Contra Callers August 2008

contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net

27 participants
23 discussions

by Rickey

Hi, I am wondering if you have any dances for low numbers of dancers (perhaps 6 or less), when most or all of the dancers are beginners and adults. I am also wondering if you have any dances (presumably different dances), that do not require choosing a partner and are good openers for beginner adults. Thanks as always to all, Rickey Holt.

1 year, 7 months

Re: [Callers] Festival Applications

by robertgolder＠comcast.net

I can only speak with reference to calling at NEFFA, as I have never applied to DownEast. As some of you may know that Linda Leslie is NEFFA's program chair, I will note that the program chair does not select performers for contra sessions. Regarding NEFFA 2007, the following notice is now posted at http://neffa.org/perf_app.html - The Program Committee is not prepared to take your application at this time, since it is too late to apply for this year's NEFFA Festival. Please note that the application to perform is always available during the month of September, with a deadline in October. If you'd like to get an e-mail notice of application availability, send a blank e-mail to NEFFA_Performers-subscribe(a)yahoogroups.com So you can note on your calendar that September is a good time to check the NEFFA web site, and also arrange for a notice to pop up in your e-mail. The NEFFA application invites you to come up with a briefly-described theme for your session, with a title of 20 characters or less. IMO, use your own judgment as to how important the theme is. If you are offering a concept that's really meaningful to you, don't be afraid to describe it. If what you really want to do is just call some hot contras, then IMO I wouldn't go overboard on the theme. Unlike Northwest Folklife, callers and bands apply SEPARATELY to the New England Folk Festival. And I believe that this is a very good thing for beginning callers who hope to have a chance at getting onstage. This mix-and-match policy gives a fresh perspective for experienced performers, and can be an eye-opening experience for newcomers who may get to work with seasoned veterans. I will never forget calling at NEFFA with Northern Spy, a band that has worked with caller David Millstone for 25 years. And where was David during this session? Out on the floor, happily dancing to the music of his own band. NEFFA's selection process made that wonderful hour possible for me. For what it's worth, the first year I successfully applied I asked for a "Festival Orchestra" slot, which means that instead of calling a themed, hour-long session I called two dances in the Main Hall with the assembled orchestra and then got off the stage as the next Festival Orchestra caller had a turn. IMO, the key here (as well as in submitting a session proposal) is to choose dances that you know by heart, can teach well, fully believe in, and love to share with a crowd. You don't want to have second thoughts as you approach the microphone. If you're wondering why performer applications are required so far in advance of a festival, note that NEFFA may have 1700 performers, many of whom perform in multiple sessions (perhaps performing alone, and with a participatory dance group, and also with a concert performance group!). You can't doublebook a performer (or larger groups to which she may belong), you have to give her time to move from one venue to another, plus a bunch of other scheduling etceteras that would drive me loony to contemplate further. How scheduling was done in the days before computers is beyond me. -- Robert Jon Golder 164 Maxfield St New Bedford, MA 02740 (508) 999-2486

4 years, 2 months

Re: [Callers] Callers Digest, Vol 38, Issue 2

by Martha Wild

If there are a lot of children, and no other contra dancers, for the first workshop, don't start with a contra. Start with something that breaks the ice and is easy and gets them facing each other in long lines. For my "one night stands", weddings, etc., I start with a dance sometimes called "The Hat Dance" - except I use a large stuffed animal gorilla, so people call it the "gorilla dance' - you know, three chairs at the top of the set, two lines on either side, one person sits in middle with gorilla on lap, one head of each line sit on the side, band starts up and plays like a house afire, mid person gives gorilla to one of the seated people, dances down set with the other in a sashay or polka or whatever they choose, gorilla receiver moves to mid seat, next two sit down. I don't know why this is so successful, but people love this dance. They love watching other people get or give the gorilla. I gave up on the hat idea because w. kids there may be head lice. Really. The gorilla is cuter anyway. This gets people moving, touching, laughing, and standing in two lines and learning top of set and bottom of set. Then follow perhaps with a reel, like Virginia reel. This gives a vague concept of progression and doing something different at different positions in the dance. There are some other simpler reels than Virginia reel as well, without the strip the willow but with the follow around and arch and under. I think the one of the easiest contras is Ellen's Green Jig. I don't have time to put it up here, maybe someone else could if you don't know it, but it's one where everyone pretty much is in contact all the time so it's hard to screw up, has just balance and swing, do-si- do and circles pretty much, and the progression is oh-so-obvious, and it doesn't matter if the genders get all screwed up as long as ones are ones and twos are twos. Oh, I called for a dance where 15 foreign exchange students showed up with limited English. I'd keep the calls in English as you are a beginning caller and it would be too much to think of to do it in Japanese as well. But just pick the way you are going to call the figure, e.g. Ladie's Chain - and NEVER vary it. It will always be Ladie's Chain, not "Chain the women", not "women chain" not "chain across" just flat out plain "Ladies Chain". People will catch on. Martha On Oct 2, 2007, at 4:00 PM, callers-request(a)sharedweight.net wrote: > Send Callers mailing list submissions to > callers(a)sharedweight.net > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > callers-request(a)sharedweight.net > > You can reach the person managing the list at > callers-owner(a)sharedweight.net > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Callers digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Japan dance and self intro/update > (sharedweight.99.kyoto(a)spamgourmet.com) > 2. Re: Japan dance and self intro/update (Lindsay Morris) > 3. Re: Japan dance and self intro/update (Greg McKenzie) > 4. Re: Japan dance and self intro/update > (Alan Winston - SSRL Central Computing) > 5. Re: Japan dance and self intro/update (Lisa Sieverts) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Tue, 2 Oct 2007 11:59:28 -0700 (PDT) > From: sharedweight.99.kyoto(a)spamgourmet.com > Subject: [Callers] Japan dance and self intro/update > To: callers(a)sharedweight.net > Message-ID: <74363.4139.qm(a)web38705.mail.mud.yahoo.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 > > [n.b. this has been 'cross posted' to the yahoo traditional callers > list, in case anyone is on > both lists...] > > This post from a llooonnnngg time dancer and first time caller who is > requesting some advice for an unusual situation...but as it is my > first post, I will explain a little about myself, and along the way > that will explain the unusual situation and help guide and refine any > replies. > > My name is david crespo, a name some of you no doubt fear -- I mean > recognize -- or would (recognize, that is) (if you saw my ugly > mug) (well, maybe fear...) from my 20 odd (quite odd) years of > dancing and involvement in the dance community in New England, mostly > Vermont (Etna, Norwich, Thetford, to Northern Spy etc.) and Maine > (SMFA (Yarmouth), Falmouth, Bates, Bowdoinham...). As some of you > thus know, about 3 years ago, at a Wake the Neighbors Bates dance I > was met by a cute and not very frightening Japanese exchange student, > Yukie, who with a very little gentle nudging at Deffa a week later, > eventually (rapidly, that is) was able to parlay that happenstance > circumstance into what is now a beautiful and happy marriage. She > returned to Japan shortly after we completed our courtship and about > a year later I followed. We're living in Kyoto. > > Alas, there is one tragic note attending this otherwise joyous and > perfect scenario. Japan, you see, is a land thouroughly devoid of one > essential nutrient: contradancing. You can imagine my dismay, tears, > and lamentations. Sadly, then, since my arrival, I have been quietly > (well not so quietly) teaching english while secretly incubating evil > plans to conquer Japan, then Asia, then the world in 64 (drastic) > measures (hmmm--- good name for a dance). This month, my long patient > agony of waiting has begun to pay off. I have been given the > opportunity to indoctrinate a few trusting and innocent souls into > the sublime mysteries of la dance du contra and create an army of > swiftfooted robots, ready and willing to do my bidding at every call. > SOON I WILL CONQUER THE WORLD!!! > > ahem. > > please excuse me while my medicine kicks in. Ah, yes, thank you. OK, > where was I? The fact is, my wife and I have been invited to lead a > contradance workshop at a local festival on October 20. When we found > out, we began doing as much research as we could on calling and so > on. We found a few basic dances, like Baby Rose and Diane's Visit and > Atonement Reel that we like and figured would be suitable and we have > been practicing calling them. But I really welcome any suggestions... > > Actually, above and beyond some decades of doing things proper and > improper, I took a caller workshop or two from Rick Mohr (thanks > Rick) so I have a rough idea of what's involved. And I've learned a > bit from practicing calling and writing a few ad hoc dances on my > own. For example, I learned that being a dancer has habituated me to > act ON the beat, but as a caller I need to act BEFORE the beat, > eh....this flustered me at first. Are there any other typical first > caller pointers we should be on the lookout for? > > In addition, there are a few other associated circumstances in this > project that create the aforementioned unique situation. In brief > (HA! fooled you), since I've rattled on too long, here is what I mean: > > I don't speak more than the rudiments of Japanese. My wife is still a > beginner dancer, to wit, she isn't a strong enough one to call on her > own. Between us we are trying to teach each other what the other > lacks and hopefully make one good caller out of the two of us. One > question that has come up is is it better to keep the standard names > for the figures, or to Japanify them. (We are leaning to the > former...Japanese has a very high percentage of english loan words, > and they learn english (poooooorly) in school.) Still, has anyone > ever tried to call across a language barrier? > > Japanese are touch sensitve. They don't touch, they don't give eye > contact. They don't give weight. (They give wait). They don't hug. > They don't even say I love you. They are very shy. For example, I am > told that this is to the point that standing in a line of men facing > a line of women is likely be uncomfortable, even for the younger > generation, so Yukie feels we should use mixed couples with armbands > to distinguish "gender"--I mean position. As we build a community of > experienced dancers, it would be expected that some of this > inhibition might wear off...). You can see why they need to dance. On > the other hand, they are good followers. Any advice for working with > a shy crowd? > > Some or many of the attendees at this workshop, we just found out, > are likely to be children. Depending on the percentage, it may be > necessary to do a kids dance, or at least a dance kids could enjoy. I > am good at working with kids in general, but I would love any advice > for doing a dance with young people. I don't know or haven't been > able to find any children's dances, though I assume the Family Dance > in Yarmouth is still up and I plan to contact Jeff Raymond about it, > because I can't remember the caller's name (Nancy....) (though we > have danced and chatted about dancing and calling several times at > the May Day Festival...gads! say hi if you're listening..). > So, children's dances are one thing I am looking for. > > We are working in a small space...maybe two lines of six couples > each. Advice for small spaces???　 > > We are doing three workshops. If the same people return, we may do > more advanced things, or we may just repeat teh workshop...but I > would like to try different dances each time, for my practice. > > The room will be full of beginners, so no experienced dancers to rely > on. Ballroom dancing had a certain following here (and in Kyoto there > is a small set dancing group that we visited...small 14 or so... and > a square dancing group that we plan to visit. ) but not enough to be > helpful, in the sense that there are few cultural supports for > learning (i.e. in the US most everyone knows (even if they don't > admit it) how to at least fake a waltz or ballroom position...not > here.) Think martian territory... > > I should add that we are seriously working towards starting a regular > dance here (we've found an available and very suitable space, a > church hall in a nearby church, for example) and this is for us a > tryout and possible stepping stone. We want to whet people's > appetite, and leave them wanting more. We have a half hour to do it... > > OK...apologies for the verbose and windy post. Fond regards to all of > you I know, hajimemashite ("nice to meet you" in japanese, literally > "beginning") to the rest and many thanks in advance for your time and > help...cheers...david > > nothing rhymes with nostril... > > > > ______________________________________________________________________ > ______________ > Don't let your dream ride pass you by. Make it a reality with > Yahoo! Autos. > http://autos.yahoo.com/index.html > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Tue, 02 Oct 2007 15:23:07 -0400 > From: Lindsay Morris <lindsay(a)tsmworks.com> > Subject: Re: [Callers] Japan dance and self intro/update > To: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net> > Message-ID: <47029A9B.1020203(a)tsmworks.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > Wow, you're biting off too much. > Teach them community-dance stuff first - circle mixers, easy > things to > get them used to touching, allemanding, and giving weight. > If they refuse to take hands and circle left, then I suggest you > fake a > heart attack and get out. > Lindsay Morris > Principal > TSMworks > [1]www.tsmworks.com > 859-539-9900 > > > [2]sharedweight.99.kyoto(a)spamgourmet.com wrote: > > [n.b. this has been 'cross posted' to the yahoo traditional callers > list, in cas > e anyone is on > both lists...] > > This post from a llooonnnngg time dancer and first time caller who is > requesting some advice for an unusual situation...but as it is my > first post, I will explain a little about myself, and along the way > that will explain the unusual situation and help guide and refine any > replies. > > My name is david crespo, a name some of you no doubt fear -- I mean > recognize -- or would (recognize, that is) (if you saw my ugly > mug) (well, maybe fear...) from my 20 odd (quite odd) years of > dancing and involvement in the dance community in New England, mostly > Vermont (Etna, Norwich, Thetford, to Northern Spy etc.) and Maine > (SMFA (Yarmouth), Falmouth, Bates, Bowdoinham...). As some of you > thus know, about 3 years ago, at a Wake the Neighbors Bates dance I > was met by a cute and not very frightening Japanese exchange student, > Yukie, who with a very little gentle nudging at Deffa a week later, > eventually (rapidly, that is) was able to parlay that happenstance > circumstance into what is now a beautiful and happy marriage. She > returned to Japan shortly after we completed our courtship and about > a year later I followed. We're living in Kyoto. > > Alas, there is one tragic note attending this otherwise joyous and > perfect scenario. Japan, you see, is a land thouroughly devoid of one > essential nutrient: contradancing. You can imagine my dismay, tears, > and lamentations. Sadly, then, since my arrival, I have been quietly > (well not so quietly) teaching english while secretly incubating evil > plans to conquer Japan, then Asia, then the world in 64 (drastic) > measures (hmmm--- good name for a dance). This month, my long patient > agony of waiting has begun to pay off. I have been given the > opportunity to indoctrinate a few trusting and innocent souls into > the sublime mysteries of la dance du contra and create an army of > swiftfooted robots, ready and willing to do my bidding at every call. > SOON I WILL CONQUER THE WORLD!!! > > ahem. > > please excuse me while my medicine kicks in. Ah, yes, thank you. OK, > where was I? The fact is, my wife and I have been invited to lead a > contradance workshop at a local festival on October 20. When we found > out, we began doing as much research as we could on calling and so > on. We found a few basic dances, like Baby Rose and Diane's Visit and > Atonement Reel that we like and figured would be suitable and we have > been practicing calling them. But I really welcome any suggestions... > > Actually, above and beyond some decades of doing things proper and > improper, I took a caller workshop or two from Rick Mohr (thanks > Rick) so I have a rough idea of what's involved. And I've learned a > bit from practicing calling and writing a few ad hoc dances on my > own. For example, I learned that being a dancer has habituated me to > act ON the beat, but as a caller I need to act BEFORE the beat, > eh....this flustered me at first. Are there any other typical first > caller pointers we should be on the lookout for? > > In addition, there are a few other associated circumstances in this > project that create the aforementioned unique situation. In brief > (HA! fooled you), since I've rattled on too long, here is what I mean: > > I don't speak more than the rudiments of Japanese. My wife is still a > beginner dancer, to wit, she isn't a strong enough one to call on her > own. Between us we are trying to teach each other what the other > lacks and hopefully make one good caller out of the two of us. One > question that has come up is is it better to keep the standard names > for the figures, or to Japanify them. (We are leaning to the > former...Japanese has a very high percentage of english loan words, > and they learn english (poooooorly) in school.) Still, has anyone > ever tried to call across a language barrier? > > Japanese are touch sensitve. They don't touch, they don't give eye > contact. They don't give weight. (They give wait). They don't hug. > They don't even say I love you. They are very shy. For example, I am > told that this is to the point that standing in a line of men facing > a line of women is likely be uncomfortable, even for the younger > generation, so Yukie feels we should use mixed couples with armbands > to distinguish "gender"--I mean position. As we build a community of > experienced dancers, it would be expected that some of this > inhibition might wear off...). You can see why they need to dance. On > the other hand, they are good followers. Any advice for working with > a shy crowd? > > Some or many of the attendees at this workshop, we just found out, > are likely to be children. Depending on the percentage, it may be > necessary to do a kids dance, or at least a dance kids could enjoy. I > am good at working with kids in general, but I would love any advice > for doing a dance with young people. I don't know or haven't been > able to find any children's dances, though I assume the Family Dance > in Yarmouth is still up and I plan to contact Jeff Raymond about it, > because I can't remember the caller's name (Nancy....) (though we > have danced and chatted about dancing and calling several times at > the May Day Festival...gads! say hi if you're listening..). > So, children's dances are one thing I am looking for. > > We are working in a small space...maybe two lines of six couples > each. Advice for small spaces???　 > > We are doing three workshops. If the same people return, we may do > more advanced things, or we may just repeat teh workshop...but I > would like to try different dances each time, for my practice. > > The room will be full of beginners, so no experienced dancers to rely > on. Ballroom dancing had a certain following here (and in Kyoto there > is a small set dancing group that we visited...small 14 or so... and > a square dancing group that we plan to visit. ) but not enough to be > helpful, in the sense that there are few cultural supports for > learning (i.e. in the US most everyone knows (even if they don't > admit it) how to at least fake a waltz or ballroom position...not > here.) Think martian territory... > > I should add that we are seriously working towards starting a regular > dance here (we've found an available and very suitable space, a > church hall in a nearby church, for example) and this is for us a > tryout and possible stepping stone. We want to whet people's > appetite, and leave them wanting more. We have a half hour to do it... > > OK...apologies for the verbose and windy post. Fond regards to all of > you I know, hajimemashite ("nice to meet you" in japanese, literally > "beginning") to the rest and many thanks in advance for your time and > help...cheers...david > > nothing rhymes with nostril... > > > > ______________________________________________________________________ > ____ > __________ > Don't let your dream ride pass you by. Make it a reality with > Yahoo! Autos. > [3]http://autos.yahoo.com/index.html > > > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > [4]Callers(a)sharedweight.net > [5]http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers > > References > > 1. http://www.tsmworks.com/ > 2. mailto:sharedweight.99.kyoto@spamgourmet.com > 3. http://autos.yahoo.com/index.html > 4. mailto:Callers@sharedweight.net > 5. http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers >

15 years, 3 months

dances for 3 or 4 people

by gtwood＠worldpath.net

Greetings This weekend past, I made my annual pilgramage to Gorham NH to call the dance at Chapel Arts Center... We had a great time for the first hr. We actually danced some easier contras! As the evening progressed we lost some dancers, who had other plans and still others who wanted to sit in with the band... LSS by 9:30 there were 3-4 people dancing (myself included) I made up some dances "on the fly" but soon the dances seemed to resemble the previous "dance" We did some couple dances but the band wanted to play Jigs and Reels. We danced LaBastrange with 6 people (wich was interesting!and fast!) My Q is: are there dances, created for just such situations (3-4 dancers)? Once again, Gorham was a learning experiance! Thanks See ya Dancing Gale

15 years, 10 months

Down the Hall, Four in Line

by Mortland, Jo

I'd like some comments about using the move, Down the Hall, Four in Line, in the first dance of the evening. This is often done, but two people have told me that when there are newcomers, it is a confusing move, as it takes you out of your circle of four, and away from the area in which you are dancing. It was felt that this is disorienting. The suggestion was that it might be better used AFTER a dance where the circle of four stays together. Do any of you have comments on that? Thanks Jo Mortland Chicago

15 years, 11 months

Trouble Getting Gigs (very long)

by Tina Fields

Hi folks I seem to have hit an interesting wall in my newish calling career, and would love to know your thoughts and strategies about how best to deal with it. Ive been calling contra for two years, the first year learning through guest spots, classes, and half-dances. Since last November Ive called full dances, averaging 2-3 dances/month, mostly contras with a few barn dances. My problem is this: Im having trouble getting a couple of our local programmers to book me. In their defense, we do have a lot of good callers around here vying for the few slots. And one of our local programmers is trying to run a consistently high-powered dance, booking many world-class callers and bands. I have never asked her about calling that dance, and in fact aspire to become a caller she seeks out some day in the future. But the other dances are a different story. The one that prompted me to reach out to you here is a medium-sized hometown type dance featuring lots of different callers and bands. I dance there often; its one of my home venues. I have called one half-dance there, to great reviews from both the dancers and the other caller. The band said they enjoyed working with me too. Unfortunately, the programmer was away at a camp that evening. He has only seen me call guest spots all of which he says he thoroughly enjoyed but only one full evening elsewhere, and heres the rub: wit wasnt my best evening. It was a special 4-hour dance, the longest gig Ive ever done solo. I made a few minor mistakes. And the band was a primarily English band which meant very nice music, but mild, not at all zesty. The programmer in question is a friend of mine in the dancing community. Were fond of each other as both dance partners and people. When I realized he might not be asking me to call his dance because he doesnt think Im a good enough caller, it felt devastating. But I got up the guts to approach him at the end of last nights dance after the fiddler, notorious for his curmudgeonly pickiness, asked when I was calling next and announced that he and his girlfriend are my biggest fans. (I was quite floored, and grateful. An ego boost can do wonders at moments like that.) So I approached the programmer. Can I ask you a question? I asked. I dont know if I want to answer, he replied, looking very nervous and obviously knowing what was coming. Well, Im gonna ask it anyway, I told him, and took his arm as we walked away from the others in the room. If, as I now suspect, you dont like the way I call, what is it about it you dont like so I can work on improving that? He looked relieved then, and was kind enough to respond very honestly. He named a number of things he hadnt liked about the one full dance hed been at. He gave the hairy eyeball to my inclusion of a particular mixer. He also said at one point in a contra, one knot of folks was having trouble and I came down on the floor to help them, but that left the rest of them floundering awhile with no prompting. His memory was astounding I dont remember that at all. Perhaps I didnt think anything of it at the time, or perhaps I was even proud of myself for being able to then get back up on the stool and call to everyone correctly after helping like that. I definitely still have a LOT to learn. I believe the biggest mistake he pointed out (and rightly) was that I didnt seem perfectly familiar with how to teach one of the dances, and dancers had to ask a question to clarify. Its likely true: I try to call one dance thats new to me each evening, in order to expand my repertoire, and every time I call one I seem to learn some new nuance about how to lead it better. He said he therefore thinks I need more practice. I heartily agreed with that, and then pointed out that the way to get it is by having gigs that allow me to do more calling! He then said that thats what the tiny venues are for. But I feel troubled by this answer. Ive been calling those venues, and will gladly continue to. However, it seems to me that if a caller is only exposed to small halls half-full of beginners, s/he will learn to call to that level very well, but not to call dances appropriate for more advanced dancers. How will I ever gain that skill if Im not given the chance to try it? Its a catch-22. These venues also often book very inexperienced bands, who dont know what Im talking about when I try to discuss pairing dances/tunes. So I have ideas of how Id like to become a better caller, but these circumstances are keeping me from achieving that. I also strongly believe that its every dance organizations responsibility to foster new talent, if they want the group to stay alive. My local group has acted on this seriously in the past, in fact giving me and others matching scholarships to go to CDSS camps calling classes. (In my case, perhaps they figured out I wasnt going to go away, so it was in their best interest to help me learn to do it better. <g>) Whats happening now, though, is that Ive hit some sort of glass ceiling. Im like in my calling adolescence: no longer the cute beginner but also not yet a rock star. If given the opportunity to call at a more high-powered gig, I will not be perfect at it, no. But I will get better and better, given the chance. Hearing some programmers talk about callers and bands, I have the sense now that a problematic gig like the one Chris described in his recent growth post could be a death sentence around here. That caller might never be invited back. My experience of hitting a wall didnt only happen that one time. Earlier this month, trying to be proactive, I inquired about potentially calling at a venue a bit more than one hour from my home, another medium-sized/level dance Ive danced at many times in the past but not recently. That programmer asked the very good question, what sort of program do you do, and is it suitable for our dancers? I sent him a sample program I successfully called at a similar venue, along with an offer to discuss his current communitys particular dance level and to craft my program accordingly. I have not heard back. Some say that he likes to call most of the dances there himself, so may be reluctant to share. It feels so disheartening to be kept out, Im now considering whether its worth it to continue trying to call. Really, its been through frequent repetition that my skills have improved so far. Ive popped a new level of understanding in terms of how to envision the moves in space, how to teach geometrically and in terms of people the dancers will encounter, and how to really work with the band to create a synergistic ball o fire. These skills have recently grown exponentially. I enjoy doing it, and have gotten some excellent positive feedback from dancers, bands, and other programmers some of it even in writing, so I can prove it. But if I have to fight to get one gig every few months, I never will get better. Ill forget the nuances of how to do it. Instead of building on each other, every dance evening will be a singular struggle. And I doubt its worth it. I love giving to the dance community through calling, but also love dancing and that I feel unquestioningly welcomed to do. Thoughts? Strategies? Commiseration? How to best handle this situation? Is there a way to encourage programmers to nurture local talent? How did you manage to wrangle getting gigs that allowed your skills to continually grow? Sorry for the length of this post and the woe is me tone. But I figured some detail might help in this case, and Im really feeling at a loss. Thank you, comrades, for any insight you might offer. Tina Fields

15 years, 11 months

Re: [Callers] Callers Digest, Vol 48, Issue 9

by Martha Wild

Some thoughts: If there's room in the general community, or interest, or other wanna- be callers, or an underserved area in these days when driving is getting expensive, start your own dance. Three of us in San Diego did that years ago as we were learning to call. We had dance parties in our driveways, invited people in the summer to the park for dance parties (invited anyone who walked by to join in), usually only had one acoustic musician playing (a dulcimer, a fiddle, a banjo, even a penny whistle solo) finally found a small rec hall and some aspiring musicians, and shared the dance until we got good enough to call half each and then full dances. Start an infrequent dance if running a regular one seems too onerous - every fifth Friday or something like that, you run it, you can call at it. You have more control perhaps of the bands you get to call with. Also, make sure others know that you are available for emergencies - one never knows when a caller will get sick or have a flat tire and someone will ask if you brought your cards. Dance communities vary - some are run by callers, some by dancers. And if you aren't involved in the managing of the dances, in volunteering to do set-up, take-down, decoration at special events, sitting at the door, etc. - if all you do is call, and others are doing all the work, then get in there and put in more than just dancing. Sweat equity, though it may have nothing to do with your ability as a caller, will make others more willing to help you towards your goals. Yes, it is important to encourage new callers, but as an organizer, now, too, I know I don't want to do that at the expense of confusion and dissatisfaction on the floor, especially if other callers are ready, willing and able. One thing we did here was to pair a new caller with an established one - split the evening. See if there is an established caller willing to let you take part of the evening at the mid-sized dance and if the organizer will go for it. Go back to square one and ask to call three dances in the first half - maybe the first three. When those go well, branch out and do just the second three so you get more experience doing harder dances. And if you can teach clearly to beginners, you can teach clearly to advanced dancers. Just faster and with fewer walkthroughs. If you play an instrument, play in a community band if there is one just to get more familiar with what tunes go with what dances. But basically, don't wait for (or expect) other people to make your own dreams happen. I don't mean that as a slam, it's just the way it is. Most of them are busy with their own dreams - like the caller who runs his own dance and likes to call at it - why shouldn't he? Good luck to you in branching out and finding ways to call more. Martha On Aug 18, 2008, at 9:00 AM, callers-request(a)sharedweight.net wrote: > Send Callers mailing list submissions to > callers(a)sharedweight.net > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > callers-request(a)sharedweight.net > > You can reach the person managing the list at > callers-owner(a)sharedweight.net > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Callers digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Trouble Getting Gigs (very long) (Tina Fields) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Sun, 17 Aug 2008 23:25:46 -0700 (PDT) > From: Tina Fields <tfields8(a)yahoo.com> > Subject: [Callers] Trouble Getting Gigs (very long) > To: "callers@ sharedweight.net" <callers(a)sharedweight.net> > Message-ID: <50006.55506.qm(a)web83207.mail.mud.yahoo.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 > > Hi folks ? > > I seem to have hit an interesting wall in my newish calling > career, and would love to know your thoughts and strategies > about how best to deal with it. I?ve been calling contra > for two years, the first year learning through guest spots, > classes, and half-dances. Since last November I?ve called > full dances, averaging 2-3 dances/month, mostly contras > with a few barn dances. > > My problem is this: I?m having trouble getting a couple of > our local programmers to book me. > > In their defense, we do have a lot of good callers around > here vying for the few slots. And one of our local > programmers is trying to run a consistently high-powered > dance, booking many world-class callers and bands. I have > never asked her about calling that dance, and in fact > aspire to become a caller she seeks out some day in the > future. > > But the other dances are a different story. The one that > prompted me to reach out to you here is a medium-sized > hometown type dance featuring lots of different callers and > bands. I dance there often; it?s one of my home venues. I > have called one half-dance there, to great reviews from > both the dancers and the other caller. The band said they > enjoyed working with me too. Unfortunately, the programmer > was away at a camp that evening. He has only seen me call > guest spots ? all of which he says he thoroughly enjoyed ? > but only one full evening elsewhere, and here?s the rub: > wit wasn?t my best evening. It was a special 4-hour dance, > the longest gig I?ve ever done solo. I made a few minor > mistakes. And the band was a primarily English band ? which > meant very nice music, but mild, not at all zesty. > > The programmer in question is a friend of mine in the > dancing community. We?re fond of each other as both dance > partners and people. When I realized he might not be asking > me to call his dance because he doesn?t think I?m a good > enough caller, it felt devastating. But I got up the guts > to approach him at the end of last night?s dance after the > fiddler, notorious for his curmudgeonly pickiness, asked > when I was calling next and announced that he and his > girlfriend are my ?biggest fans?. (I was quite floored, > and grateful. An ego boost can do wonders at moments like > that.) So I approached the programmer. ?Can I ask you a > question?? I asked. ?I don?t know if I want to answer,? he > replied, looking very nervous and obviously knowing what > was coming. ?Well, I?m gonna ask it anyway,? I told him, > and took his arm as we walked away from the others in the > room. ?If, as I now suspect, you don?t like the way I > call, what is it about it you don?t like so I can work on > improving that?? He looked relieved then, and was kind > enough to respond very honestly. > > He named a number of things he hadn?t liked about the one > full dance he?d been at. He gave the hairy eyeball to my > inclusion of a particular mixer. He also said at one point > in a contra, one knot of folks was having trouble and I > came down on the floor to help them, but that left the rest > of them floundering awhile with no prompting. His memory > was astounding ? I don?t remember that at all. Perhaps I > didn?t think anything of it at the time, or perhaps I was > even proud of myself for being able to then get back up on > the stool and call to everyone correctly after helping like > that. I definitely still have a LOT to learn. I believe > the biggest mistake he pointed out (and rightly) was that I > didn?t seem perfectly familiar with how to teach one of the > dances, and dancers had to ask a question to clarify. It?s > likely true: I try to call one dance that?s new to me each > evening, in order to expand my repertoire, and every time I > call one I seem to learn some new nuance about how to lead > it better. > > He said he therefore thinks I need more practice. I > heartily agreed with that, and then pointed out that the > way to get it is by having gigs that allow me to do more > calling! He then said that that?s what the tiny venues are > for. > > But I feel troubled by this answer. I?ve been calling those > venues, and will gladly continue to. However, it seems to > me that if a caller is only exposed to small halls > half-full of beginners, s/he will learn to call to that > level very well, but not to call dances appropriate for > more advanced dancers. How will I ever gain that skill if > I?m not given the chance to try it? It?s a catch-22. These > venues also often book very inexperienced bands, who don?t > know what I?m talking about when I try to discuss pairing > dances/tunes. So I have ideas of how I?d like to become a > better caller, but these circumstances are keeping me from > achieving that. > > I also strongly believe that it?s every dance > organization?s responsibility to foster new talent, if they > want the group to stay alive. My local group has acted on > this seriously in the past, in fact giving me and others > matching scholarships to go to CDSS camp?s calling classes. > (In my case, perhaps they figured out I wasn?t going to go > away, so it was in their best interest to help me learn to > do it better. <g>) What?s happening now, though, is that > I?ve hit some sort of glass ceiling. I?m like in my calling > adolescence: no longer the cute beginner but also not yet a > rock star. If given the opportunity to call at a more > high-powered gig, I will not be perfect at it, no. But I > will get better and better, given the chance. > > Hearing some programmers talk about callers and bands, I > have the sense now that a problematic gig like the one > Chris described in his recent ?growth? post could be a > death sentence around here. That caller might never be > invited back. > > My experience of hitting a wall didn?t only happen that one > time. Earlier this month, trying to be proactive, I > inquired about potentially calling at a venue a bit more > than one hour from my home, another medium-sized/level > dance I?ve danced at many times in the past but not > recently. That programmer asked the very good question, > ?what sort of program do you do, and is it suitable for our > dancers?? I sent him a sample program I successfully called > at a similar venue, along with an offer to discuss his > current community?s particular dance level and to craft my > program accordingly. I have not heard back. Some say that > he likes to call most of the dances there himself, so may > be reluctant to share. > > It feels so disheartening to be kept out, I?m now > considering whether it?s worth it to continue trying to > call. Really, it?s been through frequent repetition that my > skills have improved so far. I?ve popped a new level of > understanding in terms of how to envision the moves in > space, how to teach geometrically and in terms of people > the dancers will encounter, and how to really work with the > band to create a synergistic ball o? fire. These skills > have recently grown exponentially. I enjoy doing it, and > have gotten some excellent positive feedback from dancers, > bands, and other programmers ? some of it even in writing, > so I can prove it. But if I have to fight to get one gig > every few months, I never will get better. I?ll forget the > nuances of how to do it. Instead of building on each > other, every dance evening will be a singular struggle. And > I doubt it?s worth it. I love giving to the dance community > through calling, but also love dancing ? and that I feel > unquestioningly welcomed to do. > > Thoughts? Strategies? Commiseration? How to best handle > this situation? Is there a way to encourage programmers to > nurture local talent? How did you manage to wrangle > getting gigs that allowed your skills to continually grow? > > > Sorry for the length of this post and the ?woe is me? tone. > But I figured some detail might help in this case, and I?m > really feeling at a loss. > > Thank you, comrades, for any insight you might offer. > > Tina Fields > > > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > Callers(a)sharedweight.net > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers > > > End of Callers Digest, Vol 48, Issue 9 > **************************************

15 years, 11 months

Getting gigs

by Chrissy Fowler

Hi all, Interesting discussion. I've excerpted some of these emails (stripping names and email addresses) and sent the question on to the organizers list. I could understand feeling frustrated with a desire to have more gigs than one is getting. But I also can see the point of the organizers, whose first responsibility is not necessarily to cultivate growth in the caller/musician community but is rather to run a series that meets the expectations of the dancers and the organizers themselves. I am a caller who also is a founding co-organizer of our local series. We have a certain mission and standards for skill/expertise/style of performers. Ours is one of those with only 12 slots per year, and I generally call about half of those. This leaves 6 caller slots and 12 band slots. And frankly, that's not a lot of room for "giving someone a chance" (given the aforementioned responsibility to dancers/organizers over caller/musician cultivation.) That said, our committee does support caller/musician growth in other ways. We have an open, all-comers band for our community dance (modeled on bands I'd witnessed with David Kaynor's All-Comers Band dances in western Massachusetts and The Lamprey River Band's open stage policy in Dover, NH) We also do some homework, asking around about bands who come to us wanting to be booked (checking with trusted organizer colleagues or other dancers, listening to demo recordings, going with our gut feelings, etc.) and have sometimes booked bands that were new to us. We have run additional dances in our hall (on off nights) including one for a group of developing callers in Maine, in conjunction with a short workshop/discussion the next day. As a caller I have occasionally offered a slot in my program to developing callers who I think have particular promise. (Which is to say, they seem like they might be becoming a caller I could stand behind - a subjective analysis to be sure.) So, back to your question, as a new caller I benefited from open mic and multi-caller nights as well as dance camps. In my experience it was most important to develop trusted relationships with mentors and colleagues. As has been said, they should be people who are willing to give you honest feedback on your calling (and from whom you are willing to receive such honest feedback) and given this, they will be more likely to refer you for gigs that they can't do, or to vouch for you as references, etc. I've played both roles, as mentee/colleague and mentor/critic. Good for all concerned. And I agree completely with Seth's pithy comment. Excruciating to listen to recordings or to watch video, but enlightening and invaluable. And finally, I'd say that as I've grown more as a caller, I've found myself having just as much fun calling for family/community/school/small dances with clueless clientele as I do calling for the hot urban-style dances with highly skilled clientele. I'd caution anyone against dismissing the delights and satisfactions of the former in favor of the glory of the latter. Chrissy Fowler Belfast, ME _________________________________________________________________ See what people are saying about Windows Live. Check out featured posts. http://www.windowslive.com/connect?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_connect2_082008

15 years, 11 months

Re: [Callers] Callers trouble getting gigs (medium long)

by gtwood＠worldpath.net

Thank you Tina! A lively discussion! you are not alone! I live and dance in an area where there is a lively dance community (southern New Hampshire) Years ago I took over as co-organizer of a dance and inevitably there was a dance where the caller could not make it. So, with the aid of my co-organizer, we called the dance! I had a ball! This started me on the path of caller. A lot of my calling experience has been trial by fire. In the beginning I was trying to call dances, above my ability, to mixed groups of dancers. The beginners were confused and the old hands were frustrated but gracious. I have been at it for 5 years. I have been blessed with a 2 venues that have allowed me to call one full evening per season. There is also 1 venue that allows me to call 1 dance a month, and surprisingly this is where I have gained the most experience as a caller. (lots of college age newbies!) I do lots of calling from the floor i.e.: while dancing. Much of my dance time is spent in the less crowded side sets where the newer dancers congregate. I find this helps with quick memory of moves and Dances (now if I could put them into long term memory!) and is a great place to teach dances. (many thanks from beginners!) I have been frustrated by not being asked to call at smaller dance venues, that are organized by friends, its not worth risking the friendship, also Im not going to beg tocall any venue. My hope is that these organizers will come to one of my dances and see that my skill level has improved enough to be acceptable to their standards. I was ready to give away all of my notes, dance books, and cards this past spring because there were no opportunities coming my way, a fellow caller dissuaded me from taking that course of action. Im glad he did because this Fall/Winter I am calling 2 full evening dances! One thing you may wish to do is approach organizers and ask if they would be interested in doing an open caller night. (they get the callers for free!) Its an interesting dynamic to co-ordinate with other callers so that your not calling the same type of dances and have a varied evening and you get to pick up new material by doing dance swaps! Organize a house junket, and invite local organizers as your GPs (feed them well!) Encourage dancers, who compliment you on your calling, to please let organizers know your available. The word will get around! Good Luck Thanks Gale Wood

15 years, 11 months

Re: [Callers] Trouble Getting Gigs (very long)

by Dan Black

Tina, Recently, after two years of calling full nights at various locations in NY metro area, I had to be evaluated while calling a full night for a dance community. This process may have seemed overkill but what the process did was to remove subjectivty from the process. The evaluation form was derived from the Atlanta dance series and here is the link to the form: http://www.contradance.org/pdfs/caller_eval.pdf The form is quite extensive. Also, I agree what has been stated from others that it is very helpful and important to have a mentor. Someone who would be honest with constructive feedback both good and bad. When I have taped myself, it is possible to review an evening for areas of improvement and areas that were well done. The tape doesn't have selective memory like I sometimes do. A mentor would be able to point out areas for improvement and areas done well. See ya on the floor, Dan

15 years, 11 months

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