Contra Callers June 2012

contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net

17 participants
14 discussions

by Rickey

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.

2 years

Re: [Callers] Festival Applications

by robertgolder＠comcast.net

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

4 years, 7 months

Appropriate Tempos

by Dugan Murphy

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>

12 years, 4 months

Re: [Callers] mentorship

by David.Millstone＠valley.net

Ron wrote, "One of the biggest challenges is learning dances. A library of shared dances would be invaluable." I'll call folks' attention to a resource that's been mentioned here before, the detailed syllabi from the Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend: http://www.library.unh.edu/special/index.php/ralph-page-dance-legacy-weekend The whole collection contains hundreds of dances-- mostly contras, as well as squares, triplets, dances in odd formations, chestnuts, new compositions. Each dance is carefully notated, and there is frequently backgroun information to round out the interested caller's knowledge. Some dances are easier, suitable for mixed crowds, and some are more complex. (Occasionally, the syllabus editor, David Smukler, will add a cautionary note that clues in the reader that this particular dance may be more complicated than it appears.) All in all, this is a superb resource for callers both experienced and those newer to the mic. I think it's the best collection available on the web. > - I'd love a list of every dance everywhere, divided by region, with listings >of address, organizers, contact info, links to websites, and their policies toward >callers. (does this resource exist?) Don't think you'll find the "policies toward callers" but there are several excellent resources that do the rest: * http://www.contradancelinks.com/ * http://www.neffa.org/Top/Folk_Dancing/Contras/Dances/index.shtml * http://tedcrane.com/dancedb/ * http://www.thedancegypsy.com/ * http://www.contracorners.net/contra/links/dancemap.html Hope this helps. David Millstone

12 years, 4 months

Anyone Up late can you send me Bananna by Becky Hill!!

by Laur

Thanks - don't have my cards and need the dance. Laurie West Michigan ~ When I dance, I cannot judge, I cannot hate, I cannot separate myself from life. I can only be joyful and whole, that is why I dance. ~Hans Bos~ ~

12 years, 6 months

Fwd: prison gig

by Amy Cann

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Amy Cann <acann(a)putneyschool.org> Date: Sun, Jun 17, 2012 at 11:33 PM Subject: Re: prison gig To: millstone(a)valley.net David, somehow I knew it would be you that would know what I didn't. Pourparler, not Sharedweight. A ha. Thank you, many times over. Cheers, Amy On Sun, Jun 17, 2012 at 11:46 AM, David Millstone < David.Millstone(a)valley.net> wrote: > Here's a link to your original post to the Pourlarler list, and I've > copied that to a PDF file, attached. > > David > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/**pourparler/message/956<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pourparler/message/956> >

12 years, 6 months

Dancing in prison at Christmas: does anyone remember this? Did I post it here?

by Amy Cann

I'm currently sitting in an airport with balky wifi and my google-fu has deserted me. Many moons and several computers ago I went on a post-gig rant. The gig was in the correctional facility up in St. J at Christmastime, and it was...thoughtprovoking. I'm in the midst of some work that relates to the for-profit prison industry and wish I could put my hands on it, but I can't. Is it archived somewhere? Why can't I get to it from the sharedweight homepage? Does anyone remember if it was printed in the NEFFA newsletter or CDSS? (am I just a moron?) I would dearly appreciate any links you could pass on. And thank you for not laughing at me (at least not audibly) :) Cheers, Amy

12 years, 6 months

Re: [Callers] Callers Digest, Vol 94, Issue 5

by Dan Pearl

I can't remember it in the NEFFA news. ________________________________ From: "callers-request(a)sharedweight.net" <callers-request(a)sharedweight.net> To: callers(a)sharedweight.net Sent: Sunday, June 17, 2012 12:00 PM Subject: Callers Digest, Vol 94, Issue 5 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. Dancing in prison at Christmas: does anyone remember this? Did I post it here? (Amy Cann) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Sun, 17 Jun 2012 11:54:03 -0400 From: Amy Cann <acann(a)putneyschool.org> To: "Caller's discussion list" <callers(a)sharedweight.net> Subject: [Callers] Dancing in prison at Christmas: does anyone remember this? Did I post it here? Message-ID: <CALZWU+uBpzOkduLBQ8gncwWxmJVeuf_0+D+qv5bTUg5cX1F_0w(a)mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 I'm currently sitting in an airport with balky wifi and my google-fu has deserted me. Many moons and several computers ago I went on a post-gig rant. The gig was in the correctional facility up in St. J at Christmastime, and it was...thoughtprovoking. I'm in the midst of some work that relates to the for-profit prison industry and wish I could put my hands on it, but I can't. Is it archived somewhere? Why can't I get to it from the sharedweight homepage? Does anyone remember if it was printed in the NEFFA newsletter or CDSS? (am I just a moron?) I would dearly appreciate any links you could pass on. And thank you for not laughing at me (at least not audibly) :) Cheers, Amy ------------------------------ _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)sharedweight.net http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers End of Callers Digest, Vol 94, Issue 5 **************************************

12 years, 6 months

Re: [Callers] Dancing in prison at Christmas: does anyone remember this? Did I post it here?

by David.Millstone＠VALLEY.NET

Amy, your "Dancing in Prison" article appeared in the September/October, 2006, issue of the CDSS News. I cannot locate it online, but I can scan it and send you a PDF if you want. David Millstone

12 years, 6 months

caller's insurance?

by Amy Larkin

There's a dance instructor here who's planning to start a weekly Argentine Tango class. Any advice about insurance? The studio he wants to rent from requires him to have his own liability insurance. Thanks, Amy Larkin

12 years, 6 months

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Contra Callers June 2012