Dancer Archive
Thread: On Masters, Madames, and Monsieurs. My Reflections on Mastery.
Umi
On February 24th, 2005 at 9:30PM CST in the Bria Galaxy, Sultrina bestowed the title of Master Dancer upon one Sirii Ajaan at Nym’s Outpost, Lok.
I heard such things can be earned in a week. The title in this case took almost eleven months to acquire. But I do not feel this was a failure on my part, but a success. Because in the eleven months since I started down this road again that we as career dancers follow, I have learned and perfected my craft, brought only my best performance with me, and never placed myself in a position where the pursuit of the title outstripped the needs of the craft. I did it at the keys and at the tools of play. Every step. Every combination.
I could have done it via automated unattended macro. Butif one cannot muster the enthusiasm and desire to put on their best show, then one must realize this and not perform. This is a game, and it needs to be fun. If at any point its not fun, its best to find something else to do for awhile. We do a disservice to ourselves, the craft, the patrons, and the venues if we do not put effort into the things we do. And that effort will never happen if it is not fun. Unless it is fun to gain the title, working to justify the title will not happen. And if the title doesn't represent something to us, the title means nothing for us.
This was not the first time I wore the highest title of our craft. On my first server, it took me six weeks to master the craft, and even in the Summer of 2003 this was considered a long time. And within that time I saw novice entertainers that I had trained in their first skill boxes surpass me within a few days, despite the fact that I was a part of the galaxy I entertained more than they.
It is very seductive to take an hour here or there, or a day here or there letting the system do the dancing for one. But unless one does the dancing and does the performing, then what does the title actually mean and represent, both to ourselves and to our patrons? It was seductive in 2003, and its even more seductive today to take such shortcuts.
The fact of the matter is, performing, if it is done right, takes its toll. There is only so long one can do it, and do it well. Some may say this is a failing of our craft, but to me, the craft is only what the practitioners make of it. It takes time, effort, study, and energy to make this class shine. Our profession is so unlike the others, it takes a completely different set of skills to do it well. And I admit. I took frequent breaks, did not stay in the well-traveled venues very often, and took my time. But again, I do not see this as a lack of commitment, but as a commitment to only perform in front of an audience when I could be at my very best, and have fun doing it. Always live, always at the tools of play, and always as this profession was meant to be played.
Because what does the title in all practical purposes give a dancer? It gives an increase in healing speed, and increase in enhancement potency, and three new variations on old dances.
The increased healing speed only means that the Master Dancer doesn’t have to work with a time element as much as a novice. But this in no way means that a master can’t be outperformed. I did it daily on Bria. And I’d have to say because of my extensive experience with this profession on my last server, I was able to make a rather sizeable amount of income right under the nose of many Masters right from the start. Not the Masters who knew what they had to do in the cantina, but the Masters who were under the impression that the display of the title was all they needed to attract an audience. That may well be true, but a master will lose the audience he or she attracts just as quickly to the dancer that can outperform the master, at any skill level. In fact, I am rather surprised how much income I actually started receiving in the cantinas, despite the fact that I had no buffing clothes or significant dances.
I am not saying that this profession does not have significant obstacles to overcome when it comes to making a living while advancing. There is a whole plethora of difficulties these days that dancers just never had to contend with in 2003 when making this a viable income generating profession for them at any skill level. But then again, I had an advantage other advancing dancers did not have: an entire six months of live cantina experience from another server.
What doesn’t the title give? Increased income, increased respect, and increased usefulness. Forcing a tip for mechanics only works as long as there isn’t a dancer who will simply give it away. If how we conduct ourselves in the cantina seems too easy, then a title alone won’t make the act respectable. And while many in our audience claim that buffs are the crown jewel of what we can offer, there will always be one who can buff at higher percentages.
Even if one gets to the magic number of +125%, I am not altogether sure that this can lead to greater tips and appreciation. What rule is there really that a patron cannot tip such a dancer, say 12,000 credits while tipping the dancer who doesn’t buff the patron 24,000 credits? I maintain that one can always gain the clothes, but one cannot gain an audience’s admiration with clothes. Tips that one has to give are always less than tips one wants to give. They do it grudgingly, but rest assured they really don’t want to do it. And all it takes is a situation where an audience member can get what we withhold from them. The buffbot Briha is not a millionaire because she charges for +125% music and dance buffs. It is because she gives them away for free that she is one of the richest non-players on Bria.
And to tell you the truth, when I performed Exotic 3 and 4 for the first time, and sat down in that famous or infamous kneeling backbend for the first time in a year, I said to myself, "this is the most boring thing I have ever seen myself do." This is because I see every two bit boring buffbot and layabout do that shtick in every cantina I visit. If that is all a Master Dancer has for a show, then it isn’t worth much.
Its no secret that the Master Dancer tag doesn’t mean much these days. The fact that many Master Dancers I have met do not display the title says something. The road to our profession’s highest award is something so simple to achieve these days that ithas come to represent a lot of this profession's failings,masquerading as success in many ways.
I have had many teachers on this road. And when I achieved the prerequisites of Wound Healing IV on February 21st, I was willing to wait to find the right instructor. I wanted very much for Sultrina to give me the title. She, like I, was unguilded, a scientist of the craft, and a mentor in my attempt to learn the nuances of the technical skills I had yet to fully develop the first time around.
But I’d have to say Esharra was equally my mentor for her example of the rock-solid, unflappable grit she displays in the altogether inhospitable working conditions of the grind capitals. She loves the patrons so much that she is willing to stay there for them far in excess of me, and give them a show.
I’d also say Kirah is my mentor, for opening my eyes to the many other places that we are equally needed, but do not ordinarily go, such as the Image Design tents, player cities, and starports. She loves the craft so much that she is able to find opportunities.
I’d have to say Kitsuney was my mentor for the seriousness with which she plays the role of Master Dancer, and that one is just as much an entertainer when not dancing, as when dancing.
Dranon was also my mentor for showing me the dedication of entertainers to eachother, that we all have to work together for the sake of the art by training, equipping, and filling in when necessary not for ourselves as much as for the sake of the craft, a craft that is increasingly becoming fractured and discordant.
Leivi too was my mentor for showing me that a chorus dancer must take their role as seriously as a principal.
Javier was my mentor in showing to me the tie that binds we dancers to eachother is stronger than guild tags, faction, or city. And each one of you, I hope, consider me worthy of having the titles I now share with you.
And I’d like to thank my companions with me on this long and hard road. I recall with great fondness my small, passionate, and now defunct guild known as "Entertainers of Bria," or ATK, and our leader Sal’tee Pete. I also thank Ub-Ick, who took this journey with me on Bria at the same time under similar conditions as I arrived there. And all who helped me through the trying times through /ent, and on these boards as well.
When I first started my climb as a dancer on my first server so long ago, I would present myself to the masters of our craft and call themMadame or Monsieur. I felt it appropriate. Cantina work, when done right, was hard work and a work of dedication. This was never meant to be an easy climb, but for whatever reason it became one throughout the months. The ones who really move the craft forward and make the most of it deserve respect. And to be quite honest, I know a lot of you who saw me /deepbow and refer to you with such titles were rather taken aback. But I don’t say that to you unless I truly mean it, so don’t feel uneasy. As we Corellians say, Cjaalysce’l, or "wear the journey well." Respect comes so rarely in this profession these days, we should take it when it is given to us.
Conversely, many of you on my new server would refer to me as Madame due to my use of the honorific on my signature and in my play from my old server. But it just did not sit well with me at the time. I felt that if you were to call me that, then I must once again prove to you that I could wear the highest title of our craft and have it mean what it says, or as my Corellian language says, I could Cjaalysce'I, or "wear the journey well." I think anyone that can both say they are a Master Dancer and truly master this profession in spirit deserves to be called Madame or Monsieur. Just as there is a difference between being /watched and being watched, so too is there a difference in Mastery and Mastery. And that includes all of us who love and have fun playing a dancer. We all deserve to be called something special.
And I have journeyed on this path, making sure I was responsible for every step, and making sure the time I was performing for the audience promoted the very best our profession is capable of being…while learning so much and having so much fun in the process! Despite it all, this is still a very fun profession to play, and even with all the difficulties we face as a profession, I love doing it even more now than I did when I first started the climb on my first server in 2003.
Let’s hope it becomes even better in 2005!
Sincerely,
Madame Sirii Ajaan
….And by the way dears, you can still call me Sirii.
Message Edited by PoetDancer on 02-26-2005 07:27 PM
PoetDancer wrote:
We all deserve to be called Madame. Especially you, Madame Ashlin.
You are so sweet (and a bit crazy)! But I suppose that should be Madame Traideb, shouldn't it? *Extends hand to the teeming masses so thatthey might press kisses upon it* 
I can only imagine the fun Roho would have calling me Madame . . . LOL! 
Even You, Til.
Schardour wrote:
Even me? O_o
If you want me to call you Madame Kismeta, then who am I to sayyou shouldn't want that?