought our baby to bagpipe practice.

[Zardoz]

I have no idea what's going on in this photo, but it sure looks cool.



moar! moar!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rClmj...eature=related

It's a little American fusion style dance, I'd put up more, but I don't want to pull this thread off topic any more. (if that's possible!) Plus, I almost hate to post some stuff up here because of the posts of thinly veiled disdain that almost always follow...but I shouldn't be surprised, considering the overriding negative tone of this thread.

[wildrover]

If they don't remember us, tell them we were the ones that brought our baby to bagpipe practice.

Which begs the question, can a baby be tuned to 470 Hz? Or concert 440? Or are they naturally pitched around 480 or higher?

(Perhaps it would be easier to tune the bagpipes to the baby.)

It's a little American fusion style dance, I'd put up more, but I don't want to pull this thread off topic any more. (if that's possible!) Plus, I almost hate to post some stuff up here because of the posts of thinly veiled disdain that almost always follow...but I shouldn't be surprised, considering the overriding negative tone of this thread.

Anyone who felt disdain toward that beautiful display of artistry needs to talk to their doctor about a certain prescription.

"Fusion" seems to be a common theme these days. I'm cool with that, when it's appropriate.

I think that just brought us back on topic...

[artificer]

It's a little American fusion style dance, I'd put up more, but I don't want to pull this thread off topic any more. (if that's possible!) Plus, I almost hate to post some stuff up here because of the posts of thinly veiled disdain that almost always follow...but I shouldn't be surprised, considering the overriding negative tone of this thread.

Zardoz, I don't think ANYONE has a problem with belly dancing, or the pix you posted (I know I didn't). Since you seem to want to find negativity in a thread ABOUT nit-picking, I'll bite.

If the dancers in question are billing themselves AS an American fusion/belly dance... cool. If they are doing their own thing and passing themselves off as authentic dancers (or at least not making it clear that they ARE doing their own thing) isn't that the same as people thinking (and perpetuating the idea) that Scots are nothing more than tartan wearing drunks shouting "See You, Jimmy!" or that the Germans are just fat men in leather shorts, burping to the tune of "She'll be coming round the mountain"*?

I think the pix are great, I will never complain about belly dancers. In fact, if we could find a way to post pix of belly dancers in ANY thread, with no justification other than "hey, pix of dancers", I'd be totally down with it.

I just think it's important to be wary of the POV that (I believe) L.Ramsey was referring to.

If I offended in the post prior, I apologize, it was inadvertent and unintended.

*Blackadder IV - Blackadder goes Forth reference.

[auld argonian]

Straying back to the original intent of the thread...

(Which, just to be clear and in my humble opinion, was "those quirky little things that make you make that OMG face at the Highland Games".)

I was just looking through some photos from a couple of past Highland Games and was wondering why so many of the folks who have obviously gone to a lot of trouble and expense to dress as historical figures are marching in the Parade of the Clans with their sunglasses on. Nothing looks odd like Wiiliam Wallace and a bunch of Jacobites all turned out and still wearing their Ray-Bans. Not that I'm blaming them...when doing Shakespeare we always had to have one stage manger on the lookout for actors who were about to walk on stage with their wristwatches on. As I mentioned earlier...it's sunny out there! But maybe put the polarized wraparounds in your sporran for the ten minutes that it takes to march around the field, eh?

Best

AA

...and, by the way, I would also like to add my name to the list of people in favor of bellydancers anywhere, anytime.

Just say yes to bellydancers...

[Sir William]

Straying back to the original intent of the thread...

I was just looking through some photos from a couple of past Highland Games and was wondering why so many of the folks who have obviously gone to a lot of trouble and expense to dress as historical figures are marching in the Parade of the Clans with their sunglasses on. Nothing looks odd like Wiiliam Wallace and a bunch of Jacobites all turned out and still wearing their Ray-Bans.

As one who has done living history programs and reenactments for many, many years this is one of my pet peeves as well. Our Jacobite group permits spectacles to be worn but they are to be plain glass in appropriate period style frames (or something that looks somewhat period). No sunglasses allowed. Sometimes I wish we could wear them as the sun gets very bright during the summer, but as you pointed out, it looks pretty ridiculous.

At a recent Games I saw one of the visitors, dressed as "Wallace" complete with bloody great sword and all, wearing a pair of aviator style sunglasses. But, I suppose they went with his sneakers.

And, for the record, I'm for "good" belly-dancers anywhere, anytime!

[Lallans]

How do you say "promenade across the room followed up with a grapevine twist" in Welsh?

Here we go off topic again but you did ask:

" promenâd ar draws yr ystafell yn dilyn i fyny gyda thro grapevine "

[translation by google]

On the sunglasses issue: if anyone besides me is still wearing contact lenses, they can render you very sensitive to sunlight, almost helpless in fact. On the whole, reenactors should probably add laser surgery to their costume budgets. (I'm holding out for lens implants, which can be changed and, last I knew, still have the money saving advantage of being completely unavailable in Canuckistan.)