How do you enjoy dance?

I cam across this list of questions at Great Dance Weblog. I thought it was an interesting set of questions, since they're really asking about process versus product.

1) Would you prefer to see a dance performance at a large performing arts venue or in a small intimate setting?

This is really a no-brainer for me. I much prefer small, intimate settings. For example, this past summer, Tayar Akdeniz was in town to teach a workshop on Turkish Rom dance, and Turkish folk dancing. The friday night before the workshop, a group of us from the studio took him to dinner at a local Middle Eastern restaurant. (one of the owners is Turkish) After dinner, the owner put on some Turkish folk music, found a set of wooden spoons (Turkish folk dancing includes playing wooden spoons as a percussion insturument. Not hitting them together, but clacking the backs of the bowls together in the hand, kind of like inside out castanets with handles sticking out) and Tayar got up and danced in the restaurant. It was *amazing* to watch. In fact, much cooler than the choreographed folk dancing he performed on stage the following night.

2) Would you prefer to see a dance performance or watch an advanced dance class?

If I'm just going to be watching, this is one case where I would rather watch the performance. A real, quality advanced class should include a lot of fine-tuning of technique, and though that's valuable to do, it's not that fun to watch.

3) Would you rather take a dance class or watch a performance?

I would much rather take a class! If course I love watching a good performance, but many weeks, going to class is seriously the highlight of my week, so the choice is clear.

4) Would you rather watch a performance or watch rehearsals for an upcoming performance?

I would rather watch the rehearsals, assuming it's not that last stressful, freaked out rehearsal right before the show. It's interesting to see how the group will put together it's staging, how things kind of evolve at the last moment because of costume and space issues, etc.

5) Would you rather be at rehearsals or performing on stage?

I'd rather be performing. Rehearsals are stressful. I forget all kinds of stuff all through rehearsal, but I always seem to get it together for the actual show. I'm one of those people that progressively gets more and more nervous up until a performance, but once I'm up there, most of it goes away.