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
I recently had the following exchange on a different list with Michael
Shapiro (guitarist with U4):
Michael wrote:
>>> U4 just played the SwingShift weekend in Lexington/Berea. The caller was
Barbara Groh. She did something that I think most callers should do, but I
haven't seen before. After the sets were formed and people had done the hand
four, she then broke up the beginners sets that had formed at the end of the
lines. She asked then to move forward and intersperse themselves with the
more advanced dancers (so that they were more toward the beggining of the
line and the foursomes were not all beginners).
She was also good at letting the music be heard ...
I wrote:
>> Regarding the caller asking sets to reform in order to spread the less
experienced dancers throughout the hall, much tact is required. Generally,
callers strive to avoid calling attention to particular dancers other than
when asking people to watch a demonstration, but asking people to change
sets can have the effect of making them feel like there is attention on
them. In addition, newish dancers want to dance with people they know, even
if those friends may also be newish dancers.
>> Speaking to the entire crowd, I do encourage experienced dancers to share
their experience by asking someone they've never met to dance at least once
in the evening, and praise the community for being so welcoming to newcomer
dancers. So while I might be thinking "let's break up this clump of
confusion," it would not be good to say something that draws attention to
"you people right here."
>> I have asked, off mic, for a set of experienced dancers to offer to
repartner with a set of inexperienced dancers down the line.
To this list, I ask:
I'd be interested in the wording that Barbara Groh used (which I'm assuming
was quite gentle). I'm also guessing other callers on this list have
developed tactful ways to address this issue.
Thanks,
Jerome
--
Jerome Grisanti
660-528-0858
http://www.jeromegrisanti.com
Some version of Crooked Stovepipe (Le Pipe Accroché)
Square:
Head ladies forward & back
Forward again & there they swing
Circle six hands around them while they swing
Allemande left your corner, do-si-do your partner
Allemande left our corner again, promenade your own.
Repeat for side ladies, head gents, side gents.
(Can also be done instead as Head lady and the opposite gent go forward &
back, etc.)
Has its own tune.
Beth
> -----Original Message-----
> From: callers-bounces(a)sharedweight.net [mailto:callers-
> bounces(a)sharedweight.net] On Behalf Of Jack Mitchell
> Sent: Monday, June 22, 2009 8:04 PM
> To: Caller's discussion list
> Subject: Re: [Callers] Especially Irish and French ONS dances
>
> ONS = One Night Stand. Easy dances for crowds with almost no
> experienced dancers.
> At 01:58 PM 6/22/2009, you wrote:
>
> I can forward this to our Irish dance group and see if they can
> help
> you
> out. What is ONS ? I'm not familiar with that abbreviation. If
> you are
> talking about ceili dancing for beginners there are some simple
> ones
> but
> there is also specific music that goes with them. Good luck.
> Mary Collins
> On Mon, Jun 22, 2009 at 9:49 AM, Rickey <holt.e(a)comcast.net>
> wrote:
> > Hi all,
> >
> > I am planning an ONS for about 100, mostly adults. The husband
> of
> the
> > organizer is Irish, from Ireland, and her dad, I think, is
> either
> French or
> > French-Canadian.
> >
> > Do you have any suggestions for Irish, French, or French
> Canadian
> dances
> > that might have been popular where these folks grew up, and
> which
> would be
> > appropriate for this crowd. The organizer mentioned
> specifically
> that her
> > dad especially liked French Quadrilles. Do you have any that
> these
> folks
> > might enjoy? Any and all suggestions are, of course, more than
> welcome.
> >
> > Thanks.
> >
> > Rickey Holt,
> >
> > Fremont, NH
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Callers mailing list
> > Callers(a)sharedweight.net
> > [1]http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
> >
> _______________________________________________
> Callers mailing list
> Callers(a)sharedweight.net
> [2]http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
>
> References
>
> 1. http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
> 2. http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
> _______________________________________________
> Callers mailing list
> Callers(a)sharedweight.net
> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
Hi,
The French, or French Canadian, quadrille "The Carding" is easy and
fun if the band will play a reel with a good strong beat (but not too
fast) on the end of the phrase (4 1/2 x through). I got it from Dudley
Laufman's book "Sweets of May". It's nice because you don't have to
fuss trying to get an even four couples per square. An individual with
a ghost partner can even fit in fine.
The simple version Sweets of May (not the quadrille which is fun
but too complicated) goes well to a jig if the crowd can move
reasonably well.
The Irish Bridge of Athlone simplified (forward and back and cross
over instead of the 7s & 3s) is one of my favorites.
I agree with Martha that the simplified LaBastringue is always an
upper if the band knows the music, and the original version is fun for
more experienced dancers too (as a dancer)
The Irish Haymaker's Jig is fun but having danced it with a friend
calling the more Irish version I'd suggest simplifying the first part
to just forward and back. The rest is do-able and fun with a lively
crowd.
Summer Cheers, Sue Robishaw
P.S. Let me know if you need the steps to any.
Well, it's not a quadrille, but La Bastrangue is French Canadian and
generally a crowd pleaser.
Martha
On Jun 22, 2009, at 9:00 AM, callers-request(a)sharedweight.net wrote:
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> Today's Topics:
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> 1. Especially Irish and French ONS dances (Rickey)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Mon, 22 Jun 2009 09:49:27 -0400
> From: "Rickey" <holt.e(a)comcast.net>
> Subject: [Callers] Especially Irish and French ONS dances
> To: <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
> Message-ID: <D4CB1FA425EF4542BE73CCB7F6CD6831@maxx>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Hi all,
>
> I am planning an ONS for about 100, mostly adults. The husband of the
> organizer is Irish, from Ireland, and her dad, I think, is either
> French or
> French-Canadian.
>
> Do you have any suggestions for Irish, French, or French Canadian
> dances
> that might have been popular where these folks grew up, and which
> would be
> appropriate for this crowd. The organizer mentioned specifically
> that her
> dad especially liked French Quadrilles. Do you have any that these
> folks
> might enjoy? Any and all suggestions are, of course, more than
> welcome.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Rickey Holt,
>
> Fremont, NH
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> Callers mailing list
> Callers(a)sharedweight.net
> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
>
>
> End of Callers Digest, Vol 58, Issue 11
> ***************************************
Thanks for the clarification...obviously I'm not a girl that does
ONS's...lol....
On Mon, Jun 22, 2009 at 2:04 PM, Jack Mitchell <jamitch3(a)mindspring.com>wrote:
> ONS = One Night Stand. Easy dances for crowds with almost no
> experienced dancers.
> At 01:58 PM 6/22/2009, you wrote:
>
> I can forward this to our Irish dance group and see if they can help
> you
> out. What is ONS ? I'm not familiar with that abbreviation. If
> you are
> talking about ceili dancing for beginners there are some simple ones
> but
> there is also specific music that goes with them. Good luck.
> Mary Collins
> On Mon, Jun 22, 2009 at 9:49 AM, Rickey <holt.e(a)comcast.net> wrote:
> > Hi all,
> >
> > I am planning an ONS for about 100, mostly adults. The husband of
> the
> > organizer is Irish, from Ireland, and her dad, I think, is either
> French or
> > French-Canadian.
> >
> > Do you have any suggestions for Irish, French, or French Canadian
> dances
> > that might have been popular where these folks grew up, and which
> would be
> > appropriate for this crowd. The organizer mentioned specifically
> that her
> > dad especially liked French Quadrilles. Do you have any that these
> folks
> > might enjoy? Any and all suggestions are, of course, more than
> welcome.
> >
> > Thanks.
> >
> > Rickey Holt,
> >
> > Fremont, NH
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Callers mailing list
> > Callers(a)sharedweight.net
> > [1]http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
> >
> _______________________________________________
> Callers mailing list
> Callers(a)sharedweight.net
> [2]http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
>
> References
>
> 1. http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
> 2. http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
> _______________________________________________
> Callers mailing list
> Callers(a)sharedweight.net
> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
>
Hi all,
I am planning an ONS for about 100, mostly adults. The husband of the
organizer is Irish, from Ireland, and her dad, I think, is either French or
French-Canadian.
Do you have any suggestions for Irish, French, or French Canadian dances
that might have been popular where these folks grew up, and which would be
appropriate for this crowd. The organizer mentioned specifically that her
dad especially liked French Quadrilles. Do you have any that these folks
might enjoy? Any and all suggestions are, of course, more than welcome.
Thanks.
Rickey Holt,
Fremont, NH
Last night I called the dance Bronwyn Woods wrote and called at Callers week "Hortensia's Cravat". It was a nice memory. The dance community enjoyed it. It brought back fond memories of our night on the floor.
Laurie Pietravalle
Hi,
July 11, Exeter NH, 7:30 for a share of the gate. Our series is in its
fifth or sixth year and we usually have a house band. I recently found out
that all but two members of the band will not be able to play July 11. In
fact we are left with only rhythm guitar and drums. If you can play on July
11, please contact me ASAP.
Thanks,
Rickey
