The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #101944   Message #2061274
Posted By: GUEST,Ian cookiless
26-May-07 - 07:26 AM
Thread Name: Strictly Come Folk Dancing?
Subject: RE: Strictly Come Folk Dancing?
Email I just sent to saturdaylive@bbc.co.uk ...

Thank you for your excellent, sympathetic and informative (for those who do not already know) piece on morris dancing. It makes a nice change for morris dancing to be covered in the media in a way that does not denigrate and insult this very old and exciting English social tradition. Lots of aspects were covered well in a very short time.

How disappointing and sadly predictable, then, that Fi Glover and other correspondents fell into the default English pastime of insulting and laughing at cultural traditions they know nothing about and can't be bothered to understand or appreciate - particularly our own traditions.

Personally, I have no interest in or understanding of ballet. That does not mean I want to insult it. I wonder what the reaction would be if next week you were to sympathetically cover classical Indian dancing, followed by derisive laughter and sneering?