[Callers] How do you organize your Dance Card Boxes ? Categories or Other Suggestions ?

JD Erskine via Callers callers at lists.sharedweight.net
Mon Apr 10 17:10:36 PDT 2017


On 2017-04-07 1820, Cheryl Joyal via Callers wrote:
> I am at the point that I want to reorganize my dance box to be able to
> better program an evening.   I plan to go to “categories of dance
> features”, and have listed what I am thinking for possible categories
> below.
>
> I am wondering how others organize their boxes - if categories, what do
> you include ?  Do you file Becket and/or Double Progression separately
> from “dance categories”, or just note on card ?
>
> Or do you have another suggestion ?
snip

> Appreciate your suggestions !!   Thanks - Cheryl
>
> Cheryl Joyal

Hi Cheryl,

Most responses seem to follow the categorisation ideas you've started 
with or alternates. So I suppose I'll chip in with this as I haven't 
seen anyone else mention it.

I don't categorise mine, not to that degree.

Nor do I use cards, too small to see.

I often have one-side-used paper available so I simply use binders with 
letter size print outs. I stand a chance of seeing what I need from the 
music stand if I require a reminder at all during the dance.

Also I can put the Calling version of text at page top and if I do a 
Teaching version of text I'll place that below, on the lower half the 
page. That's usually for ECD. That keeps the Calling portion clean, with 
minimal text.

I do keep one binder for ECD/Playford and that ilk, and another which 
tends to house Contra, Barn/Community/Easy, and eCeilidh, Scottish 
Ceilidh. Each binder is alphabetically sorted.

(Kalia: Just a _handful_ of dances do have a copy in the other binder. 
Others I know where to find them, and mark them up if they migrate to a 
collection for an event, so they may find their way "home".)

Occasionally I'll pull most of a type out for a gig, or a gig's worth 
and spares. i.e. overnight travel for a Scottish ceilidh.

I tag such items as Becket, Double Progression, Easy and such in text 
and underline or bold that. Occasionally I'll mark it up with another 
term or characteristic if it seems useful along the way.

I've tried Colin Hume's program and enjoyed it, however I can't really 
afford it so haven't carried on using it (shareware honour and all 
that.) I don't always have a computer along running MS Windows either. 
The one I own is a 10" netbook so not as much real estate for viewing.

I'd really enjoy a cross platform application, however don't expect one 
to show up any time soon. (In Java perhaps?) I'm also loath to enter 
then re-enter loads of dance and event data with the adoption of new 
devices or operating systems. So, for now, this works.

If I really desire a dance or to include a move/figure for an event, 
then at initial program planning time I'll do some text searches on the 
desktop computer, gather some titles and pull them. Not a big deal.

Other good go-to dances are known to me, or I somewhat automatically 
recognise dances for certain characteristics as I review the collection 
titles or body manually (computer or binder.) Again no big deal.

Going beyond the collection and heading to programming - at a dance (or 
before) I'll often pull the "cards" I might use, maybe do a physical 
sort by perceived overall difficulty (for the event audience) or 
possible sequence (then spares). Then I hand-print a program page with a 
pick-list of titles in a right-hand column. I tend to code them to 
remind me of the set formation (for non-MUC), significant 
characteristic(s) or figure(s). Then when I've called them (and entered 
them in the main body) I'll stroke them out in that column.

Works for me, both for a record, and a program planning aid for before 
and during.

So much of all this kind of breakdown relates to how one approaches 
things, how we perceive or see them, our own organisation style, how 
much of what kind of work we wish to do, or how much chaos we'll 
tolerate, etc.

Enjoy learning about your own process.

Cheers, John
- not a luddite
-- 
J.D. Erskine
Victoria, BC

Island Dance - Folk & Country
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Vancouver Island & BC islands

http://vecds.ca/island.dance/


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