Hello all,
I live in a small town called Luck in Northwestern Wisconsin. I would like to
start a monthly or bimonthly contra dance here. I have only been to a few
contra dances, I don't know any dances, and certainly don't have any experience
as a caller. I know a band who I think is well capable and interested in
playing the music, but we don't know of anyone in the area that is familiar with
or could lead a contra dance. So my questions are two:
Does anyone know of anyone in the Polk county area capable of being a caller?
if not
How can a complete beginner like me learn the system and enough dances to become
a caller? Are there any books, resources, workshops, etc. that would help me?
Anything to point me in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Jonathan
Hi All:
This past weekend at a dance writing workshop at the Foot Fall dance weekend we came up with the following dance, and were wondering if it was new:
Waiting for the Other Foot to Fall Improper
Co-authors; Dan Black, Joyce Duffy-Bilanow, Bob Isaacs, Hannah Platt, Kendall Rogers
A1. Neighbor handy-hand allemande 1 1/2, 2s swing - face down (1)
A2. Down hall in line/4 - 2s turn as a couple, up hall and bend line
B1. Circle L, neighbor swing
B2. Long lines, 2s swing
(1) - It's the L hand for the 1G/2L, and R hand for the 1L/2G. The line of four facing down from L to R is 1G-2G-2L-1L.
Anyone seen this one before?
Bob
Hi calling friends,
I know a bunch of us attend the Ralph Page weekend in January ... and
congrats to Lynn Ackerson for being a featured caller along with the amazing
Tod Whittemore. It's going to be a great weekend.
I was working on getting a hotel room and was shocked to discover that the
New England Center on campus has closed. Defunct. Over. Locked Up. No More.
As far as I can tell, the Holiday Inn Express is the next best choice, since
it's still an easy walk to the MUB. So y'all might want to book a room
early.
Best,
Lisa
--
Become a Monadnock Co-op
Member!<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103582272438&s=522&e=001yMXrq9ir0gBX7ESCD5f3q…>
Join
to enjoy great food and invest in our community's future.
Luke,
The partner gypsy-and-swing version is a dance written by Beau Farmer called Together At Last
Regards,
Mark
------------------------------
From: Luke Donev <luke.donev(a)gmail.com> wrote:
Hello all,
I was lying awake in bed last night, running through dances in my mind, and
put together the following. It's a fairly straightforward dance, so I'm
curious if it already exists in the collected oeuvre
Improper
A1
Neighbor Balance and Swing
A2
Gents Left allemande 1.5x
Pass partner by R for 1/2 hey
B1
Partner Balance and Swing
B2
Ladies Chain across the set
Left Hand Star 1x
Those balance and swings could easily be replaced with gypsy meltdowns, as
the right shoulder is available in both cases. That's not really enough to
make it a different dance in my opinion, so there are a couple of
permutations this may already exist in. Thoughts?
Jeff, I recommend Joys of Port McNeill by Marian Rose, especially when danced to the tune Joys of Quebec as it was intended by the author. I won't reprint it here without Marian's permission, but it's in her Step Lively 2 book. It fulfills much the same objectives as Haste to the Wedding, has the same kind of alignment between the music and choreography, and has the bonus of an easy zigzag figure. I've used this early in an evening to preview the zigzag figure in a contra later on in the program. Works as Sicilian circle (as written) or as improper contra.
Jeremy
> Yesterday I called Haste to the Wedding [1] after an influx of new
> dancers and as a recovery from a dance that was a little too hard for
> the group. I expected it to go well, but I was surprised by how well,
> actually. With the clapping in time with the music in the B parts and
> the extra time for the pass through, a lot of people who'd been
> confused by progression and how this whole thing worked seemed to get
> it in a way that helped for following dances as well.
>
> Does anyone have suggestions for other dances that work similarly,
> teaching progression?
>
Dear Alan,
When calling Sicilian Circles, I have dancers form a large circle. I
then actually go out on the floor and ask two couples to face each
other. I then progress around the ring, having the couples face as I
go. It actually takes very little time to do and avoids confusion
surrounding language choices.
Linda
On Sep 8, 2010, at 6:03 PM, Alan Winston - SSRL Central Computing wrote:
> Jeff wrote:
>
>
>> Yesterday I called Haste to the Wedding [1] after an influx of new
>> dancers and as a recovery from a dance that was a little too hard for
>> the group. I expected it to go well, but I was surprised by how
>> well,
>> actually. With the clapping in time with the music in the B parts
>> and
>> the extra time for the pass through, a lot of people who'd been
>> confused by progression and how this whole thing worked seemed to get
>> it in a way that helped for following dances as well.
>
>> Does anyone have suggestions for other dances that work similarly,
>> teaching progression?
>
> I'll echo others who talk about how great a dance Haste to the
> Wedding is.
> I use it early on in one-night-stand programs very often, usually as
> a Sicilian
> Circle. According to John Millar in "Country Dances of Colonial
> America", the
> tune was used in an operetta called "The Elopement" in the 1760s.
> Very similar
> dance figures to the version we use can be found in the 1770s,
> although with a
> two-hand-turn-halfway-and-turn-individually-to-face-new-neighbors
> progression,
> which Does Not Work for beginners; The Sicilian circle with pass-
> through
> progression seems to be mid/late 19th-century. Anyway, it's
> undifferentiated
> enough that it can be your first contra dance, your first English
> dance, your
> first Regency dance, your first Civil War dance.
>
> In similar circumstances, if the band knows the tune (and they
> usually do,
> especially if they're old-timey) I'll pull out "Soldier's Joy",
> which I have
> from a mid-Victorian dance manual:
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> SOLDIER'S JOY. 80 Steps.
> Sicilian Circle ("As for Spanish Dance")
> 32-bar reel.
>
>
> A1: 1-4: Forward and back
> 5-8: Opposites turn two hands (no progression)
>
> A2: 1-4: Partners balance
> 5-8: Partners turn (could swing if wanted)
>
> B1: 1-8: Ladies chain over and back
>
> B2: 1-8: Forward and back, forward and pass through.
>
>
>
> Original text:
>
> All forward and back, swing the opposite-all balance to partners and
> turn-ladies chain-forward and back, forward and cross to face the
> next couple.
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> (You could certainly do this as an improper longways, but you'd need
> to space
> the minor sets out further than we usually do for contra, since the
> ladies
> chain is along the set rather than across it.)
>
> It's sometimes challenging to get first-timer groups into sicilian
> circle
> formation, since words that work for people with a vague clue
> ("couple facing
> couple around a circle", "radiate out like spokes of a wheel from
> the hub",
> etc) often don't for people who don't have practice in seeing the
> big picture.
> If anybody has ideas about that making that go smoothly all the
> time, I'd be
> happy to hear them. But in any case, the formation is great for
> getting the
> progression idea across since it relieves the first-timer of having
> to deal
> with end effects, role changes, etc, etc.
>
> -- Alan
>
>
>
>
>
> --
> =
> =
> =
> =
> =
> =
> =
> =
> =
> ======================================================================
> Alan Winston --- WINSTON(a)SSRL.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU
> Disclaimer: I speak only for myself, not SLAC or SSRL Phone:
> 650/926-3056
> Paper mail to: SSRL -- SLAC BIN 99, 2575 Sand Hill Rd, Menlo Park
> CA 94025
> =
> =
> =
> =
> =
> =
> =
> =
> =
> ======================================================================
>
>
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Yesterday I called Haste to the Wedding [1] after an influx of new
dancers and as a recovery from a dance that was a little too hard for
the group. I expected it to go well, but I was surprised by how well,
actually. With the clapping in time with the music in the B parts and
the extra time for the pass through, a lot of people who'd been
confused by progression and how this whole thing worked seemed to get
it in a way that helped for following dances as well.
Does anyone have suggestions for other dances that work similarly,
teaching progression?
Jeff
[1] Something like:
A1 * (8) Circle L
* (8) Circle R
A2 * (8) Star R
* (8) Star L
B1 * (8) P dosido
* (2) Clap, Clap
* (6) P swing
B2 * (8) N dosido
* (2) Clap, Clap
* (6) Pass Through
Hello all,
I was lying awake in bed last night, running through dances in my mind, and
put together the following. It's a fairly straightforward dance, so I'm
curious if it already exists in the collected oeuvre
Improper
A1
Neighbor Balance and Swing
A2
Gents Left allemande 1.5x
Pass partner by R for 1/2 hey
B1
Partner Balance and Swing
B2
Ladies Chain across the set
Left Hand Star 1x
Those balance and swings could easily be replaced with gypsy meltdowns, as
the right shoulder is available in both cases. That's not really enough to
make it a different dance in my opinion, so there are a couple of
permutations this may already exist in. Thoughts?
On a different note, I have vague memories of dancing a dance with a figure
similar to contra corners, but instead of coming back to partners by the
right in the middle, the active couple slide past each other and interact
with both lines of dancers. I'll try describing it as a sequence of
interactions below
In a triplet, with couples (A 1), (B 2), (C 3) where letters are gents and
numbers ladies
A 1
2 B
C 3
2 & B pull by R
2 & 1 allemande L while B & C allemande L
2 & A allemande R while B & 3 allemande R
2 & B slide past each other
2 & 3 allemande L while B & A allemande L
2 & C allemande R while B & 1 allemande R
It possibly ended with B & 2 doing a balance and swing in the middle, or
maybe everyone doing a balance and swing (although C and 1 will be facing
away from their partners).
I feel like it's a lot of motion, and might even require a non-square tune?
Something like Fleur de Mandragore that adds just a tiny bit extra to a
phrase (in Fleur's case, a measure of 3/2 in the A2)
Is that ringing any bells for folks? I may have to try to write this as a
dance to excise the sequence from my head. I put a lot more dance
choreography stuff up on facebook, so feel free to drop me a line off-list
if you'd like even more of these random thoughts.
Thanks all! You'll know if my account is ever hacked, my e-mails will become
a lot more concise :-)
--
Luke Donev
http://www.lukedonev.com
Luke.Donev(a)gmail.com
Kathy Anderson's best advice, "When you are out, go where you are needed."
Charley Harvey
www.charleyharvey.com
________________________________
From: "callers-request(a)sharedweight.net" <callers-request(a)sharedweight.net>
To: callers(a)sharedweight.net
Sent: Tue, September 7, 2010 12:00:03 PM
Subject: Callers Digest, Vol 73, Issue 3
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Today's Topics:
1. Dances with tricky end effects (Dan Pearl)
2. Re: Dances with tricky end effects (Dorcas Hand)
3. Re: Dances with tricky end effects (Mark Widmer)
4. Re: Dances with tricky end effects (Jack Mitchell)
5. Re: Dances with tricky end effects (Andrea Nettleton)
6. Re: Dances with tricky end effects (Robert Golder)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Mon, 6 Sep 2010 10:05:45 -0700 (PDT)
From: Dan Pearl <daniel_pearl(a)yahoo.com>
To: callers(a)sharedweight.net
Subject: [Callers] Dances with tricky end effects
Message-ID: <841676.85973.qm(a)web65711.mail.ac4.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
There are actually two possible cases to think about. First: what couples do
when they have progressed out of the set (and the answer is USUALLY "cross over
and wait"). Second: what pairs (not partners) do when they move out of the minor
set at some point during the sequence, like in "Cal and Irene".
In "Cal...", the end effects are pretty manageable and observe END EFFECT
DEFAULT RULE #1: Just face into the set (e.g., face up at the bottom) with the W
on the right, M on the left. It is very close to the way you shift out of the
set. In this dance, the default rule works for both cases mentioned in the
first paragraph.
The DIAGONAL DANCE END EFFECT RULE: Dances that work out of the minor set with
some sort of diagonal action require that an idle pair station themselves on the
correct side of the set.
Some special cases worth mentioning: "Fiddleheads" by Ted Sannella is a great
dance and features an automatic crossover when you progress out at the ends.
Other dances require that an idle pair at the foot be on the 'wrong' side
because the progression happens everyone is on their non-home side. (I think
"Be Here Now" is one of those dances.)
Here's another one
Becket Formation
A1. Cir L 3/4, Sw N
A2. W Chain, 1/2 promenade
B1. Petronella bal & twirl, **** swing new N
B2. M almd L 1+1/2, Sw Partner
At the ****, the idle couple needs to be on the 'unusual' side for an idle
couple. This sort of thing is worth mentioning in the walk-through.
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Mon, 6 Sep 2010 12:54:44 -0500
From: "Dorcas Hand" <handd51(a)tekkmail.com>
To: "Caller's discussion list" <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
Subject: Re: [Callers] Dances with tricky end effects
Message-ID:
<20A4CF7C075ED84D940EB5775C34D26E05634D(a)mercury.Exchange.1-service.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Hey, Parker
I seem to have lost your direct email - but I thought I would say hello. I'm
wishing for your cooler weather! Dorcas
-----Original Message-----
From: callers-bounces(a)sharedweight.net [mailto:callers-bounces@sharedweight.net]
On Behalf Of PARKER MANN
Sent: Monday, September 06, 2010 1:22 AM
To: callers(a)sharedweight.net
Subject: [Callers] Dances with tricky end effects
I 'm planning on calling a couple of dances this weekend where there is
interaction with couples outside the usual minor sets.? One of them is Dan
pearl's composition "Cal and Irene."? My concern is what happens at the top and
bottom of the lines.
What recommendations do you have to prepare dancers for end effects when they
are not used to anything more than "cross over and wait?"
Thanks.
Parker
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Message: 3
Date: Mon, 6 Sep 2010 11:19:37 -0700 (PDT)
From: Mark Widmer <widmermt(a)yahoo.com>
To: callers(a)sharedweight.net
Subject: Re: [Callers] Dances with tricky end effects
Message-ID: <793155.27721.qm(a)web62107.mail.re1.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Sometimes it's enough to say, "when you're waiting out at the end, be ready to
allemande (or form long waves, or star left, or whatever) with people"
Depending on the dance, you might have to tell people *not* to cross over right
away, or to be in position to chain on the right (or left) diagonal
Mark Widmer
PARKER MANN <M_P_Mann(a)shaw.ca> wrote:
What recommendations do you have to prepare dancers for end effects when they
are not used to anything more than "cross over and wait?"
------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Mon, 06 Sep 2010 14:28:21 -0400
From: Jack Mitchell <jamitch3(a)mindspring.com>
To: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
Subject: Re: [Callers] Dances with tricky end effects
Message-ID: <4C8532C5.7000601(a)mindspring.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
You can tell people which side they need to be on (if it's just
waiting out on the end for something to happen), but frequently the best
advice is to just tell them that the people who are in the dance know
where you need to be better than you (who are standing out) do -- go
where you're needed.
Jack
On 9/6/2010 2:21 AM, PARKER MANN wrote:
> I 'm planning on calling a couple of dances this weekend where there is
>interaction with couples outside the usual minor sets. One of them is Dan
>pearl's composition "Cal and Irene." My concern is what happens at the top and
>bottom of the lines.
>
>
>
> What recommendations do you have to prepare dancers for end effects when they
>are not used to anything more than "cross over and wait?"
>
>
>
> Thanks.
>
>
>
> Parker
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Callers mailing list
> Callers(a)sharedweight.net
> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
>
------------------------------
Message: 5
Date: Mon, 6 Sep 2010 15:55:42 -0400
From: Andrea Nettleton <twirly-girl(a)bellsouth.net>
To: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
Subject: Re: [Callers] Dances with tricky end effects
Message-ID: <A0D6A315-108B-463D-B159-643E3E8AFEA8(a)bellsouth.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed; delsp=yes
I had a dance I was calling where you were in and out three different
ways. After a near meltdown, I wrote a stacked call that included the
waitouts in my notes, but concluded that most dances that don't allow
the dancers to take over and the caller to drop out are probably not
worth it.
Sent from my iPhone
On Sep 6, 2010, at 8:32 AM, Jeanette Mill <jeanette_mill(a)yahoo.com.au>
wrote:
> Great question. I look forward to reading the responses. It's always
> tricky
> because the dancers don't get to practice the end effects until they
> need to use
> them once in anger, and then it's over in seconds. And it's hard to
> get them in
> your head when you're practicing the dance at home as a caller.
>
> Jeanette
>
> "When we eat from the industrial-food system, we are eating oil and
> spewing
> greenhouse gases."
> - Michael Pollan
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: PARKER MANN <M_P_Mann(a)shaw.ca>
> To: callers(a)sharedweight.net
> Sent: Mon, 6 September, 2010 4:21:45 PM
> Subject: [Callers] Dances with tricky end effects
>
> I 'm planning on calling a couple of dances this weekend where there
> is
> interaction with couples outside the usual minor sets. One of them
> is Dan
> pearl's composition "Cal and Irene." My concern is what happens at
> the top and
> bottom of the lines.
>
>
>
> What recommendations do you have to prepare dancers for end effects
> when they
> are not used to anything more than "cross over and wait?"
>
>
>
> Thanks.
>
>
>
> Parker
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Callers mailing list
> Callers(a)sharedweight.net
> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Callers mailing list
> Callers(a)sharedweight.net
> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
------------------------------
Message: 6
Date: Mon, 6 Sep 2010 22:53:46 -0400
From: Robert Golder <robertgolder(a)comcast.net>
To: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
Subject: Re: [Callers] Dances with tricky end effects
Message-ID: <214AD410-1340-45C9-A21F-A028BEE945A2(a)comcast.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
> What recommendations do you have to prepare dancers for end effects when they
>are not used to anything more than "cross over and wait?"
Make sure they hear and respond positively to special instructions. As an
example, the improper duple minor dance "Round the Horn" by Walter Lenk requires
dancers waiting out at the ends to refrain from trading places until they have
interacted with a shadow dancer, at which point they must trade places before
the cycle of the dance begins again. After I have taught the dance I will say
something like this: "In all the dances we have done tonight, you have been so
good at quickly trading places with your partner at the ends. But 'Round the
Horn' is not a dance that rewards efficiency in trading places..." and then I
tell them what to do while waiting out. Having just received a compliment for
the style in which they have danced the previous dances, the crowd is listening
closely when I tell them that "Round the Horn" is a special case - and so there
will be no mix-ups at the ends of the sets.
------------------------------
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