Have you as a caller or organizer had particular success in helping people to find partners, especially when there is gender imbalance? I welcome comments about the issue of making sure all are having equal opportunity to dance. I recently received a message from our contra dance board asking callers for suggestions on this issue. I believe that the organizers are addressing this issue because we have had dancers leave after not being able to find partners. I will be sharing your comments with our board and they will share these thoughts with callers as they are hired to call a dance.
Thank you!
Jill Allen
Lawrence, KS
Is there anyone out there who would be willing to give me a ride from
Cambridge to the Ralph Page Weekend, and then back to the Boston Airport
on Sunday? I would need to leave on Sunday relatively quickly after the
dancing, since I have a 7:30 flight. If so, please email me off list.
Thanks!
Jack
Jeff Kaufman <jeff(a)alum.swarthmore.edu>:
>As a musician and a caller, I have mixed feelings on callers jumping
>back in for the last time through. Changing the dance to end with a
>partner swing ("this time, long lines, swing your partner") can be
>nice, but mostly I don't think bringing the calls back in adds very
>little and detracts from the music.
If the dance has a satisfying ending as it is, it stays. But I can't think of a worse way to end a dance than with "Dosido next neighbor" or "Pass Through along the Line". So I plead guilty as charged!
There are other ways to handle the situation. If it is the end of a set and there is a partner swing at B1, then I'll use B2 to ask the dancers to thank the band, and they do. Also, in very rare cases I'll ask the band to play an extra B (for the A1 partner swing in Batja's Breakdown) and then go out.
As far as the question of where you go out in Becket dances that progress in the middle of the phrase, it seems to matter less than DI, but I prefer to have the dancers "in" at the top at the end ('cuz most Becket dances these days end with a partner swing). If you screw it up, don't worry about out. There are *lots* more important things to worry about.
Dan
I like the old (well, from my limited perspective) way of picking up the
call again for the last time through, and sometimes (if the caller and the
dancers are up to it) changing the dance so it ends with a partner swing.
If you don't do this regularly, you may have to alert the dancers with a
"Now hear this" (channeling James Cagney?).
- Roger Hayes
Dear friends,
First, I'd like to thank the over 50 callers who have purchased Caller's Companion in the last three years. It's fun seeing you out there calling and I really appreciate both the support and invaluable feedback that you've given so I can improve this tool. Special thanks to Linda Leslie, Nils Fredland and Bev Bernbaum, my early adopters and beta testers.
Second, I'd like to let those of you who have or are planning to get iPads know that I've finally posted a new version of Caller's Companion that works with the recent Free version of "FileMaker Go for iPad" (which is needed to run CC on the iPad). The previous version of FileMaker Go cost $40 so I know this is a big help. I'll be adding a special iPad page to the website soon.
Finally, for those of you who would like to know more about CC or try it out, just download the current demo at http://callerscompanion.com. You can enter up to 50 dances in demo mode and use it as long as you like. For current CC users, I've also posted a Convertor that will allow you to convert your existing file to the new format at http://callerscompanion.com/ConvertHelp.html
Sincerely,
Will
Will Loving
Callers' Companion - The Dance Callers Assistant
http://callerscompanion.com
Downtown Amherst Contra Dance
http://amherstcontra.org
Some callers end every dance with a partner swing, but I do it at most twice per night. I do feel that it does detract from the band's big finish, but I'll end each half with a partner swing. But I won't call the whole time through.
Perry
Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android
I'm a developing caller, pretty much self-trained (with occasional tips or
short festival classes from more experienced folks). One thing that has
been tricky for me has been always making the right call for the number of
cycles to go out. For a typical dance progressing in the B2 I'm all set.
Others require more thought.
I'm wondering whether someone has developed a simple accurate mnemonic for
the going out call, something like:
"Progress in the B, say 1 or 3.
Progress in the A, then even you say."
(When there's a couple waiting out at the start of the B.)
Googling has revealed nothing easily found...
Thanks!
Hi Folks,
The most basic of questions... does anyone write their dance cards with
pencil and if so, have they found that they smudge???
I'm quite a new caller and am a stage where I am figuring out my dance
organization. Until now, I've been keeping my dances on the computer.
However, I do almost everything on the computer and I really like the idea
of having my dances on physical cards I've written out.
But... I want to use pencil!
Is this a no no????
Thoughts???
Emily
(I'm including some dance leaders from out of the area. Please send this
out to other callers in your area that might be interested!)
I am happy to tell you that registration is now open for the callers
workshop with Carol Ormand. I sent out information about it to a number
of you late last year, but now is the time to register for the weekend
so we know how many people we have. If you are unable to make a
commitment, please go ahead and register and indicate that on the form.
I will let you know when we need a definite answer, or if we get close
to filling up.
Information about the workshop is below. You can register at:
http://www.tcdancers.org/workshop
Please let me know if you have any questions!
Jack Mitchell
A Callers' Workshop with Carol Ormand
Madison, Wisconsin caller Carol Ormand is beloved throughout the dance
community for her smooth and unflappable style, wickedly fun dances, and
penchant for keeping all the dancers on the floor smiling. Carol's
enthusiasm, paired with her clear and efficient teaching, creates a
delightful dancing experience for beginners and veteran dancers alike.
Carol will be in the Chapel Hill, NC area the weekend of April 12-14.
She is calling for the Triangle Country Dancers regular Friday night
dance on April 12th and on Saturday we will have an all day workshop
designed to improve a specific calling related skill. Calling well can
be a great source of pleasure. In the workshop, each participant will
get to focus on improving one calling-related skill. By the end of the
day on Saturday, you will know how to make progress on the skill of your
choice and on all of the other topics covered that day. Anything related
to calling is fair game: creating an inviting atmosphere, programming an
evening, communicating with the band, efficient yet effective
walk-throughs, effective use of a microphone... whatever you most want
to work on next. On Sunday, we'll gather to reflect on what we've
(collectively) learned and to plan our (individual) next steps in that
work. Participants are also invited to join Carol for an informal dinner
(probably at Weaver Street Market) on Friday evening before the dance.
Cost for the workshop is on a sliding scale from $40-90 depending on
what you can afford.
The Saturday workshop and evening dance will be held in a private home
near Chapel Hill, NC. Meals on Saturday are included in the cost of the
workshop. The location of the Sunday wrap-up is still to be announced.
My computer burped as I was trying to send this so I'm not sure whether
it went out. My apologies if it arrives twice. KK
On 1/12/2013 9:38 AM, John Sweeney wrote:
> As you say, pencil could smudge, especially if you perspire! But if you
> like writing in pencil, and don't mind having to do it again when the
> card is past its best, then, of course, you can use pencil!
I've had a few pen-written cards go all smeary from having been tucked
into a pocket or into the neckline of my dress. Ball-point is much less
likely to run than other ink pens, I've learned. Even with ball-point,
though, a sweated-on card will tend to get a bit pruny after a while.
But it's like a cookbook. The recipes you use all the time will develop
a patina of love. All those food smears and wrinkles and fingerprints
will let you know as you leaf through the book which ones are the
favorites. Pencil would never survive continued use, IMO. Even the
process of moving the cards around would tend to lighten it to the point
of illegibility. I have a few side notes I've written in pencil on my
cards and they've mostly faded away.
I'm still wrestling with switching over to a computer database for my
dances. I do think that Caller's Companion is exceptional for contras
now that I've had a chance to mess with the demo version for a bit, but
it lacks the vocabulary I need for ECD. Will L., I've been keeping some
notes about limitations I've run into. Interested in discussing those?
Colin, I think I'd like to try your system again for a bit and see if
it meets my hybrid needs better.
Kalia
