Dancing

[Pretzel Heart]

Hm? Thought a library wouldn't have books on dancing?
Well, obviously you were wrong.

After reading about how Dancing will work in the RP, you might want to head over to Practice Hall for further explanations and, perhaps, if you are lucky, a demonstration.

Once you've finished educating yourself, you may proceed to the largest and, dare I say, finest stop in our collection- the map room.

So You Think You Can Dance?


We will use this thread to talk about dance-related issues, including examples of various styles and how the mechanic will work in the RP.

For more information, please visit the 'Practice Hall' thread.​

 

[Pretzel Heart]

✥ The Importance of Dance ✥
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Dancing in Human Communities​

Since antiquity, dance has remained the one cultural constant in human society, providing a political outlet, entertainment, and a form of courtship. Having its origin in the time before recorded history, the exact birthplace of dance is impossible to place beyond speculation. Scholars and historians have credited the earliest forms to tribal customs back when the human and arien common ancestor practiced magic. Though humans lost the ability to perform spells, knowledge of the physical movements remained. The oldest of the modern human dances, the Euthalian Waltz, is said to have been inspired by an arien mating ritual misconstrued by early Euthalian settlers. Thus human dancing branched off from arien dancing in one notable way: It transformed from a communal art to one performed between two people. The ramifications of this transmutation have hugely impacted Roserasian culture, most decidedly in the splitting of gendered roles between "leaders" (predominantly male) and "followers" (predominantly female). Early teachers and academics believed in a spirituality that tied one's ability to dance to their moral character. Thus the art became more than a mere performance, encompassing a philosophy around which to construct one's whole existence. This further led to beliefs about dance ability and social hierarchy; those of royal blood, naturally born "higher" into the social system, were expected to be better performers by nature of the good moral character which had afforded them birth into such an advantageous life. This mentality created a cycle that ultimately formed a rigid traditionalist culture, and worked to establish barriers between the gradually stratifying upper and lower class. The separation of classes, of course, was promulgated by those of noble blood as it helped to consolidate their power. Military might and dancing grace went hand-in-hand, with performance ability often being crucial in a leader's perceived right to rule. While, over the centuries, the necessity of these expectations has relaxed, dancing remains highly politicized for the upper class. Partnerships between royalty are taken as seriously as political alliances, and there are certain expectations held of families whose members have partnered. Not to mention that, for all classes, dancing is an important part of ritual courtship. Asking to be someone's dance partner may be akin to asking for their hand in marriage, or at least expressing interest to that effect. Couples who do not dance well together are considered inauspicious matches, and oftentimes families will matchmake based on dancing ability alone. But the art isn't always serious. Especially in the lower classes, dancing is, after all, a sport, and the grandest form of entertainment in Roserasia. Festivities are frequently organized around music and its celebration. Town squares in countryside villages may see nightly displays of couples who wander into the streets after supper for an evening of relaxing dance to let loose after a long day in the fields. Even the most isolated bumpkin will likely know at least a step or two in their country's preferred style, as well as the basic Euthalian Waltz - the simplest, and therefore often the first, ballroom dance type learned. While average schools do include dancing in their curriculum, there are also dance-specific academies, often formed around auteur practitioners or dance scholars who welcome pupils or apprentices into their homes. Because of this there are countless styles that have developed over the years, and some of the more well-established ones may be passed down from master to student in a prestigious heritage rite. Above all, dancing is an integral part of human identity - the cultural product that separates them from other races and which unifies them as a single unit. Though there are certainly rivalries between different styles and schools, and some countries can be extremely vocal about pride in their national form, in the end dance is the great unifier which is an international symbol of peace, harmony, and goodwill between humankind.

Competitive Ballroom Dancing​

There are 10 officially recognized competitive dance forms in Roserasia: 5 'Classical' type and 5 'Rhythm' type. The Classical type dances are Waltz, Viennese Waltz, Quickstep, Foxtrot, and Tango. They get their designation from being developed variations on the oldest established human dance, the Euthalian Waltz, and are notable for all moving counter-clockwise around a rectangular floor, following what is known as the "line of dance." Competition outfits trend towards extreme traditionality, comprised of full tailsuits and gowns. The Rhythm type dances are Samba, Cha-Cha-Cha, Rhumba, Jive, and Paso Doble. These are characterized by freer forms and movements and, for the most part, do not travel. Competition outfits tend to be less conservative, with women dressing in shorter skirts and both sexes wearing tighter clothes to emphasize leg action and body movement. Each type has its own unique stylistic flourishes, steps, and techniques which have been perfected by one of the 9 countries of Roserasia. The exception is Samba, which is the specialty of the Marine Kingdom, and which is thus rarely practiced by the mainland since the establishing party fled. To learn more about which country has specialized in which type, and how that has helped to shape their culture, please refer to the 'Country Lore.' Depending on the traditionalist views and nature of a given competition, competitors may be restricted to using one of these ten officiated forms. However, there are an incredible amount of dance styles and schools spread throughout Roserasia, and the numbers continue to grow every day.

The Cendrillion Ball​

Currently in its 100th year, the Cendrillion Ball is an annual celebration held by the Euthalian Kingdom in the month of Cariya. Originally composed of a mere feast and dance competition meant to reunite the scattered and embittered royal families, Cendrillion has now grown to encompass a full month of events, and the name 'Cendrillion Ball' can be used to refer to both the final dance contest as well as the entire celebration as a whole. Though the original intent of the Ball's founder, King Sestina Euthalia, was pure, over the years Cendrillion's popularity and the influence of the Euthalian Court have layered it with political undertones. Every country is expected to send at least one official Representative, who is then hosted within the Princess's Château at Waltz Castle. Though the Representative need not be of royal blood, it is often the case that they are, and there are surrounding social pressures for kings and queens and the like to send their children after they come of age. Of course this also has its advantages, as it is expected for the Representatives to mingle, find suitable partnerships, and, ideally, take steps towards marriage, with the winning pair of the crowning event said to find happiness for the rest of their lives. There is also an incentive in which the current Euthalian monarch will crown the winners with either a rare treasure (typically a deluxe magical accessory), or one "reasonable" request (the definition of which has been oft debated over the years). This is notably why, 8 years ago, Cendrillion began to allow same-sex dance partners, as it was the desired prize of the previous year's winner who wanted to open the gates to their gay younger sister, and happened to fall auspiciously in line with political movements at the time. While extremely unusual, it is possible for a monarch themselves to enter the competition. The only qualifications one must have to enter is to be at least 18 years of age (though exceptions can be made for an invitee's accompanying partner) and have an official invitation, which is sent to each of the 7 Roserasian capitals every year. Though there is no upper age limit, the tendency is to stop attending around the time one turns 30. There has been some outcry over the years concerning the fact that these (largely royal) Representatives are made to remain in Euthalia for an entire month, with the occasional accusation of them being "hostages." Euthalia has retained the stance that the Ball is not a politically motivated event, and is simply a celebration of friendship and goodwill between countries. Other than the final Ball, there are 4 other official Dance Competitions, as well as traditional Euthalian holidays celebrated over the course of the month. The amount of associated "official" events has grown significantly over the years, and there are also a variety of non-official events hosted by famous tourist spots around Saint Lyon. Participation in the competitions used to be restricted to only the Representatives, though time has expanded the influence of wealthy merchants and talented dancers to the extent that invitations are nowadays easier to come by, especially by the citizens of Saint Lyon. The crowning event still tends to be rather exclusive in terms of participation, though outsiders may gain tickets to the Cendrillion Ballroom to observe. Outside of the Representatives and invited elite, winners from the previous 4 officiated Dance Competitions are also allowed to participate. Though some more serious dancers consider Cendrillion to be a bit of a joke, or even a mar on the name of dance with its "false prestige," the fame of the competition and its winners cannot be denied. Euthalia has also taken steps to boost Cendrillion's popularity by lessening many of the restrictions held by other dance competitions, such as limitations on dance styles or the previously mentioned same-sex partnerships. The Ball does follow a standard code, however, with the most serious infractions including cheaters and those who disrupt the goodwill nature of the event.

Thorarinn-Fulco Dance Heritage Competition​

The best known and most prestigious of all formal ballroom events, the Thorarinn-Fulco Dance Heritage Competition (called 'Heritage Competition,' or even just 'Heritage' for short), is an annual tournament held by the Dance Heritage Council. The hosting country changes every year, cycling between all 8 mainland Roserasian nations, with an extra year given to the Sea Republic every-other cycle, a compromise decided in the year 864 to appease the then Cesar Kingdom in the wake of its splitting styles. The first official Heritage Competition was held in the year 637, sponsored by Aposto Thorarinn. The story goes that Aposto, a wealthy estate owner, cultural scholar, and advisor to the Lepumiran Court, first proposed the idea of an international dance competition as an alternative to the violent jousts popular at the time (which, incidentally, Lepumir wasn't very good at winning). His fears were that his country's lack of proficiency in the duels would encourage invasion from one of their many more militarily prominent neighbors, but an alternative would give Lepumir a chance at regaining esteem. However, Aposto was a poor dancer who knew little of the art, and so reluctantly he enlisted the help of widely acclaimed scholar Bertram Fulco, royal dance aid to the Ramerian Court, and considered to be one of the greatest practitioners of the day. Despite their opposing intellectual views and famous rivalry (leading to many heated exchanges of letters over the years), Bertram was so delighted by Aposto's idea that the pair decided to work together to make the competition a reality. However, while Aposto saw a display of cultural might, Bertram was much more interested in preserving the art of dance and rewarding its most outstanding artists. With this aim in mind, he shrewdly collected other wealthy patrons and dance-inclined sponsors from within scholarly communities across Roserasia, forming the original Dance Heritage Council. Though Aposto was, of course, included, Bertram's acclaim meant that many of that original committee members were loyal to him and his ideals, and he was thus able to write the Dance Heritage Charter as he pleased, preserving the competition from any outside military or political influence. The Charter remains largely unchanged to this day, though sections have been added to include the eventually established Dorimun and Galleria, and other policies to adapt to the changing world. The Dance Heritage Council remains the driving force behind the competition, overseeing the organization of the event, sponsorship for the prizes, invited contestants, and the ultimate panel of judges. Though every year the country hosting the competition is guaranteed, there is a long and thorough process to decide the date and exact location, which often includes a series of bids and written proposals. For its inaugural year, the Dance Heritage Competition was held in Southern Lepumir. Aposto and Bertram's love child was such a great success that they endeavored to make it a long-lasting annual event. After their deaths, each donated the majority of their estates to the Council to keep the competition enduring, leading to the decision in the year 670 to append their names to the title. In the past, members of the Dance Heritage Council used to be able to buy a seat through providing adequate sponsorship for the event, though this was later amended. Now to earn a spot on the Council requires "great proven contributions to the practice, study, or preservation of dance." Getting elected is a complex process, which has lent the Council a rather insular and traditionalist air. To this day there remains an uneven ratio of leader-to-follower members, and, due to the requirements, many have to wait until their twilight years to be chosen. Because of the Council's dedication to their Charter, Heritage remains one of the most traditional dance competitions in Roserasia. The format has hardly changed since its beginning, with one day dedicated to a Classical competition, and one to Rhythm. A winning pair is chosen for each dance type, with one overall grand-prize winner who is considered the true Champion. Same-sex partnerships and non-regulation dance styles are currently forbidden. Nevertheless, because of its age and legacy, Heritage is considered the most distinguished competition in the world. Entrants must prove their eligibility, either through election by the Council, or by winning one of many qualifying national competitions, in order to even have a chance to compete. Champions are honored throughout their lives, and it is a title not to be taken lightly, though extremely difficult to attain.

 

[Pretzel Heart]

The Road to Roses​

Now that you know how important dancing is in Roserasia, here is how the 'Dancing Mechanic' will work in the actual RP. This is a system we have been playing with for a while, and we think we've come up with something easy to learn and simple to facilitate.

Since this is for dancing, this will only affect human characters (with some exceptions, you know who you are).

Based on the information provided in your CS, everyone has been assigned a starting rank. To even the playing field, no one will start at a rank higher than 5. If you do everything exactly right, it's possible to reach a "max" rank of 25 by the time of the Cendrillion Ball. There is a list of all eligible characters' current ranks at the end of this post.

All starting ranks will need to be agreed upon between both GMs and the character's mundane, but here's a quick rundown on how they are broken up:

5 - Master. The people who have dedicated their life to dance.
4 - Above average. Someone who has had an immense amount of practice but also has a life outside dance.
3 - Average. You're good, though not quite at standout level. Perhaps you have mastery over one or two styles.
2 - Beginner. You can work your way around a few styles, but you're not a master of any yet.
1 - Newb. You've barely danced a day in your life.

However, the rank used to calculate your competition placement will be the average between partners (rounded up to the nearest whole number). This is to encourage you to pair up. Huzzah!

The exception to this rule applies to any and all Dance Instructors. Though experts in their field, Dance Instructors will not have their own rank. Instead, they will merely reside at the top rank of their partner's current tier. In other words, if the Euthalian Dance Instructor was to dance with a Rank 2 Princess, his rank for that competition would be a 4, thus bringing the partners' rank to an overall 3. In case there is ever a time where two Dance Instructors dance together, their rank would automatically match that of the highest ranking partner pair, but they would receive a lower priority in dice rolls (though they might still get priority depending on dance specialties).

So how do you rank up? Easy. Every time your character goes to practice, your rank will go up. That simple. But it will get harder to level up as time goes by. Here's the rundown:

Ranks 01-15 -> 1 rank every 1 practice day
Ranks 15-25 -> 1 rank every 2 practice days

The following is a breakdown of potential ranks for those who practice every single day of the RP, and their corresponding tiers for each weekly competition (this will hopefully make more sense as you read on):

5 > 10 > 15 > 19 > 22 > 25
4 > 9 > 15 > 19 > 22 > 24
3 > 8 > 14 > 18 > 21 > 24
2 > 7 > 13 > 18 > 21 > 23

The only exception are Dance Competition days. Just by participating in the event it will count as practice. This will be figured in before the competition, and for Cendrillion, everyone will automatically raise 1 rank going into the Ball (this way it is possible to reach a max level of 25). These "free practice" days are also true for special occasions such as the Festival of Music and the Thorarinn-Fulco Dance Heritage Competition (qualifying events will be specified by the GMs). There is another potential bonus for those who win the Fourth Dance Competition: The pair who wins First Place will be rewarded 1 extra rank. Think about how to use this to your advantage!

But there is a caveat! It is also possible to lose ranks. If you do not practice at all for 3 consecutive days, your rank will be diminished by 1. Still, you can never drop below a tier you've already reached (1, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25).

What does dance practice entail?

There is a separate thread ('Practice Hall') to RP dance practices in with your partner (and any other characters in the area at the time). Having a good relationship with your partner may get you IC bonuses, not to mention it's a great way to get close to and learn more about other characters in the RP. However, you will be unable to participate in the main IC thread ('100th Annual Cendrillion Ball') events for half a day (GMs will notify players of the half day changeover). You can choose to use either half of the day (morning or evening) for practice.

What do we mean by tiers?

Well, the way we will calculate the dance winners will be through a mixture of hard-earned tiers and blind luck. For all couples being entered into the competition, based on your rank, you will be filed into a tier based on multiples of 5. In other words...

Tier 5 = Ranks 1-4 (Lowest)
Tier 4 = Ranks 5-9
Tier 3 = Ranks 10-14
Tier 2 = Ranks 15-19
Tier 1 = Ranks 20-24
God Tier = Rank 25 (Highest)

But that's not all!

As each of the four official Dance Competitions of the Ball are more or less open to all competitors, player characters will not be the only ones dancing. To represent the masses, the GMs will roll 2 dice with a max value equal to the current highest rank amongst the player characters. The results of these rolls will become the awarded ranks for a "phantom pair" who will also be entered into calculating the winners. Hopefully their presence will be largely unobtrusive as we recognize the potential frustration of hard work amounting to a loss for our characters, and the "phantoms" will likely not even get an IC post unless they get an entertaining result. Though I do have some faceclaims lined up and hey, if someone ends up getting attached to a particular personality, feel free to adopt! To further protect the player characters, this system will not be in use for the final competition. However, if one of these "phantom pairs" manages to win first place at one of the four qualifiers, rules dictate that they will be allowed to participate. Their new rank will be calculated by 2 more dice rolls with a max value equal to the number of days since their original stats were rolled added onto their first result. The odds are greatly against them...but hey, in Cendrillion, anything can happen.

I thought you said this was gonna be easy...

It is! Once you wrap your brain around it. Though don't worry, the GMs will be doing most of the heavy lifting! But to put it all together, here's a short demonstration on how deciding competition winners will work. We'll be using the following partners for our example:

Couple A - Rank 2
Couple B - Rank 3
Couple C - Rank 5
Couple D - Rank 7
Couple E - Rank 10

In this example, there are only 3 represented tiers. Couple A and Couple B are in the 1-4 tier, Couple C and Couple D are in the 5-9 tier, and Couple E is in the 10-14 tier.

Since Couple E is dancing unopposed, they will automatically win First Place.

To decide who wins Second Place, we will roll a six-sided die (and record the rolls in a specified thread where everyone can see...unfortunately RPN doesn't allow us to use dice in Hosted Projects for some reason, so for now just wait for a further update to see where that thread will be) for each character in descending order based on a hierarchy of rank and, in cases of a tie, the alphabetical first name of the leading partner. Furthermore, if the type of dance in question is the specialty of the leading partner's country, they will receive hierarchical priority. Whoever is the first couple to land on the number 6 will win, and the results RPed accordingly. And in this hypothetical case, let's say the first to hit 6 is Couple C! So Couple D will get Third Place, and the other couples will go home in shaaame.

Again, in this simulation, the placements are:

Couple E - First Place
Couple C - Second Place
Couple D - Third Place

If there are multiple couples competing in the top tier, then after the First Place has been decided, we will pit the remaining couples against each other in the same manner until all of the places have been dished out. The only competition whose winners will be decided using a different method is the Dance Heritage Competition...but we will add more on that in the future.

There are also two very special instances in which Judge Bias will play a factor in determining the victor. Both of these are only applicable to the Cendrillion Ball. The first is for any partner pair that is named Dance Heritage Competition Champion. These dancers will immediately be rewarded Rank 25 for accomplishing this great feat. The second is for any partner pair that includes the Euthalian Princess. Going into the Cendrillion Ball, the princess and her partner will automatically receive a 1 tier level boost, capping at God Tier Rank 25. In both of these instances, the partner pairs will also receive first consideration in case of die rolls, with the Heritage Champion outranking the Euthalian Princess between the two, and if, for whatever reason, the Champions split up, alphabetical first name. We will of course touch more upon this as we get closer to the crowning event.

To re-iterate, the priority of dice rolls within a given tier goes as follows:

Dance Heritage Competition Champions (Cendrillion Only)
Euthalian Princess (Cendrillion Only)
National Dance Specialty of Lead Dancer
National Dance Specialty of Follower Dancer
Dance Instructors Dancing Together
Alphabetical First Name of Lead Dancer
Phantom Pair

And that's about it. Have fun practicing!

Here are the current individual character ranks:
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Evalyn Jones: 2 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =(Last Practice Day: N/A)
Celso: x = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =(Last Practice Day: N/A)
Kalen: 5 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =(Last Practice Day: N/A)
Klaus Mathis Diefenbach: 4 = = = = = = = = = = = = = =(Last Practice Day: N/A)
Rosalein Katharina Diefenbach: 2 = = = = = = = = = = (Last Practice Day: N/A)
Luciano Barbosa: 5 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =(Last Practice Day: N/A)
Tristan Thaddeus Sinclair: 2 = = = = = = = = = = = = = (Last Practice Day: N/A)
Dahlia Lenore Sinclair: 3 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = (Last Practice Day: N/A)
Booker Elliot: 3 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = (Last Practice Day: N/A)
Naomi Marie Thalassa: 4 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =(Last Practice Day: N/A)
Asuran Dorix: 3 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =(Last Practice Day: N/A)
West Sea: ? = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = (Last Practice Day: N/A)
East Sea: ? = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = ==(Last Practice Day: N/A)
Kiefer Arlie Avescamp: 4 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = (Last Practice Day: N/A)
Vladimir Cossat: 2 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = (Last Practice Day: N/A)
Carnation Reizwald: 1 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = (Last Practice Day: N/A)
Helbrecht: 4 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =(Last Practice Day: N/A)

AAAAA

AAAAA

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