DS (7) and dancing, what shall I do with him?

[solidgoldbrass]

The background is: I'm a morris dancer and have taken DS along to morris displays and danceouts since before he was born. He has always enjoyed it and often liked to jump about to the music, which was and is fine with everyone.
The last year or so, though, he's been getting stressy about the fact that he wants everyone to watch him dancing, and applaud him.
Anyone got any good tips on dealing with this? I don't want to crush his enthusiasm for dancing, but he is too young to join a morris side and it's not reasonable to expect everyone else to indulge him when he's just hopping about.

Try contacting these people to see if there is a group near you he could join?
NYFTE (National Youth Folklore Troupe of England) at least then he could be doing it 'properly'.

I've been tipped off about a ceilidh class that he could go to but right now he says he just wants to 'make up his own dances' and be applauded . I think what I need is a way to explain to him that you can't expect people to watch and praise you if you're not very good, that you have to learn and practice to be good at something, but to be able to tell him in such a way that doesn't hurt his feelings too badly.

at make up my own dances and be applauded.
A boy in DDs class does Irish dancing, not sure if it's the same as ceildih classes but he loves it.
I think he choreographs his own routines from a small number of moves that they use.
He is 11 and nobody takes the piss. Things have moved on a lots since i was at school. DD is very jealous of him.

You need to chat to him about showing off, and appropriate times (I was a Morris Minor at a similar age)

Could he join the band on tambourine? Would one of the experienced dancers teach him and maybe include him in one dance? Are there younger children he could be responsible for entertaining?

He's learning the trumpet, I'll encourage him to keep practising with promises that he can play a tune or two at one of the summer events; that might help. (People are actually more likely to look indulgently on a child playing a musical instrument than on one jumping up and down, for one thing).

Buy him a ukulele and teach him all 3 chords (G, C and D) he needs to strum along. Uke's are so quiet no one will notice if he's shit, but he can still join in

I'm sorry, but is no-one else surpirsed the SGB is a Morris dancer?? I need to re-evaluate...

You're clearly not surprised that I am too, Pol

Sorry, Purple, hadn't noticed you were too - I'm just shocked, I tells ya. Shocked >>

I don't know what to do. My nonexistent spreadsheet doesn't have a column for Morris Dancer

Sorry, I have absolutely nothing constructive to add

lol.

i love that every single time there is a morris thread, someone pops on to say 'omfg, sgb?'

every time.

it keeps me well amused, i tell ya.

i bet if you advanced search the terms sgb and morris, it would fill pages.