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
Callers,
What is your experience working with bands to establish an appropriate
tempo? Do bands ever ask you what tempo you want? Do you ever request a
particular tempo to fit a dance? Do you communicate tempo requirements
numerically (beats per minute) or maybe by tapping your feet? When are
slower tempos appropriate and when are faster ones appropriate? What do
you consider to be the range in beats per minute that is appropriate for
contra? Some preliminary research told me that a range of 112-120 beats
per minute is appropriate. Do you agree?
I've called with maybe 20-25 bands in my young calling career and only 2
have asked me for guidance or confirmation concerning the tempo of their
music (both bands play primarily for non-contra audiences, I believe). I
told both bands to use their judgment, which produced satisfactory results
in all cases except one dance in which the band misunderstood my request
for a sultry/flirty tune to mean that they should play at about half the
tempo one would normally expect for contra, which proved terribly confusing
for the dancers. The lesson I learned is that I ought to know more about
the range of tempo that is expected for contra and what tempos are
appropriate when so that I can provide that information to bands when asked.
--
Dugan Murphy
Cincinnati, Ohio
http://caller.duganmurphy.com
<http://www.linkedin.com/in/duganmurphy>
I am calling a dance this Friday night for a small town in Florida that is
trying to start a contra dance series in their community hall. I have
several ONS-type dances that I use for weddings, but what I don't have is
very very easy dances for low numbers. This is their first event so we
could see 5 or 6 people. I need to make sure they have fun or it will be
the end of their dreams of a contra community! I've looked at Ted's
Triplets, but they are too complex for a group that has never contra danced
before. What are suggestions for ultra easy ONS-type dances that would
also work for very low numbers?
JoLaine
--
JoLaine Jones-Pokorney
"We are as gods and might as well get good at it!"
- Stewart Brand
Me too! Wow, what a great tool to keep in mind while planning out my programs.
Brian Hamshar
-----Original Message-----
Date: Tuesday, March 27, 2012 10:53:42 am
To: "shared weight" <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
From: "Chrissy Fowler" <ktaadn_me(a)hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Callers] What makes a program varied, how important is that
wow, i love don's analogy!
chrissy fowler
belfast, me
> ------------------------------
>
> From: Donald Perley <donperley(a)gmail.com>
>
> I'll make an analogy between an evening of 12 dances and an essay of
> 12 paragraphs.
>
> If a common word appears in every paragraph, I wouldn't notice. If
> it's a less common word, or every paragraph begins with the same
> word, or the same sentence appears in several paragraph, then I would.
>
> To me as a dancer, ladies chain or B&S I wouldn't notice as
> repetitious. Something like rory o'more or mad robin I would.
>
>
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Callers mailing list
Callers(a)sharedweight.net
http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
Hi Callers,
I have asked this question before and still I do not understand this. I
suspect that it will take thinking about it several more times before I do.
Here is my question. What makes a program varied and how important is
that. Let me say that I am thinking of this in situations where most of the
dancers are experienced. I have had programs like this before and someday
mean to pay attention to this at dance evenings I have enjoyed. I have a
program in mind which I list below, that I know has 7 dances with a ladies
chains in it, six of them in a row. I know this because I am the proud and
happy owner of Will Loving's program "The Caller's Companion". Yet the
evening's program seems very varied to me. If the "hooks" or the mood of the
dances, for instance, are sufficiently different is that what matters. In
terms of variety versus too much repetition, how does this look to you. It
does not strike me as a boring program at all. The proposed program is:
Scout House Reel, Rod's Grits, MAD About Dancing, Ease About Mixer, A
Question of Balance, Zombies of Sugar Hill, [BREAK], Roll Eleven, Laura's
Zig Zag, Snowshoe, Shipping and Receiving, Fan in the Doorway, and
Sleepwalking
I am interested in your thoughts,
Rickey Holt,
Fremont, NH
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wow, i love don's analogy!
chrissy fowler
belfast, me
> ------------------------------
>
> From: Donald Perley <donperley(a)gmail.com>
>
> I'll make an analogy between an evening of 12 dances and an essay of
> 12 paragraphs.
>
> If a common word appears in every paragraph, I wouldn't notice. If
> it's a less common word, or every paragraph begins with the same
> word, or the same sentence appears in several paragraph, then I would.
>
> To me as a dancer, ladies chain or B&S I wouldn't notice as
> repetitious. Something like rory o'more or mad robin I would.
>
>
Callers --
I called last weekend (St Patrick's Day, and a very rainy night) and the dance
was very slow to get started. By about 10 minutes after the starting time we
had something five or six couples, with two first-timers among them.
I let the first two dances run normal length, consciously, because I wanted the
first-timers to get the experience of getting the dance long enoug to get it
and no longer need calling.
I think I was successful in that goal, but I heard that the experienced dancers
were pretty bored seeing the same faces over and over. (By the third dance
more people had turned up and it wasn't so much of a problem.)
How do y'all handle this kind of thing?
-- 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
==============================================================================
I see how many people are there when it is time to start and choose a
dance with a contra feel that works for that number:
A square like Kimmswick Express (by Gene Hubert)
A four couple Becket dance like Still Waiting on the Corner (by Gary
Roodman)
A circle mixer like Avery One Dance (by William Watson/Tiffany Tabbert)
A six-couple dance like Hexitation (by Tom Hinds)
Any of Ted Sanella's Triplets
With the right music these all have most of the elements of a contra
dance.
But definitely keep the number of repetitions low so that people don't
get bored and so that you can start another dance quickly with all the
new people that have turned up while you were doing the first dance.
Circle Mixers are good because experienced late arrivals can join in.
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 &
07802 940 574
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
