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.
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
The post on walk-throughs for new dancers got me thinking about
recruiting new dancers. This straddles dance caller and dance
organizer, but I'd like to hear people's responses.
I'm curious about people's experiences recruiting new dancers. I've
seen several dances that do a lower cost for first time dancers to try
to lower the barrier for entry. Has any group tried doing a coupon for
a discount when they come back a second time?
I feel like the venues for dances are usually such that folks don't
randomly wander in. If folks show up for a first time, they've decided
to come (or were brought). Does knowing there is a discount for first
timers help make them come? When there is a discount, how often do the
first timers know that coming in? I'm pondering the scenario where you
charge full price for the first time, when they've committed to coming
out, and then give them a coupon to come back at a discount price
their second time.
I know a lot of people who tried contra once and were hooked, and I've
seen people who try for a little bit and then never come back. Is it
worth trying to up the likelihood of a second experience, at what
fractional cost for the first? Or should the focus be on that first
experience, and making the barriers for entry as low as possible?
If a group has the resources, then it can just say that the first two
dances are cheaper, but I feel like giving someone a reminder,
business card sized, with the website to check for more information,
is a nice way of having them think about the dance at least once more.
Do callers doing one night gigs announce local dance options if they
know them? Or do you only talk about it with the folks who come up and
ask? Presumably if a caller has been brought in, the organizer of the
party knows the folks at the party and the local dance scene. Is it on
the caller or the organizer to spread information about other chances
to dance? And do you broadcast wide, or focus on the folks who seem
really in to it. I think culturally, at a societal level, we've lost
the sense that we can dance after our 20s at things besides weddings,
which is a real shame.
--
Luke Donev
http://www.lukedonev.com
Luke.Donev(a)gmail.com
I'm stepping ever so cautiously onto a soapbox. Though I'll strive to maintain a
civil tone, my biases will certainly become clear in what follows...
Mac's original question was "I would be interesting to hear how other callers
incorporate other formations in their programs and how they and the dancer feel
about it..."
Most of the responses, mine included, spoke to what we as callers do in our
programs and why. Embedded in our answers is the reality of being hired
professionals at the mercy of the dance organizers and subject to local customs.
For example, Joy wrote: "My region is not very square-friendly, at least not at
a contra dance. ... So given the local atmosphere, I stick to mostly improper
and Becket contra dances."
The Big Question hidden behind all of our responses so far is, "To what extent
should callers select a program based on the wishes of the dancers?" Granted,
unless one meets those expectations at least in part, one will have a hard time
getting hired again. I'm well aware of that reality.
Remember the words of Polonius in Hamlet? "To thine own self be true." What does
that mean for us as callers?
Phrased differently, is the caller's role to follow the dancers or is it to
provide leadership? This might take the form of presenting a program that is
slightly different from the norm. It might mean taking a little more time to
bring out style points, or to discuss safety on the dance floor, or to
illustrate through example a particularly interesting / challenging transition,
or even in the middle of a walkthrough to remind dancers of some basics that may
never have been learned or that need refreshing-- "A ladies chain across takes
eight counts, four for the two women to cross the set and four for the courtesy
turn. The same timing applies to right and left, four to cross and four to
turn." It might mean calling more often than is the norm; several times I've
been quietly thanked by dancers who note that most callers only call a few times
and how stressful this has been for them trying to learn a dance.
I highly recommend Bruce Hamilton's little booklet, "Notes on Teaching Country
Dance," published by CDSS. Although Bruce's background is Scottish and English
country dance, much of what he says also applies in the realm of contras and
squares. In his section on "Leadership and Social Aspects," Bruce writes:
---quoted material follows:
It is crucial to understand this: people accede to your authority because that's
the shortest way for them to get to dance. Generally speaking, they do what you
say, not out of respect for your experience, because they think you know more
than they do, because you have a big voice, because it's a habit they picked up
in school, or anything like that. They do what you say out of enlightened
self-interest.
---end quoted material
He goes on to say that because the caller has been given this authority, it is
important to exercise it.
The most common example today in "our" dance community is the contras vs.
squares divide. It's important to remember that we are part of a long and
braided chain, that these two country dance forms have been in and out of favor
at different points of time. The longways dances of the late 1700s and into the
1800s were pushed aside by the quadrilles, and then both forms were abandoned on
ballroom floors and replaced by couple dances such as the polka and waltz.
Contras were, for much of the last century, appreciated in only a handful of
communities while squares were enjoyed by (literally) millions of dancers. We
get excited because 700 people are dancing contras in the main hall at NEFFA?
Modern western square dance callers remember occasions when they called to 700
squares. Callers such as Ralph Sweet who tried to interest their square dancers
in contras found a closed audience: "Contras? Boring! You do the same thing over
and over again. What's the fun of that?" And today, in this mostly
contra-centric universe, the wheel turns again as we see the rise of communities
of young dancers who are enthusiastic about southern Appalachian old-time music
and squares and want nothing to do with contras.
People like what they know. If callers only give dancers what they already know,
how will they discover the delight to be found in other dance styles? Does this
mean that an event advertised as a contra dance, one should only present a
program of polkas and tango? Scarcely. But keep in mind that an evening billed
as a "contra dance" is a new phenomenon; the first such events date back only
about 35 years, to the Boston area in the mid-1970s.
My home dance bills itself as a contra dance, but I think of it as a country
dance, and that term in my mind encompasses more than long lines. Even within
the strict contra designation, there are proper and improper dances, duple and
triple minors, and I believe that each has a valid place in a program. I
remember a dancer who started at our local dances and then, after several years,
went cautiously out into the broader world, to one of the more distant hot (or
cool) venues. She reported that she had had a great time and then added, "There
one thing I don't understand. All they did, the whole evening, was hands four
improper or Becket dances. The whole night!"
David Millstone
Lebanon, NH
In regards to unwelcome behavior at a dance, our community has a middle-aged
man who zeros in on the (very thin) young women (we're a college town), and
lifts them off the floor, swings them around, drops their heads towards the
floor, etc. I watched him drop a first-time dancer, TWICE in one night. I
saw her go to the restroom and followed her. She was unhurt but badly
shaken and in tears.
As a member of the organizing committee, I had a talk with him and he denied
vehemently everything I saw, saying that she "fell." I told him someone
cannot "fall" if their feet are in the air to start with. As lead, his job
is to take care of his partner. On his behalf, let me say that many of the
young women enjoy his moves, but many do not.
Because of this dancer, another local community passed a policy that
requires dancers to keep one foot on the floor at all times. I felt that
policy was a message to young people that they didn't want young people
coming to their dances as dips and aerials (done carefully and well) are how
they like to dance.
After much discussion our Board passed a policy that clearly outlines our
requirements regarding moves which lift someone off the floor, but the thing
I like best is that it outlines behavior for ALL dancers to follow. It is a
personal peeve of mine when women (and sometimes men) complain about a
dancer behind his back but will not tell the dancer what he is doing
inappropriate. That sometimes makes it hard to confront the person because
he will say, "I've never had any complaints."
Our rambunctious dancer has been following these guidelines very well for
several months now.
Here is a link to the full policy:
http://godsdance.org/GODS/New_to_Contra_files/safe%20dancing%20policy.pdf
JoLaine
Sue Robishaw
Can't get through to you using Sue(a)manytracks.com as I found it on the list.
Can you send a working email address?
Thanks Much,
Jim
Austin, TX
"It's OK, I'm a Contra Dancer"
Greg,
Really, Greg, you are assuming way too much. I didn't say I had
trouble keeping a crowd in order. I was talking about our beginner
session. If I have a very small group of beginners, I sometimes don't
use the mike - but if the diameter of the initial circle I use to
teach some figures in is beyond a certain size, I have to. Not
everyone participates in the beginner session, many people come in
and are socializing while the newcomers are being taught. That means
there is some volume in a rather vibrant hall. I'm not about to
prevent people from greeting their friends while I teach. In
addition, we have an older crowd here, some of whom are hard of
hearing and they certainly can't here me without the mike. I do not
crank the volume on the headset mike, and since the hall is long, and
people enter at the back and I teach near the front, I don't need to
overwhelm anyone with the volume. But I do need the mike to teach.
Just because you are a guy with a big voice and you don't like
headset mikes doesn't mean everyone can do it your way, or that it is
the only way. Good for you, use whatever you like. I will use the
headset mike. Oh, and once the real dance starts, I don't seem to
have trouble with people ignoring the caller because I had the mike
on during the beginner session.
Martha Wild
On Jul 23, 2011, 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
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>
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> than "Re: Contents of Callers digest..."
>
>
> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. looking for "Mad Robin in Love" (Deborah Comly)
> 2. Re: Callers Digest, Vol 83, Issue 7 (Dennis Merritt)
> 3. Head Mikes and Mike Heads (Greg McKenzie)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2011 17:15:12 -0700
> From: Deborah Comly <debcomly(a)gmail.com>
> To: "Caller's discussion list" <Callers(a)sharedweight.net>
> Subject: [Callers] looking for "Mad Robin in Love"
> Message-ID:
> <CAC1TBK2Tziyxh=kpGFRL1PFUgekZD=xETteQnDZcO15LJ7F=Pg(a)mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>
> Hi I am looking for a dance, "Mad Robin in Love," by Greg Frock.
>
> Thanks! Deb
>
> --
> Deb Comly
> Flagstaff, AZ
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Sat, 23 Jul 2011 00:48:32 -0400
> From: Dennis Merritt <dennismerritt1(a)gmail.com>
> To: callers(a)sharedweight.net
> Subject: Re: [Callers] Callers Digest, Vol 83, Issue 7
> Message-ID:
> <CAAn1myVRDUeh9ZS_YRXFHcF_7W7k+k=WEVSoe-ifC93OUZdbJA(a)mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>
> I've taught many beginning ladies how to keep a strong dance frame,
> how to
> use it to regulate the degree of closeness with whoever is swinging
> them.
> It seemed to me simple for women to learn how to deal with men
> that try to
> hold them too close.
>
> And then I started dancing the woman's role from time to time, and
> in one
> dance in particular, there was a shadow swing, and my shadow was a
> larger
> man, probably with issues, uncomfortable with a man dancing the
> woman's
> role, and he grabbed me tight and got all romantic, as a joke?, but
> it was
> very uncomfortable to me, and he was larger than me, and I couldn't
> get
> extracted, and didn't say anything, and felt I understood...
>
> Dennis
>
> On Sat, Jul 9, 2011 at 6:47 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. Re: mental health and dance calling (Amy Cann)
>> 2. Re: mental health and dance calling (Bree Kalb)
>> 3. Re: mental health and dance calling (Amy Cann)
>> 4. Re: mental health and dance calling (Martha Edwards)
>> 5. Re: unwelcome behavior (Martha Edwards)
>> 6. alternate formations (Richard Mckeever)
>> 7. Re: alternate formations (Alan Winston - SSRL Central Computing)
>>
>>
>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>> -
>>
>> Message: 1
>> Date: Sat, 9 Jul 2011 12:03:17 -0400
>> From: Amy Cann <acann(a)putneyschool.org>
>> To: "Caller's discussion list" <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
>> Subject: Re: [Callers] mental health and dance calling
>> Message-ID:
>> <CALZWU+t7PGH_zRxzfR
>> +tUy2=DJHrFtrpxkm=w4CC9Hvk0Focsg(a)mail.gmail.com
>>>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>>
>> It's funny, I'm listening to all of these stories and thinking
>> about the
>> creepers I've run into over the years, and I'm thinking to myself:
>>
>> "Well, it's really quite simple, isn't it? Ladies, if a gent is being
>> inappropriate, walk away!
>>
>> Just wait until you're out at the top or bottom, turn to him and
>> say 'I am
>> uncomfortable with what you are doing and am not going to finish
>> this dance
>> with you' -- and then do it. Walk off. And if he's really
>> offensive, don't
>> wait until the end, bail out right then and there. The world won't
>> end if a
>> line of dancers has to cope with a hole. What's more important,
>> ten more
>> minutes of perfect dancing for that line, at that dance, or a
>> really good
>> behavior-modification moment that will actually improve the dance
>> community
>> more in the long run?"
>>
>> And yet it isn't that simple, is it? We don't do it. We have these
>> halls
>> just filled with women who are about as uniformly
>> modern/educated/self-actuated/socially conscious/feminist as it
>> gets, who
>> spend our days running businesses or doing high end IT/research
>> -- or
>> teaching children or counseling teens or lobbying to pass laws on
>> issues
>> just like this -- and not once in my experience have I ever known
>> a woman
>> to
>> say "Nope, enough, not going to let you do this."
>>
>> Heck, I've marched eighth grade boys (and girls) off the
>> playground for
>> inappropriate behavior without a flinch, but at a dance, when it's
>> *me?
>> *I've
>> been groped and dipped and clenched a few times over the years and
>> the most
>> overt thing I've ever done is reached back, grabbed his hand,
>> moved it up
>> about six inches to the small of my back, and said "works much
>> better for
>> me
>> if you keep your hand *there". *The other times, I've simply
>> become ice
>> cold/distant and stopped making eye contact - which can be quite the
>> putdown
>> if you really work it, smile and nod at all of your neighbors but
>> shut down
>> completely every time you return to your partner. But have I truly
>> called
>> them out on it? No. And neither have any of my peers.
>>
>> Food for thought.
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------
>>
>> Message: 2
>> Date: Sat, 9 Jul 2011 13:15:09 -0400
>> From: "Bree Kalb" <bree(a)mindspring.com>
>> To: "Caller's discussion list" <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
>> Subject: Re: [Callers] mental health and dance calling
>> Message-ID: <36DF3156E5FA448B88FBF5C1106D581C@BreeHomeLaptop>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
>> reply-type=original
>>
>> Amy wrote: But have I truly called
>> them out on it? No. And neither have any of my peers.
>>
>> I have.
>> Now that I'm older, it doesn't happen as often, but still does
>> occasionally.
>> I've put my left palm against a man's shoulder and pushed him
>> back, saying:
>> "I don't want to dance that close.' Or: "I don't sleaze dance."
>> The next
>> time they've asked me to dance, I've said "I'll only dance with
>> you again
>> if you don't (do that particular thing again.)" They've always
>> agreed and
>> behaved themselves, for that dance. When I come to them in the
>> line, I
>> automatically push them back a little. But I know I'm an
>> exception; the
>> younger, shyer women don't feel comfortable setting limits. Even
>> someone
>> like Amy (who I surmise is not particularly shy) is uneasy being
>> so bold.
>> So it's important that the organizers pay attention and act. Our
>> board
>> actually banned a guy from dancing because he was preying on
>> teenage girls;
>> other dance organizers in the area followed suit.
>>
>> Bree Kalb
>> Carrboro
>>
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------
>>
>> Message: 3
>> Date: Sat, 9 Jul 2011 13:27:09 -0400
>> From: Amy Cann <acann(a)putneyschool.org>
>> To: "Caller's discussion list" <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
>> Subject: Re: [Callers] mental health and dance calling
>> Message-ID:
>> <CALZWU+s=JBRxuF8ZvN6_vwBDE
>> +iQ6D6q_8727TRiseZ8CvNS9Q(a)mail.gmail.com
>>>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>>
>> I'll bet this discussion is going to continue for a bit, so let's
>> clarify:
>>
>> I've ALWAYS made people stop what they are doing -- made them
>> leave more
>> room, move a hand -- I've just always done it non-verbally. If I
>> don't want
>> to be dipped, I don't get dipped -- I can shift my weight or go
>> inert in
>> ways that make it impossible. I'm not shy about taking care of
>> myself, and
>> that cold/silent treatment is pretty darn harsh/unmistakable (just
>> ask my
>> husband :)
>>
>> But on reflection, it's always been a private interchange. By
>> "calling
>> out",
>> I mean it in the most specific way: calling them out from the
>> crowd, into
>> the spotlight, to be addressed in front of an audience. I've very
>> rarely
>> seen this happen, and have never heard of a woman walking off the
>> floor
>> mid-dance.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Sat, Jul 9, 2011 at 1:15 PM, Bree Kalb <bree(a)mindspring.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Amy wrote: But have I truly called
>>>
>>> them out on it? No. And neither have any of my peers.
>>>
>>> I have.
>>> Now that I'm older, it doesn't happen as often, but still does
>>> occasionally.
>>> I've put my left palm against a man's shoulder and pushed him back,
>> saying:
>>> "I don't want to dance that close.' Or: "I don't sleaze dance."
>>> The next
>>> time they've asked me to dance, I've said "I'll only dance with you
>> again
>>> if you don't (do that particular thing again.)" They've always
>>> agreed and
>>> behaved themselves, for that dance. When I come to them in the
>>> line, I
>>> automatically push them back a little. But I know I'm an
>>> exception; the
>>> younger, shyer women don't feel comfortable setting limits. Even
>>> someone
>>> like Amy (who I surmise is not particularly shy) is uneasy being
>>> so bold.
>> So
>>> it's important that the organizers pay attention and act. Our board
>> actually
>>> banned a guy from dancing because he was preying on teenage
>>> girls; other
>>> dance organizers in the area followed suit.
>>>
>>> Bree Kalb
>>> Carrboro
>>> ______________________________**_________________
>>> Callers mailing list
>>> Callers(a)sharedweight.net
>>> http://www.sharedweight.net/**mailman/listinfo/callers<
>> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers>
>>>
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------
>>
>> Message: 4
>> Date: Sat, 9 Jul 2011 14:32:07 -0500
>> From: Martha Edwards <meedwards(a)westendweb.com>
>> To: "Caller's discussion list" <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
>> Subject: Re: [Callers] mental health and dance calling
>> Message-ID:
>> <CAJjmMcPtmmmmaO5KSLND-
>> SEw3Bop2YQADhO2w7xSqtCsQNG=yA(a)mail.gmail.com
>>>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
>>
>> Good points, all, as usual.
>>
>> The more difficult problem is how to keep the creeps from behaving
>> that way
>> with younger, or newer, dancers, who don't know yet what sort of
>> atmosphere
>> we generally maintain, and are reluctant to "cause a scene".
>> Mostly, I
>> think, if it's too bad, they just go away, never to return and
>> find out
>> that
>> 99% of dancers would never think of acting that way.
>>
>> So, when we tell these folks a direct "NO" (and we should, oh yes, we
>> should!) we can do those dancers a favor and tell the creeps
>> exactly what
>> they did that was offensive. Tell them what they did and how you
>> feel about
>> it. And tell a trustworthy board member.
>>
>> I admit I haven't always been direct with people on my own behalf
>> - I just
>> get away and move on. Oddly, I'm much more comfortable speaking to
>> these
>> folks on behalf of others. No fear. Wonder what that's about.
>>
>> M
>> E
>>
>> On Sat, Jul 9, 2011 at 12:27 PM, Amy Cann <acann(a)putneyschool.org>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I'll bet this discussion is going to continue for a bit, so let's
>> clarify:
>>>
>>> I've ALWAYS made people stop what they are doing -- made them
>>> leave more
>>> room, move a hand -- I've just always done it non-verbally. If I
>>> don't
>> want
>>> to be dipped, I don't get dipped -- I can shift my weight or go
>>> inert in
>>> ways that make it impossible. I'm not shy about taking care of
>>> myself,
>> and
>>> that cold/silent treatment is pretty darn harsh/unmistakable
>>> (just ask my
>>> husband :)
>>>
>>> But on reflection, it's always been a private interchange. By
>>> "calling
>>> out",
>>> I mean it in the most specific way: calling them out from the
>>> crowd, into
>>> the spotlight, to be addressed in front of an audience. I've very
>>> rarely
>>> seen this happen, and have never heard of a woman walking off the
>>> floor
>>> mid-dance.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Sat, Jul 9, 2011 at 1:15 PM, Bree Kalb <bree(a)mindspring.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Amy wrote: But have I truly called
>>>>
>>>> them out on it? No. And neither have any of my peers.
>>>>
>>>> I have.
>>>> Now that I'm older, it doesn't happen as often, but still does
>>>> occasionally.
>>>> I've put my left palm against a man's shoulder and pushed him back,
>>> saying:
>>>> "I don't want to dance that close.' Or: "I don't sleaze dance." The
>> next
>>>> time they've asked me to dance, I've said "I'll only dance with
>>>> you
>>> again
>>>> if you don't (do that particular thing again.)" They've always
>>>> agreed
>> and
>>>> behaved themselves, for that dance. When I come to them in the
>>>> line, I
>>>> automatically push them back a little. But I know I'm an
>>>> exception; the
>>>> younger, shyer women don't feel comfortable setting limits. Even
>> someone
>>>> like Amy (who I surmise is not particularly shy) is uneasy being so
>> bold.
>>> So
>>>> it's important that the organizers pay attention and act. Our board
>>> actually
>>>> banned a guy from dancing because he was preying on teenage girls;
>> other
>>>> dance organizers in the area followed suit.
>>>>
>>>> Bree Kalb
>>>> Carrboro
>>>> ______________________________**_________________
>>>> Callers mailing list
>>>> Callers(a)sharedweight.net
>>>> http://www.sharedweight.net/**mailman/listinfo/callers<
>>> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers>
>>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Callers mailing list
>>> Callers(a)sharedweight.net
>>> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> As you set out for Ithaka, pray that your journey be long, full of
>> adventure, full of discovery...
>> May there be many summer mornings when, with what pleasure, with
>> what joy,
>> you enter harbors you're seeing for the first time.
>> ~Constantine Cavafy, "Ithaka" 1911
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------
>>
>> Message: 5
>> Date: Sat, 9 Jul 2011 15:09:25 -0500
>> From: Martha Edwards <meedwards(a)westendweb.com>
>> To: "Caller's discussion list" <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
>> Subject: Re: [Callers] unwelcome behavior
>> Message-ID:
>>
>> <CAJjmMcPMteUijM5uawWOCauvUZvwJGJVL05Dkkca=Bb6j9pssg(a)mail.gmail.com
>>>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
>>
>> Here, it's easy. We don't allow lifting people off the floor.
>>
>> We have one person with a very mild mental illness who wasn't
>> judging very
>> well when to do it and when not, and wasn't always doing it
>> safely, so we
>> just made it a rule, not to be broken, that no one does it, to
>> make it
>> easier for him to remember.
>>
>> We also have a board member who loves doing aerials, does them
>> with safety
>> and with permission and all other good stuff, but he can't do it
>> at our
>> dances either, just because the hard-and-fast rule is the only way
>> we can
>> keep the rest of us from being cut off at the knees when the other
>> guy was
>> swinging new dancers off their feet and their legs cut a six-foot
>> circle
>> sweep.
>>
>> I also saw a caller in Kansas City stop a dance once and tell a
>> particularly
>> aggressive dancer to stop lifting people off the ground. "I have
>> liability
>> here, and I'm not going to continue calling if you keep doing
>> that." I
>> think the dancers applauded.
>>
>> I had the pleasure of meeting Frankie Manning, who invented the
>> aerial in
>> swing dancing in 1935, and was particularly impressed with the
>> amount of
>> practice he and his partner did before they ever tried it on a
>> dance floor
>> -
>> with mattresses covering the floor of his living room while they
>> learned
>> how.
>>
>> M
>> E
>>
>> On Sat, Jul 9, 2011 at 10:22 AM, Greg McKenzie <grekenzie(a)gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I would love to hear how other dance communities have dealt with
>>> this
>>> issue.
>>>
>>> - Greg McKenzie
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Callers mailing list
>>> Callers(a)sharedweight.net
>>> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
>>>
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------
>>
>> Message: 6
>> Date: Sat, 9 Jul 2011 14:12:41 -0700 (PDT)
>> From: Richard Mckeever <macmck(a)ymail.com>
>> To: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
>> Subject: [Callers] alternate formations
>> Message-ID:
>> <1310245961.53389.YahooMailNeo(a)web120406.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>>
>> Here is a new topic...
>>
>> Recently I have noticed that many of the programs presented have
>> consisted
>> solely of duple improper contras with a couple Becket dances
>> thrown in for
>> variety.
>>
>> I would be interesting to hear how other callers incorporate other
>> formations in their programs and how they and the dancer feel
>> about it
>>
>> This would include - but not be limited to:
>>
>> circles dances
>> Sicilian circles
>> Squares
>> 4 facing 4
>> triple minors
>> scatter mixers
>> other??
>>
>> Comments by formation would be interesting as would regional
>> variations in
>> programming
>>
>> Mac McKeever
>> St Louis
>>
>> ------------------------------
>>
>> Message: 7
>> Date: Sat, 09 Jul 2011 15:22:23 -0700 (PDT)
>> From: Alan Winston - SSRL Central Computing
>> <winston(a)slac.stanford.edu>
>> To: Richard Mckeever <macmck(a)ymail.com>
>> Cc: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
>> Subject: Re: [Callers] alternate formations
>> Message-ID: <01O3G5YHDG8WBPO4IB(a)SSRL.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU>
>> Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=us-ascii
>>
>> Mac asked about how other callerrs incorporate other formations
>> into their
>> programs.
>>
>>
>> I call English (for 25+ years), barn dances, historical-themed
>> (Regency/Early
>> American, Civil War, Dickens) and contra (for the last five or so
>> years,
>> but
>> only a few times a year).
>>
>> My answers are different for each kind of thing.
>>
>> For English, I typically call more duple minor (usually proper) than
>> anything
>> else, but try to mix it up with small-set dances (two-couple set,
>> three-couple
>> set, squares) and a triple minor or two in an evening. Since
>> tunes go with
>> particular dances, I also consider variety in mood, key, meter,
>> and tempo
>> when
>> I'm making up the program. (I'll also use what I know about the
>> musicians
>> I
>> have that night and try to keep away from notey reels for a
>> fiddler with
>> tendinitis, bias toward Bb tunes if I have a cello player, etc.)
>>
>> For barn dances, anything goes. Sicilians, threesome Sicilians, big
>> circles,
>> grand march, circle mixer, whatever.
>>
>> For historically-themed, it depends somewhat on what I can justify
>> historically, so Regency has lots of longways duples and some
>> triples,
>> mixed
>> with an occasional three-couple set (adapted from a triple minor,
>> like
>> Fandango, Prince William, etc), interspersed with waltzes.
>>
>> For Civil War / Victorian, Sicilians, threesome Sicilians, whole
>> sets in
>> longways formation (Gothic Dance, Virginia Reel/Roger de
>> Coverley), mixed
>> up
>> with waltzes, polkas, schottisches and galops.
>>
>> Around here (SF Bay Area) if you do a whole evening of duple-minor
>> improper
>> contras at a contra dance, nobody complains about it. Some
>> callers like to
>> include a square or two in an evening. A noticeable number of
>> people will
>> sit
>> down if they realize it's a square. (As a dancer, I've had a
>> partner bail
>> on
>> me when she realized it was a square.) That doesn't happen as
>> much at
>> local
>> weekend or week-long camps, but at regular dances with local
>> callers, 10%
>> or
>> more of the people who'd be up for a contra sit down for a
>> square. I'm not
>> the
>> miracle square dance caller who's going to change their minds
>> about it,
>> either,
>> so I don't program squares.
>>
>> When I first started calling contras here, my ten-dance program
>> might have
>> a
>> circle mixer in slot three and a triplet sometime after the
>> break. I've
>> had
>> complaints relayed to me about calling 'gimmicky' dances, and I
>> wasn't
>> getting
>> great response from the triplets, so I've dropped those. I want
>> to get
>> invited
>> back to call again, and I don't need to change everybody's mind
>> about what
>> a
>> good time is.
>>
>> My most recent program (a very successful outing in Monterey last
>> month)
>> had a
>> circle mixer in slot three (setting the ground for the poussette
>> figure I
>> used
>> in "Joyride" later) and a four-face-four right after the break,
>> and I got
>> positive response to both of those. (The music was great; if it
>> weren't I
>> could have had the best program in the world and it wouldn't have
>> been a
>> wonderful evening.)
>>
>> -- 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
>>
>> =====================================================================
>> ==========
>>
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Callers mailing list
>> Callers(a)sharedweight.net
>> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
>>
>>
>> End of Callers Digest, Vol 83, Issue 7
>> **************************************
>>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Sat, 23 Jul 2011 07:36:32 -0700
> From: Greg McKenzie <grekenzie(a)gmail.com>
> To: "Caller's discussion list" <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
> Subject: [Callers] Head Mikes and Mike Heads
> Message-ID:
> <CAFqkWLuYAUE5e1qyv7f5ae9z1dWa2GCf1Q5ZLR3FfWG1Kssp8Q(a)mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>
> Martha Wild <mawild(a)sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>
>> Well, I love a headset mike. I don't have a loud voice, and no
>> amount of
>> voice training is going to give me one. If there are more than a few
>> newcomers, and a small number of people in the hall talking, I
>> will be
>> hoarse by the time I finish the beginners workshop without a
>> headset mike.
>>
>
> I don't know what kind of voice training you have had. It
> certainly is
> possible to learn how increase your volume without causing
> additional stress
> on your voice. That, however, misses the whole point. Volume is
> just one
> tool we can use as masters-of-ceremony, but it is a poor substitute
> for
> learning how to earn and hold the attention of a crowd.
>
> Learning how to earn and hold attention is a core calling skill.
> Cranking
> up the volume and bludgeoning the crowd into submission with higher
> decibels
> is all too common at all kinds of events using a PA system. On its
> own this
> tactic naturally results in a much higher noise level in the room and
> increased stress for everyone. This kind of thing can make you
> tired just
> by being in the room. Fortunately, most good callers have learned
> that this
> tactic has major pitfalls. Those with naturally loud voices are
> usually the
> worst offenders because they have learned to shout down competition
> and
> dominate the sound space. This is a poor communication strategy.
> It can be
> effective in the moment but over the course of the evening the
> caller loses
> the respect of the dancers.
>
> Excellent callers know how to manage the communication process.
> Who are you
> competing with for attention and why? Is there some way to
> accommodate the
> other communication processes going on? How do you pace the
> evening to give
> everyone a chance to communicate easily? A large part of the
> reason people
> attend social events is to talk, and isn't it the caller's job to
> accommodate that? Do you provide cues and time to allow dancers to
> transition gracefully from social talking to a walk-through? Do
> you work
> with the band to provide clear transitions to gather folks into the
> hall or
> to switch from socializing to listening? Does the band understand
> when to
> remain quiet themselves? Do you start with instructions that require
> physical movement of the dancers? Is it clear to the dancers that
> listening
> to the caller is the quickest and most effective way that they can
> achieve
> their own personal goals? Is the information you're giving out
> essential?
> Do you choose your words carefully, articulate well, and speak
> slowly and
> clearly?
>
> A first-timers orientation session is problematic for numerous
> reasons. If
> the session is held in the main hall, using the PA system violates
> the first
> rule of microphone etiquette because you are speaking to a smaller
> group
> over the mike. (Always speak to the entire hall when when using a
> microphone!) Consequently you are training everyone else in the
> room to
> ignore your voice--a questionable strategy for a caller on its
> face. If you
> attempt to teach any dance figures in your session you will face the
> additional problem created by spreading the listeners into a line,
> which
> makes it more difficult to speak without a mike. (This is one of many
> reasons I recommend *not *teaching any figures during the optional
> first-timer's orientation.) It is much more effective to teach the
> basics
> of walking and giving weight in a small circle where you can
> communicate
> without a mike and keep the session under 10-15 minutes.
>
> We spend a lot of time here talking about sound engineering issues,
> microphones, and monitor speakers. It might be more productive to
> discuss
> how the caller can manage their own communication as well as the
> entire
> hall. When used appropriately an unamplified whisper can be much more
> effective than shouting through an expensive PA system. It's not the
> volume.
>
> -Greg McKenzie (who has a degree in Speech Communication and sometimes
> obsesses about these things)
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> Callers mailing list
> Callers(a)sharedweight.net
> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
>
>
> End of Callers Digest, Vol 83, Issue 21
> ***************************************
Martha Wild <mawild(a)sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> Well, I love a headset mike. I don't have a loud voice, and no amount of
> voice training is going to give me one. If there are more than a few
> newcomers, and a small number of people in the hall talking, I will be
> hoarse by the time I finish the beginners workshop without a headset mike.
>
I don't know what kind of voice training you have had. It certainly is
possible to learn how increase your volume without causing additional stress
on your voice. That, however, misses the whole point. Volume is just one
tool we can use as masters-of-ceremony, but it is a poor substitute for
learning how to earn and hold the attention of a crowd.
Learning how to earn and hold attention is a core calling skill. Cranking
up the volume and bludgeoning the crowd into submission with higher decibels
is all too common at all kinds of events using a PA system. On its own this
tactic naturally results in a much higher noise level in the room and
increased stress for everyone. This kind of thing can make you tired just
by being in the room. Fortunately, most good callers have learned that this
tactic has major pitfalls. Those with naturally loud voices are usually the
worst offenders because they have learned to shout down competition and
dominate the sound space. This is a poor communication strategy. It can be
effective in the moment but over the course of the evening the caller loses
the respect of the dancers.
Excellent callers know how to manage the communication process. Who are you
competing with for attention and why? Is there some way to accommodate the
other communication processes going on? How do you pace the evening to give
everyone a chance to communicate easily? A large part of the reason people
attend social events is to talk, and isn't it the caller's job to
accommodate that? Do you provide cues and time to allow dancers to
transition gracefully from social talking to a walk-through? Do you work
with the band to provide clear transitions to gather folks into the hall or
to switch from socializing to listening? Does the band understand when to
remain quiet themselves? Do you start with instructions that require
physical movement of the dancers? Is it clear to the dancers that listening
to the caller is the quickest and most effective way that they can achieve
their own personal goals? Is the information you're giving out essential?
Do you choose your words carefully, articulate well, and speak slowly and
clearly?
A first-timers orientation session is problematic for numerous reasons. If
the session is held in the main hall, using the PA system violates the first
rule of microphone etiquette because you are speaking to a smaller group
over the mike. (Always speak to the entire hall when when using a
microphone!) Consequently you are training everyone else in the room to
ignore your voice--a questionable strategy for a caller on its face. If you
attempt to teach any dance figures in your session you will face the
additional problem created by spreading the listeners into a line, which
makes it more difficult to speak without a mike. (This is one of many
reasons I recommend *not *teaching any figures during the optional
first-timer's orientation.) It is much more effective to teach the basics
of walking and giving weight in a small circle where you can communicate
without a mike and keep the session under 10-15 minutes.
We spend a lot of time here talking about sound engineering issues,
microphones, and monitor speakers. It might be more productive to discuss
how the caller can manage their own communication as well as the entire
hall. When used appropriately an unamplified whisper can be much more
effective than shouting through an expensive PA system. It's not the
volume.
-Greg McKenzie (who has a degree in Speech Communication and sometimes
obsesses about these things)
I've taught many beginning ladies how to keep a strong dance frame, how to
use it to regulate the degree of closeness with whoever is swinging them.
It seemed to me simple for women to learn how to deal with men that try to
hold them too close.
And then I started dancing the woman's role from time to time, and in one
dance in particular, there was a shadow swing, and my shadow was a larger
man, probably with issues, uncomfortable with a man dancing the woman's
role, and he grabbed me tight and got all romantic, as a joke?, but it was
very uncomfortable to me, and he was larger than me, and I couldn't get
extracted, and didn't say anything, and felt I understood...
Dennis
On Sat, Jul 9, 2011 at 6:47 PM, <callers-request(a)sharedweight.net> wrote:
> Send Callers mailing list submissions to
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>
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> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> than "Re: Contents of Callers digest..."
>
>
> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. Re: mental health and dance calling (Amy Cann)
> 2. Re: mental health and dance calling (Bree Kalb)
> 3. Re: mental health and dance calling (Amy Cann)
> 4. Re: mental health and dance calling (Martha Edwards)
> 5. Re: unwelcome behavior (Martha Edwards)
> 6. alternate formations (Richard Mckeever)
> 7. Re: alternate formations (Alan Winston - SSRL Central Computing)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Sat, 9 Jul 2011 12:03:17 -0400
> From: Amy Cann <acann(a)putneyschool.org>
> To: "Caller's discussion list" <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
> Subject: Re: [Callers] mental health and dance calling
> Message-ID:
> <CALZWU+t7PGH_zRxzfR+tUy2=DJHrFtrpxkm=w4CC9Hvk0Focsg(a)mail.gmail.com
> >
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>
> It's funny, I'm listening to all of these stories and thinking about the
> creepers I've run into over the years, and I'm thinking to myself:
>
> "Well, it's really quite simple, isn't it? Ladies, if a gent is being
> inappropriate, walk away!
>
> Just wait until you're out at the top or bottom, turn to him and say 'I am
> uncomfortable with what you are doing and am not going to finish this dance
> with you' -- and then do it. Walk off. And if he's really offensive, don't
> wait until the end, bail out right then and there. The world won't end if a
> line of dancers has to cope with a hole. What's more important, ten more
> minutes of perfect dancing for that line, at that dance, or a really good
> behavior-modification moment that will actually improve the dance community
> more in the long run?"
>
> And yet it isn't that simple, is it? We don't do it. We have these halls
> just filled with women who are about as uniformly
> modern/educated/self-actuated/socially conscious/feminist as it gets, who
> spend our days running businesses or doing high end IT/research -- or
> teaching children or counseling teens or lobbying to pass laws on issues
> just like this -- and not once in my experience have I ever known a woman
> to
> say "Nope, enough, not going to let you do this."
>
> Heck, I've marched eighth grade boys (and girls) off the playground for
> inappropriate behavior without a flinch, but at a dance, when it's *me?
> *I've
> been groped and dipped and clenched a few times over the years and the most
> overt thing I've ever done is reached back, grabbed his hand, moved it up
> about six inches to the small of my back, and said "works much better for
> me
> if you keep your hand *there". *The other times, I've simply become ice
> cold/distant and stopped making eye contact - which can be quite the
> putdown
> if you really work it, smile and nod at all of your neighbors but shut down
> completely every time you return to your partner. But have I truly called
> them out on it? No. And neither have any of my peers.
>
> Food for thought.
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Sat, 9 Jul 2011 13:15:09 -0400
> From: "Bree Kalb" <bree(a)mindspring.com>
> To: "Caller's discussion list" <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
> Subject: Re: [Callers] mental health and dance calling
> Message-ID: <36DF3156E5FA448B88FBF5C1106D581C@BreeHomeLaptop>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
> reply-type=original
>
> Amy wrote: But have I truly called
> them out on it? No. And neither have any of my peers.
>
> I have.
> Now that I'm older, it doesn't happen as often, but still does
> occasionally.
> I've put my left palm against a man's shoulder and pushed him back, saying:
> "I don't want to dance that close.' Or: "I don't sleaze dance." The next
> time they've asked me to dance, I've said "I'll only dance with you again
> if you don't (do that particular thing again.)" They've always agreed and
> behaved themselves, for that dance. When I come to them in the line, I
> automatically push them back a little. But I know I'm an exception; the
> younger, shyer women don't feel comfortable setting limits. Even someone
> like Amy (who I surmise is not particularly shy) is uneasy being so bold.
> So it's important that the organizers pay attention and act. Our board
> actually banned a guy from dancing because he was preying on teenage girls;
> other dance organizers in the area followed suit.
>
> Bree Kalb
> Carrboro
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Sat, 9 Jul 2011 13:27:09 -0400
> From: Amy Cann <acann(a)putneyschool.org>
> To: "Caller's discussion list" <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
> Subject: Re: [Callers] mental health and dance calling
> Message-ID:
> <CALZWU+s=JBRxuF8ZvN6_vwBDE+iQ6D6q_8727TRiseZ8CvNS9Q(a)mail.gmail.com
> >
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>
> I'll bet this discussion is going to continue for a bit, so let's clarify:
>
> I've ALWAYS made people stop what they are doing -- made them leave more
> room, move a hand -- I've just always done it non-verbally. If I don't want
> to be dipped, I don't get dipped -- I can shift my weight or go inert in
> ways that make it impossible. I'm not shy about taking care of myself, and
> that cold/silent treatment is pretty darn harsh/unmistakable (just ask my
> husband :)
>
> But on reflection, it's always been a private interchange. By "calling
> out",
> I mean it in the most specific way: calling them out from the crowd, into
> the spotlight, to be addressed in front of an audience. I've very rarely
> seen this happen, and have never heard of a woman walking off the floor
> mid-dance.
>
>
>
>
>
> On Sat, Jul 9, 2011 at 1:15 PM, Bree Kalb <bree(a)mindspring.com> wrote:
>
> > Amy wrote: But have I truly called
> >
> > them out on it? No. And neither have any of my peers.
> >
> > I have.
> > Now that I'm older, it doesn't happen as often, but still does
> > occasionally.
> > I've put my left palm against a man's shoulder and pushed him back,
> saying:
> > "I don't want to dance that close.' Or: "I don't sleaze dance." The next
> > time they've asked me to dance, I've said "I'll only dance with you
> again
> > if you don't (do that particular thing again.)" They've always agreed and
> > behaved themselves, for that dance. When I come to them in the line, I
> > automatically push them back a little. But I know I'm an exception; the
> > younger, shyer women don't feel comfortable setting limits. Even someone
> > like Amy (who I surmise is not particularly shy) is uneasy being so bold.
> So
> > it's important that the organizers pay attention and act. Our board
> actually
> > banned a guy from dancing because he was preying on teenage girls; other
> > dance organizers in the area followed suit.
> >
> > Bree Kalb
> > Carrboro
> > ______________________________**_________________
> > Callers mailing list
> > Callers(a)sharedweight.net
> > http://www.sharedweight.net/**mailman/listinfo/callers<
> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers>
> >
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 4
> Date: Sat, 9 Jul 2011 14:32:07 -0500
> From: Martha Edwards <meedwards(a)westendweb.com>
> To: "Caller's discussion list" <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
> Subject: Re: [Callers] mental health and dance calling
> Message-ID:
> <CAJjmMcPtmmmmaO5KSLND-SEw3Bop2YQADhO2w7xSqtCsQNG=yA(a)mail.gmail.com
> >
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
>
> Good points, all, as usual.
>
> The more difficult problem is how to keep the creeps from behaving that way
> with younger, or newer, dancers, who don't know yet what sort of atmosphere
> we generally maintain, and are reluctant to "cause a scene". Mostly, I
> think, if it's too bad, they just go away, never to return and find out
> that
> 99% of dancers would never think of acting that way.
>
> So, when we tell these folks a direct "NO" (and we should, oh yes, we
> should!) we can do those dancers a favor and tell the creeps exactly what
> they did that was offensive. Tell them what they did and how you feel about
> it. And tell a trustworthy board member.
>
> I admit I haven't always been direct with people on my own behalf - I just
> get away and move on. Oddly, I'm much more comfortable speaking to these
> folks on behalf of others. No fear. Wonder what that's about.
>
> M
> E
>
> On Sat, Jul 9, 2011 at 12:27 PM, Amy Cann <acann(a)putneyschool.org> wrote:
>
> > I'll bet this discussion is going to continue for a bit, so let's
> clarify:
> >
> > I've ALWAYS made people stop what they are doing -- made them leave more
> > room, move a hand -- I've just always done it non-verbally. If I don't
> want
> > to be dipped, I don't get dipped -- I can shift my weight or go inert in
> > ways that make it impossible. I'm not shy about taking care of myself,
> and
> > that cold/silent treatment is pretty darn harsh/unmistakable (just ask my
> > husband :)
> >
> > But on reflection, it's always been a private interchange. By "calling
> > out",
> > I mean it in the most specific way: calling them out from the crowd, into
> > the spotlight, to be addressed in front of an audience. I've very rarely
> > seen this happen, and have never heard of a woman walking off the floor
> > mid-dance.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > On Sat, Jul 9, 2011 at 1:15 PM, Bree Kalb <bree(a)mindspring.com> wrote:
> >
> > > Amy wrote: But have I truly called
> > >
> > > them out on it? No. And neither have any of my peers.
> > >
> > > I have.
> > > Now that I'm older, it doesn't happen as often, but still does
> > > occasionally.
> > > I've put my left palm against a man's shoulder and pushed him back,
> > saying:
> > > "I don't want to dance that close.' Or: "I don't sleaze dance." The
> next
> > > time they've asked me to dance, I've said "I'll only dance with you
> > again
> > > if you don't (do that particular thing again.)" They've always agreed
> and
> > > behaved themselves, for that dance. When I come to them in the line, I
> > > automatically push them back a little. But I know I'm an exception; the
> > > younger, shyer women don't feel comfortable setting limits. Even
> someone
> > > like Amy (who I surmise is not particularly shy) is uneasy being so
> bold.
> > So
> > > it's important that the organizers pay attention and act. Our board
> > actually
> > > banned a guy from dancing because he was preying on teenage girls;
> other
> > > dance organizers in the area followed suit.
> > >
> > > Bree Kalb
> > > Carrboro
> > > ______________________________**_________________
> > > Callers mailing list
> > > Callers(a)sharedweight.net
> > > http://www.sharedweight.net/**mailman/listinfo/callers<
> > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers>
> > >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Callers mailing list
> > Callers(a)sharedweight.net
> > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
> >
>
>
>
> --
> As you set out for Ithaka, pray that your journey be long, full of
> adventure, full of discovery...
> May there be many summer mornings when, with what pleasure, with what joy,
> you enter harbors you're seeing for the first time.
> ~Constantine Cavafy, "Ithaka" 1911
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 5
> Date: Sat, 9 Jul 2011 15:09:25 -0500
> From: Martha Edwards <meedwards(a)westendweb.com>
> To: "Caller's discussion list" <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
> Subject: Re: [Callers] unwelcome behavior
> Message-ID:
> <CAJjmMcPMteUijM5uawWOCauvUZvwJGJVL05Dkkca=Bb6j9pssg(a)mail.gmail.com
> >
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
>
> Here, it's easy. We don't allow lifting people off the floor.
>
> We have one person with a very mild mental illness who wasn't judging very
> well when to do it and when not, and wasn't always doing it safely, so we
> just made it a rule, not to be broken, that no one does it, to make it
> easier for him to remember.
>
> We also have a board member who loves doing aerials, does them with safety
> and with permission and all other good stuff, but he can't do it at our
> dances either, just because the hard-and-fast rule is the only way we can
> keep the rest of us from being cut off at the knees when the other guy was
> swinging new dancers off their feet and their legs cut a six-foot circle
> sweep.
>
> I also saw a caller in Kansas City stop a dance once and tell a
> particularly
> aggressive dancer to stop lifting people off the ground. "I have liability
> here, and I'm not going to continue calling if you keep doing that." I
> think the dancers applauded.
>
> I had the pleasure of meeting Frankie Manning, who invented the aerial in
> swing dancing in 1935, and was particularly impressed with the amount of
> practice he and his partner did before they ever tried it on a dance floor
> -
> with mattresses covering the floor of his living room while they learned
> how.
>
> M
> E
>
> On Sat, Jul 9, 2011 at 10:22 AM, Greg McKenzie <grekenzie(a)gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > I would love to hear how other dance communities have dealt with this
> > issue.
> >
> > - Greg McKenzie
> > _______________________________________________
> > Callers mailing list
> > Callers(a)sharedweight.net
> > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
> >
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 6
> Date: Sat, 9 Jul 2011 14:12:41 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Richard Mckeever <macmck(a)ymail.com>
> To: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
> Subject: [Callers] alternate formations
> Message-ID:
> <1310245961.53389.YahooMailNeo(a)web120406.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>
> Here is a new topic...
>
> Recently I have noticed that many of the programs presented have consisted
> solely of duple improper contras with a couple Becket dances thrown in for
> variety.
>
> I would be interesting to hear how other callers incorporate other
> formations in their programs and how they and the dancer feel about it
>
> This would include - but not be limited to:
>
> circles dances
> Sicilian circles
> Squares
> 4 facing 4
> triple minors
> scatter mixers
> other??
>
> Comments by formation would be interesting as would regional variations in
> programming
>
> Mac McKeever
> St Louis
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 7
> Date: Sat, 09 Jul 2011 15:22:23 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Alan Winston - SSRL Central Computing
> <winston(a)slac.stanford.edu>
> To: Richard Mckeever <macmck(a)ymail.com>
> Cc: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
> Subject: Re: [Callers] alternate formations
> Message-ID: <01O3G5YHDG8WBPO4IB(a)SSRL.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU>
> Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=us-ascii
>
> Mac asked about how other callerrs incorporate other formations into their
> programs.
>
>
> I call English (for 25+ years), barn dances, historical-themed
> (Regency/Early
> American, Civil War, Dickens) and contra (for the last five or so years,
> but
> only a few times a year).
>
> My answers are different for each kind of thing.
>
> For English, I typically call more duple minor (usually proper) than
> anything
> else, but try to mix it up with small-set dances (two-couple set,
> three-couple
> set, squares) and a triple minor or two in an evening. Since tunes go with
> particular dances, I also consider variety in mood, key, meter, and tempo
> when
> I'm making up the program. (I'll also use what I know about the musicians
> I
> have that night and try to keep away from notey reels for a fiddler with
> tendinitis, bias toward Bb tunes if I have a cello player, etc.)
>
> For barn dances, anything goes. Sicilians, threesome Sicilians, big
> circles,
> grand march, circle mixer, whatever.
>
> For historically-themed, it depends somewhat on what I can justify
> historically, so Regency has lots of longways duples and some triples,
> mixed
> with an occasional three-couple set (adapted from a triple minor, like
> Fandango, Prince William, etc), interspersed with waltzes.
>
> For Civil War / Victorian, Sicilians, threesome Sicilians, whole sets in
> longways formation (Gothic Dance, Virginia Reel/Roger de Coverley), mixed
> up
> with waltzes, polkas, schottisches and galops.
>
> Around here (SF Bay Area) if you do a whole evening of duple-minor improper
> contras at a contra dance, nobody complains about it. Some callers like to
> include a square or two in an evening. A noticeable number of people will
> sit
> down if they realize it's a square. (As a dancer, I've had a partner bail
> on
> me when she realized it was a square.) That doesn't happen as much at
> local
> weekend or week-long camps, but at regular dances with local callers, 10%
> or
> more of the people who'd be up for a contra sit down for a square. I'm not
> the
> miracle square dance caller who's going to change their minds about it,
> either,
> so I don't program squares.
>
> When I first started calling contras here, my ten-dance program might have
> a
> circle mixer in slot three and a triplet sometime after the break. I've
> had
> complaints relayed to me about calling 'gimmicky' dances, and I wasn't
> getting
> great response from the triplets, so I've dropped those. I want to get
> invited
> back to call again, and I don't need to change everybody's mind about what
> a
> good time is.
>
> My most recent program (a very successful outing in Monterey last month)
> had a
> circle mixer in slot three (setting the ground for the poussette figure I
> used
> in "Joyride" later) and a four-face-four right after the break, and I got
> positive response to both of those. (The music was great; if it weren't I
> could have had the best program in the world and it wouldn't have been a
> wonderful evening.)
>
> -- 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
>
> ===============================================================================
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> Callers mailing list
> Callers(a)sharedweight.net
> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
>
>
> End of Callers Digest, Vol 83, Issue 7
> **************************************
>
