Contra Callers January 2013

contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net

98 participants
82 discussions

by JoLaine Jones-Pokorney

I use Glowworm Mixer for the first dance at almost any new ONS event. It is super easy and people who are hesitant jump right in when they see how easy it is. One does need a partner, but as it is a mixer, it doesn't really matter who it is and people don't hesitate to just grab someone and jump in. It is only a 16 beat dance so you repeat the dance four time for every one time through the tune. Here it is: With your partner, promenade CCW in a big circle four steps. Face your partner and back up four steps. Face the person to the left of your partner and walk towards that person 4 steps. Allemande L or Right Elbow Turn with this person once around and end in promenade position face CCW and the dance begins again from here. I am the regular caller at a tiny community dance here that will always be a ONS dance every month ;-). I have gathered a good collection of super easy dances. Here is a link to them if you can use any of them, you're welcome to them: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AnrSNRQDems3dEQwNXJ6djRGd21vdE… -- JoLaine Jones-Pokorney "We are as gods and might as well get good at it!" - Stewart Brand

11 years, 10 months

First Dance - Adult ONS

by Sue Robishaw

Hi, I'm starting a new Community Dance series in our area with no recent history of any trad dance. It will likely be nearly all beginners and geared toward adults/teens. Thanks to this List I have a good collection of ONS dances to choose from, but I'm having trouble deciding on the First Dance. I'm thinking a non-partner dance that folks can be encouraged to join as they arrive (before they sit down) with very little or no teaching. I've considered Circles/F&Bs with variety of who goes in, probably with claps. Or CL, F&B 2x, CR, start a promenade wave at a random spot, people coupling up one after another till all are promenading (I'll be on the floor with them). I'm concerned with the usual -- looking easy enough, looking interesting, not embarrassing, getting them involved before they have a chance to think much about it. I have no idea how many dancers I'll have. Any suggestions or recommendations would be much appreciated. Thanks, Sue Sue Robishaw, U.P. of Michigan

11 years, 10 months

Re: [Callers] Waltz contras - does anyone have any in their box?

by John Sweeney

Someone mentioned The Spanish Waltz - lovely dance. But I am often working with groups who can't waltz, so it all breaks down in B2. So I change the waltz in B2 to: Take Promenade Hold, Men put Left Shoulders together to make a line of four: Promenade 1 & 1/2 times forwards in a circle to meet a new couple I tell them to keep up their waltz steps during the promenade. Once they get the idea I call "Ooze into a line" - it flows nicely out of the star. Happy dancing, John John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent

11 years, 10 months

Tom's question "Is this a new Dance"

by Jane Ewing

Sorry folks for leaving that detail out in "Mad Masquerade" - Becket position, as stated, but you circle left 3 with the next couple The dance was written in a choreography workshop at Nashville's Mad Masquerade Dance on Nov 1, 2008. Class also noted that it works great with a flowing Middle Eastern type of tune. Jane Ewing Grant, AL

11 years, 10 months

Re: [Callers] looking for a 4x4

by Donna Hunt

I also called this recently (for an experienced dance) with similar confusion. I did not call the roll away version. I will also call this dance again, but tighten up my teaching. At the end of B1 tell dancers to "face their partner" (don't use the words "up and down" even though the dancers are facing up and down). FYI: At the end of B1 the women are facing their line of direction but the men are not facing their line of direction. At the end of B2 it's a little confusing for the men to face their line of direction after having just faced their partner looking up or down the opposite direction (in B1). Pointing out "line of direction" (once or twice!) at the beginning of the walk through would be most helpful to anchor dancers at the end of B2. The dancers I spoke with enjoyed the up/down, face across, and then up/down aspects of the dance in addition to the fact that it was a little disorienting and required them to focus. Donna Hunt -----Original Message----- From: lynn ackerson <callynn1(a)pacbell.net> To: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net> Sent: Sat, Jan 26, 2013 2:29 pm Subject: Re: [Callers] looking for a 4x4 Thanks for the tips, Colin. --- On Sat, 1/26/13, Colin Hume <colin(a)colinhume.com> wrote: > From: Colin Hume <colin(a)colinhume.com> > Subject: Re: [Callers] looking for a 4x4 > To: "Caller's discussion list" <callers(a)sharedweight.net> > Date: Saturday, January 26, 2013, 6:36 AM > On Tue, 15 Jan 2013 17:02:01 -0500 > (EST), kanara(a)triton.net > wrote: > > Lynn, You'll find it at <http://ravitz.us/miscdances/#wu>. Please > > post dancers' responses; it's one I've been waiting to > call to the > > right group. > > I tried "WarmUp" at the Alcester Contra last night. I > thought it went > well. I added the optional roll-away at the start, and > as Cary says > this is harder to teach - I mystified everyone and had to > demonstrate > it so I imagine it was my poor choice of words. > > I found many women overshot the half-star (some every time) > and also > people found the final "Face your partner and circle left > three-quarters" disorientating for some reason. > > I will certainly call it again. > > Colin Hume > > > _______________________________________________ > 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

11 years, 10 months

Is this a New Dance

by Jane Ewing

---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 26 Jan 2013 11:06:54 -0500 From: Tom Hinds <twhinds(a)earthlink.net> I just wrote a dance and wanted to know if it's unique. I'm pretty sure the A1 is borrowed from another dance. D-imp A1 Circle left. Mad Robin (face partner and do-si-do neighbor). A2 Hey, women pass left shoulders B1 Women pass left shoulders and swing partner B2 Ladies chain, forward and back. Tom Tom - Manhattan Chowder and Mad Masquerade both start similar - the latter being most similar. It is in Becket as follows: A1 Cir lf 3, Mad Robin A2 1/2 Hey, N gyp Rt 1x B1 L Gyp Lf 1 1/2x . Half Hey (pass P Rt to start) B2 P B&S Jane Ewing Grant, AL

11 years, 10 months

Re: [Callers] gender role names

by Donna Calhoun

Getting back to the original idea of new terminology for the gender role. It occurred to me that musical instruments might work. Keeping the one syllable for the male role we have bass, drum, horn, harp, bow; for the female role - fiddle, guitar, banjo, trumpet, whistle. I like the idea of the fiddle and bow, or fiddle and bass dancing together. I wonder what mischief the horn and the banjo could create :) Sent from my iPad On Jan 4, 2013, at 7:28 PM, callers-request(a)sharedweight.net wrote: > > > Message: 3 > Date: Fri, 4 Jan 2013 17:44:23 -0600 > From: Allen Ortep <ortep.allen(a)gmail.com> > To: callers(a)sharedweight.net > Subject: [Callers] Gender role names > Message-ID: > <CACsm0xNdDPqUADf_3jrKL2kvQoWuzEmufNATYdw6TgP6w+aKiQ(a)mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 > > Considering the intense discussion this relatively straightforward topic > has provoked, the United States Congress' inability to reach consensus > should not surprise anyone > > The first letters of the Greek alphabet are alpha, beta, gamma, delta. > The first letters of the Hebrew alphabet are aleph, beit, gimel and dalet > > A pair of these should suffice. Possibilities abound > a) alphas and betas > b) betas (or bets) and gammas (the shortened version "bets," has a > single syllable, just like "men") > Those who need an explicitly analogy to the sex roles can > imagine boys and girls > c) beits and gimels > d) gims (monosyllabic shortening of gimel) and dalets > Those who need an explicitly analogy to the sex roles can > imagine guys and dolls > > > ------------------------------ > >

11 years, 10 months

Fostering a Fun and Inclusive Dance Event

by Greg McKenzie

In the "Sidelines" thread Jill wrote: > I think everyone would agree that callers and organizers can work together > to influence the behavior of the dancers and to set the tone for a fun and > inclusive evening of dancing. I agree with Greg: > > "If anyone wants to discuss the ways callers...and others can lead, I would > love to have such a thread." > I'm game. This is a core purpose of what, I think, callers do. Jill also wrote: > Although we might not all agree on what is acceptable dancer behavior, do > you have more ideas for callers and organizers, perhaps a list of what has > worked for you to make your dances more inclusive and friendly to all. > I think we probably *can *agree on what many *desirable *behaviors or qualities are: Graciousness, civility, kindness, respect, gentleness, support, confidence, etc. I suggest we focus on how to encourage what is desirable rather than on trying to extinguish undesirable behaviors. Kalia wrote, in reference to her newcomer orientation: > ... I make a point of demonstrating how to ask someone to dance. A lot of > new dancers may not have done this since high school or earlier, and it's a > very different ball of worms at a contra dance. It can be super simple > (offer a hand, raise the eyebrows) or you can say "would you like to > dance?" But it doesn't have to be a big deal. That can take some > learning, so I like to give folks a head start on that very important > process. > Great point! I have seen George Marshall do this and I'm going to include it in my own orientation sessions. Thank you for reminding me of this idea. Maia wrote: > "I have a challenge for you: at least once tonight, dance with someone you > don't know; and at least once tonight, dance with someone of a different > experience level than yourself." Something along those lines. > This is also very good. Here is how I do it. I try to avoid ever telling the regulars how to behave...directly. Instead I direct my comments to the first-timers and speak *on behalf of the regulars while assuming their full support. *The fact is that the first-timers have no way to identify people of a "different experience level" so any reference to that is, by implication, directed at the regulars. At the start of the dance evening I say: "If you are new to this kind of dancing please find someone who has danced contras at least one night, and form two contra dance lines." This is a strongly implied cue to the regulars--who already know exactly who the newcomers are--to take a leadership role and to partner with first-timers. (Note that I do NOT tell them how to form lines. I do NOT say "...with the lady on the right, facing the stage" or "please join at the bottom of the line" etc. The regulars know all of this. To include any such information would imply that I expect, at least, *some *of the first-timers to be partnered with other first-timers. I want to imply that *all *of the first-timers will be partnered with regulars. This is what I mean by assuming the full support of the regulars.) As callers we are more effective when we use our words very carefully and judiciously. At an open, public social event eliminating excess verbiage is always helpful in holding the attention of the hall. Implied messages are very powerful. You can have much more influence with what you do NOT say than with what you do say. More on this later. - Greg McKenzie (who, having a degree in speech communication sometimes gets a bit wonkish about it.)

11 years, 10 months

looking for a 4x4

by lynn ackerson

I have a vague recollection that recently a group at a dance camp wrote a 4x4 (double contra, mescalonza) called something like "Warm up". If true, would someone send me a copy? thanks, Lynn

11 years, 10 months

sidelines

by jill allen

Thank you to everyone who has posted their ideas about how to make sure everyone is getting a chance to dance. This will be very helpful. I think it was important to have the discussions about gender balance, booking ahead, equal opportunity and whose responsibility is it to facilitate it, can we really affect people's behavior, etc. I think everyone would agree that callers and organizers can work together to influence the behavior of the dancers and to set the tone for a fun and inclusive evening of dancing. I agree with Greg: "If anyone wants to discuss the ways callers...and others can lead, I would love to have such a thread." Although we might not all agree on what is acceptable dancer behavior, do you have more ideas for callers and organizers, perhaps a list of what has worked for you to make your dances more inclusive and friendly to all. Thanks again, Jill

11 years, 10 months

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Contra Callers January 2013