I thought I had heard about Bob doing DTBS in Brasstown. I might just have to take a trip there - it's only been 20 years since I was last there. Thanks, David!
-----Original Message-----
>From: David Millstone <David.Millstone(a)valley.net>
>Sent: Jun 17, 2010 3:15 PM
>To: suzanneg(a)wolfenet.com, callers(a)sharedweight.net
>Cc: Tony Mates <CKittyroo(a)aol.com>
>Subject: Re: [Callers] Dare to Be Square Archive
>
>--- Suzanne Girardot wrote:
>If you are curious about DTBS, we will be having another DTBS weekend in Seattle
>on November 4-7.
>--- end of quote ---
>
>And Bob Dalsemer is organizing one for the following year at the John C.
>Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC. Dates are November 18-20, 2011. That's
>the weekend before Thanksgiving. Full details coming soon.
>
>David Millstone
--- Suzanne Girardot wrote:
If you are curious about DTBS, we will be having another DTBS weekend in Seattle
on November 4-7.
--- end of quote ---
And Bob Dalsemer is organizing one for the following year at the John C.
Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC. Dates are November 18-20, 2011. That's
the weekend before Thanksgiving. Full details coming soon.
David Millstone
Thanks, David, for filling in the blanks on those dances. I know that Tony Mates is out of town right now, and would have provided names if he knew them, so now he can update those videos with the correct dance titles.
This was a huge labor of love by Tony and other volunteers at Dare To Be Square (DTBS), and I really appreciate having such a wonderful archive available for us to refer back to.
If you are curious about DTBS, we will be having another DTBS weekend in Seattle on November 4-7. It is still in the planning stages, but more information can be found at http://www.bubbaguitar.com/d2bs/.
Suzanne
-----Original Message-----
>From: David Millstone <David.Millstone(a)VALLEY.NET>
>Sent: Jun 17, 2010 11:20 AM
>To: callers(a)sharedweight.net
>Subject: Re: [Callers] Dare to Be Square Archive
>
>Jack asked about the two Ted Sannella dances shown here:
>
>> The Dare to be Square 2009 Archive is on the air! Go to
>> http://vimeo.com/ and find the search box, click on "channels" and
>> enter "dtbs". Have a look around.
>
>Both of these dances appear in print in Ted Sannella's book "Swing the Next."
>The first one is "Pass Through and So-si-do," for which Ted suggests the tune
>Ronde de Voyageur. The second one is "Gents Three-Quarter Star," for which Ted
>suggests the tune Brenda Stubbert's Reel, written by Jerry Holland.
>
>For callers on this list who do not already own copies, I highly recommend Ted's
>book and his earlier one, "Balance and Swing." In addition to presenting lots of
>material (contras, squares, triplets) written by Ted as well as by others, the
>books offer excellent tips on how to present each dance, suggested wording of
>calls, notes on challenging transitions... in short, a master class on how to
>present each dance.
>
>Both books are available online from CDSS:
>
>http://www.cdss.org/north-american-dance.html?order_by=&per_page=20&filters…
>at&format=bk&for=sannella&search=
>
>David Millstone
>Lebanon, NH
>_______________________________________________
>Callers mailing list
>Callers(a)sharedweight.net
>http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
I agree with David. My worst calling experience (quite a long time ago) was when I tried to call a contra dance at a wedding. It was not a good choice for me to make. The top couple was drunk, no one had ever done a contra dance before, and it was an unmitigated disaster. Unless it is a contra dance crowd (which it sounds like Joy will not have), I would do the easy, fun dances that David sugests. Many of those types of dances can be done in individual couples, 2-couple sets, circles, or simple longways sets that can accommodate a lot of people.
I also agree with Richard in that the edges of the dance floor can be dangerous. In addition, if people are dancing on or near grass, I would advise anyone with high heels to be quite careful (or take them off).
Another thought about small dance floors is that the people who want to dance will get up first, and when the dance floor is full, the others who are less interested often just stay put, so overcrowding might not happen. Of course, we would love to have everyone get up and dance, but that probably can't happen with a too-small dance floor.
Suzanne Girardot
-----Original Message-----
>From: David Millstone <David.Millstone(a)VALLEY.NET>
>Sent: Jun 17, 2010 12:28 PM
>To: callers(a)sharedweight.net
>Subject: Re: [Callers] dance floor capacity
>
>My aim at such outdoor events is to have as many people participate as possible,
>regardless of the size of the dance floor. In fact, if it's a party of 150-200
>people, and it's going to be under a large tent, I encourage the wedding couple
>not to get a dance floor if ours is the only dancing. Participants at such
>events don't do a buzz step swing; they'll be just as happy to walk/hop around
>their partner with an elbow swing. I'll call simple dances-- rarely any that are
>actual contras in lines-- that allow maximum participation with minimum
>instruction. Having the dance floor in the center can send the wrong message
>that this is only for the few people who can squeeze onto that space.
>
>And if that decision has already been made and there's a floor there, then
>simple longways dances (such as Galopede) can and do extend off the floor
>allowing many more to participate. A Sicilian circle such as Haste to the
>Wedding can go all around the open space in the tent, crossing over the official
>dance floor as needed but not limited to that space.
>
>David Millstone
>Lebanon, NH
>_______________________________________________
>Callers mailing list
>Callers(a)sharedweight.net
>http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
Hi Joy,
We usually plan 1.5 square yards / person. 35 feet x 16
feet = 62 sq.yds. so 40 people will be able to dance comfortably. 60
people is starting to get tight.
Hopefully you can get them to push some of the tables back
when you start dancing, or at least get rid of some of the chairs.
Good luck!
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 &
07802 940 574
http://www.modernjive.com for Modern Jive Events, Instructional DVDs and
Interactive Maps
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Contra Dancing in Kent
My aim at such outdoor events is to have as many people participate as possible,
regardless of the size of the dance floor. In fact, if it's a party of 150-200
people, and it's going to be under a large tent, I encourage the wedding couple
not to get a dance floor if ours is the only dancing. Participants at such
events don't do a buzz step swing; they'll be just as happy to walk/hop around
their partner with an elbow swing. I'll call simple dances-- rarely any that are
actual contras in lines-- that allow maximum participation with minimum
instruction. Having the dance floor in the center can send the wrong message
that this is only for the few people who can squeeze onto that space.
And if that decision has already been made and there's a floor there, then
simple longways dances (such as Galopede) can and do extend off the floor
allowing many more to participate. A Sicilian circle such as Haste to the
Wedding can go all around the open space in the tent, crossing over the official
dance floor as needed but not limited to that space.
David Millstone
Lebanon, NH
A space conundrum for you all.
I'm calling a wedding reception for approx 150-170 guests with a
designated dance dance space of 35 feet x 16 feet. No options for
expanding or last minute venue switches.
(Also note that the band rather than myself was consulted on venue
space. I've seen the diagram, and the space is at least well-used.
The dance space is arranged lengthwise at the end of the large hall
next to the tables. )
How many people (non dancers) would you realistically expect to get
onto this floor at once?
I'm contemplating some circle dances, some scatter mixers and some
longways sets. Maybe a single file spiral around the perimeter of the
room. The guests are mostly non-dancers, occasional contra dancers
and a few Scottish/ceili dancers thrown in for spice. I don't think
I can get all 150+ people into that space at once.
Thoughts? Calculations?
Joy Greenwolfe
Durham, NC
Jack asked about the two Ted Sannella dances shown here:
> The Dare to be Square 2009 Archive is on the air! Go to
> http://vimeo.com/ and find the search box, click on "channels" and
> enter "dtbs". Have a look around.
Both of these dances appear in print in Ted Sannella's book "Swing the Next."
The first one is "Pass Through and So-si-do," for which Ted suggests the tune
Ronde de Voyageur. The second one is "Gents Three-Quarter Star," for which Ted
suggests the tune Brenda Stubbert's Reel, written by Jerry Holland.
For callers on this list who do not already own copies, I highly recommend Ted's
book and his earlier one, "Balance and Swing." In addition to presenting lots of
material (contras, squares, triplets) written by Ted as well as by others, the
books offer excellent tips on how to present each dance, suggested wording of
calls, notes on challenging transitions... in short, a master class on how to
present each dance.
Both books are available online from CDSS:
http://www.cdss.org/north-american-dance.html?order_by=&per_page=20&filters…
at&format=bk&for=sannella&search=
David Millstone
Lebanon, NH
Greetings,
Bob Dalsemer recommended I contact you about a dance archive from last
year's Dare to Be Square, held here in Seattle. He thought your
members might be interested in this material; I hope so! What follows
is the note I sent out to DTBS attendees last April. Let me know if
you have any questions.
Cheers,
Tony Mates
Hi Everybody,
The Dare to be Square 2009 Archive is on the air! Go to http://vimeo.com/
and find the search box, click on "channels" and enter "dtbs". Have
a look around.
To keep this material from going viral, we ask that you exercise
respect and discretion about what you do with it. Since it was the
staff and attendees of DTBS 09 who made these videos happen, we'd like
to keep it in the family, so to speak. If you know a caller who might
benefit from seeing this, fine, but please ask that she or he also
respect DTBS and the folks who made it possible.
For a guided tour read on.
My goal was to capture the essence of what Bob Dalsemer brought to his
workshops at Dare to Be Square this year, and then make it available
to all who participated. A dedicated crew of volunteers and I filled 5
one hour tapes with video. We attempted to get Bob's teaching of each
particular dance, both from the stage and any demonstrations on the
floor. We also tried to get a representative sample of the dance
being done to the music.
As it happens I wish we had covered more material, but then, given the
work involved in editing 5 hrs of video and 7 of audio, maybe it was
for the best. My apologies for the parts that were left out. In
particular I'm sorry there was not more of the actual dancing.
What we do have is selected video and complete audio from the
following daytime workshops:
Square Dancing For All
West Virginia Squares
New England and Singing Squares
Cool Versions of Classic Squares
Souped Up Squares
Also there is some video and about an hour of audio from
Timing ,Timing, Timing and about half an hour of the Monday night
dance. I have also received some video from Cory Podielski and Doug
Plummer, which will be added soon to supplement the archive.
Navigation: You'll need a high speed internet connection. Go to: http://vimeo.com/
and look in the upper right hand corner for the white space that
says "Search Videos". When you slide the cursor into that area a drop
down menu opens; click on "Search Channels". Enter dtbs into the
search area. This should bring up "DTBS09 29 videos". Click on DTBS09
to bring up all the videos. Hit the "play" triangle at the lower left
corner of the screen to begin viewing. Click on "description", below
the screen, for notes on personnel, tune names etc. [Please note:
these descriptions are a work in progress. More notes will be added in
the next few weeks.]
Each of the 29 videos has a title: DTBS 09 [Workshop Name] a number
(1-6) and then the name of a dance figure. The number is to show the
order of the episodes within each workshop. So for example "DTBS09
Square Dancing for All 1 Big Circle" shows material from the first
dance of the workshop; "DTBS09 Square Dancing for All 2 Texas Star" is
the next dance in that workshop, etc. This should help illustrate how
each workshop unfolded.
Downloads. You must join Vimeo to download these videos.
After listening to my audio recordings of the workshops I realized
that the video may have captured the main points of each dance, but
failed sometimes to give a sense of the whole; particularly as Bob
often adds twists- or even new figures- later on in the dance. The
audio links below cover the entire workshops, with the exception of
Timing! Timing! Timing! which I only got about an hour of.
Square Dancing for All:
http://tinyurl.com/yb86a5k
West Virginia Squares:
http://tinyurl.com/ydn9g9m
New England and Singing Squares:
http://tinyurl.com/y9njnhy
Cool Versions of Classic Squares:
http://tinyurl.com/ydzzywa
Timing, Timing, Timing:
http://tinyurl.com/yeqmwge
Souped Up Squares:
http://tinyurl.com/yjzju42
As I say, we did our best. Any faults in the execution or production
of this material are solely mine. If you have questions I will try my
best to help: write to Tony Mates at: mates.tony(a)gmail.com.
Or give me a call! I'd rather chat. 206-723-3897.
Credits:
Billie Burlock, Tony Mates, Brittany Newell and Paul Silveria shot
video on a camera
kindly lent to us by Charlie Beck. Cheers to a very helpful crew!
Audio and video editing by Tony Mates. A Noderinksere production.
Expert help and counsel from Charmaine Slaven, Charlie Beck, Catherine
Alexander, Gabe Strand, Doug Plummer and Johnny Calcagno.
And of course many thanks to all of the performers, crew and dancers
who made Dare to Be Square 09 happen. Having spent many hours now in
front of a laptop watching many of you dance, or call, or play music,
it is a pleasure to present this material for your enjoyment and
enlightenment.
Once more:
To keep this material from going viral, we ask that you exercise
respect and discretion about what you do with it. Since it was the
staff and attendees of DTBS 09 who made these videos happen, we'd like
to keep it in the family, so to speak. If you know a caller who might
benefit from seeing this, fine, but please ask that he or she also
respect DTBS and the folks who made it possible.
Tony Mates, March, 2010
Heads Up! Feet Smack!
Dare to Be Square is coming back!
Nov 4-7, 2010
tony mates
206-723-3897
ckittyroo(a)aol.com
Seems like I've called a kajillion dances for total beginners, including
many rowdy, well-lubricated wedding parties, some K-3rd-grade groups, and
one memorable reception in a gym full of of wound-up Russian high-school
exchange students, few of whom understood English, and their American peers,
none of whom had done any American traditional dance before. I largely agree
with everything that everyone else has said and recommended...
...And yet, in more than 75% of these cases I've chosen to include the
contra "Ellen's Green Jig" by Roy Dommett or one of several variations on it
I've evolved. It takes a little longer to walk through, which I do at least
twice, but it has never, ever failed (sorry if I'm duplicating some info I
think I've posted before). I think that's mostly because of the high level
of connection sustained and the small amount of movement away from original
places. The walkthrough demands enough attention that it actually defuses a
lot of that random unfocused adolescent energy. I disregard gender and
improper formation completely for the most challenging situations. Lots of
practice with such groups has significantly built up my comfort and
confidence, but this dance worked just as well way back when I was starting
out. If there are others that people can trust to work this well, please
share them. Here's the original and a couple tweaked versions:
A1: Dosido below; !s (actives) dosido;
A2: 1s bal, swing
B!: Circle L and R
B2: 2s arch, 1s take a peek; 1s arch, 2s peek;
2s carry arch over the 1s, who duck, then advance to next
Insisting that the 2s don't just stand still and let the 1s go through the
arch prevents the set getting dragged down the hall.
Variations:
A1: As couples, 1s and 2s dosido; circle L
A2: All bal, swing
B1: Star R, circle R
A1: Dosido below; circle L
Depending upon how the group has responded to material such as others have
suggested, I mix and match the various components above...
...And meanwhile: just last summer, I was asked to guest-call at a MWSD club
retreat in northern Vermont. The saving grace was that my invitation was set
up through some musicians who had been invited to play at the retreat during
a break between SD sessions. Having that live music at the right tempo
totally uncoupled the wary "shuffle quickly, then wait" pattern that
characterized the 45 minutes of mixed-ability and advanced level MWSD done
to recorded SD beats (and genuinely skillful prompting) before we were on.
We did a Virginia Reel variant, then an Ellen's Green variant, and the
behavior of these mostly 40-plus-year-olds rapidly became almost identical
to what you often see with high-schoolers: lots of exhausting skipping and
sashaying through the figures, laughter, and the kind of giddiness that gets
in the way of hearing the next call. Who'da thunk it? And after it was all
over they asked where else they could do this sort of thing.
Chip Hedler
