RP Challenge: Write a dance

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Melendil
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RP Challenge: Write a dance

#1 Post by Melendil » Mon Jan 11, 2021 7:26 am

OK, just for funs, write the emotes for a Geas dance. Tell us who dances it and for what purpose (just fun? Ceremonial? etc.), and whether it has a name

Dwarven greeting dance. Participants stand in two lines, facing one another in pairs. Danced to heavy drum music.

speak khuzdul
shout "HAOO!
emote slams their right forearm against their chest, rhythmically
shout "HAOO!
emote picks up the rhythm of their chest beating
shout "HAOO! HAOO!"
emote places their right hand on the left shoulder of #partner# and pull them inwards, crashing their chests together.
shout "HAOO!"
emote takes a step back, grabbing the right hand of #partner# with theirs and holding it, elbow to elbow
shout "HAOO!"
emote swings their left arm around in a slow, deliberate arc, until their hand rests on the back of #partner#s neck.
shout "HAOO! HAOO!"
emote pulls sharply with their left hand smashing their head together with #partner#s
shout "HAOO! AAAAAH!"

The dance concludes, typically with hugging and back slapping.

This short dance is used to begin auspicious meetings of two groups, typically between clans. It is intended to show unity between the groups (the clasping of hands) but allows each side to demonstrate they are not afraid to brawl nor of pain (the headbutt). It's not uncommon for a nose to be bloodied but it's ill mannered to try and injure your partner intentionally. The headbutt is actually a very subtle gesture. The idea is to allow your partner to pull your head inwards, rather than moving your head. Resisting the movement will be seen as cowardice, moving your head forward will be seen as aggression.

Melendil
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Posts: 137
Joined: Sat Oct 31, 2020 7:44 am

Re: RP Challenge: Write a dance

#2 Post by Melendil » Mon Jan 11, 2021 7:56 am

The Sway

Elvish dance, largely improvisational, popular amongst the young/unwed. Participants stand close together with just enough space to allow them to raise their elbows to shoulder level without touching other participants but close enough that they could reach their chest with a fully extended arm. Positioning aims not to be in linear rows, but rather to mimic the distribution of trees in a forest.

The Sway is part dance and part party game. Participants extend their arms and sway in time with the music in graceful motions. As they do this, they rotate carefully on the spot, aiming not to move away from their starting position. Motions are left to the participant's imagination but aim to mimic the swaying of tree branches in the wind. Bolder dancers will also contort their torsos into the movements (considered to be a way to impress others) and be generally more lavish in their movements. The other element of the dance is to avoid contact with all other participants. A good sway is where the participants motions loop around others, coming close, but never actually touching, nor should the dancer touch their own arms or hands together. Romantic partners will especially endeavour to come as close as possible. This often leads to mild teasing of younger dancers who touch, suggesting that they find each other attractive. Stumbling is usually the source of much levity and is considered the end point of the sway (unless it happens very early). The tempo of the music will pick up as the sway continues, to which participants are expected to match the pace of their turning. This eventually leads to dizziness making stumbling inevitable. There is usually some good natured teasing of the person who stumbled, while there is pride associated with being able to dance for a long time without stumbling or of never having stumbled before. Most other races aside from halflings find this dance very challenging. It is the rare dwarf that can dance a Sway.

As the dance is improvised there are no standard emotes, but here are some samples:

emote extends their arm gracefully before them and their other arm lifts to the side.
emote curls the back of their hand around the forearm of #partner# before quickly flicking their elbow over their hand, avoiding touching it, and then following the line of #partner#s arm and torso with the palm side of their hand
emote sways their torso in a bold circle, their arms extended above their head.
emote sways in close to #partner, undulating their torso to maintain an even distance along the length of their bodies. Their arms entwine above them in carefully coordinated movements that loop in and out of one another without touching.

Candle Variant
In the candle variant of the sway, a lit candle (or more than one at very large dances) is passed between particpants. The candle must be held only between the index and ring fingers. The focus becomes on making sure the candle does not fall or tilt to wildly, causing it to go out. Of course, avoiding hot wax is also important. It is bad form to refuse to accept the candle from another dancer, or to "hog the candle" and keep it for more than a few turns of your dance. In the candle variant, the candle being dropped or going out is always the end of the dance, either alongside or instead of the stumble. "We danced the candle to a nub/sliver" has become a phrase meaning an excellent party.

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