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
Hi All:
The Friends of the Guiding Star Grange in Greenfield, MA invite you to enter The Greenfield Formation Contest - please see the attached for details. We look forward to seeing what you come up with -
Bob
>
> Date: Tue, 21 May 2013 21:28:07 +0100
> From: "John Sweeney" <info(a)contrafusion.co.uk>
> To: <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
> Subject: Re: [Callers] Arms Folded in Dosidos
> Message-ID: <896C826125B44AB7A52BF412A8E4E3D0@study>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
>
> Why teach the dosido spin? Because it helps people to know which way to
> spin, and because there are elements like catching your partner's eyes
> between the spins that people won't necessarily pick up without some
> guidance.
A couple of thoughts about spinning or not spinning - that has nothing to do with folded arms...
If you and the person you are do-si-doing and spin exactly once you can both keep your eyes on each other.
If you and the next opposite role person up/down the line don't spin you can both keep your eyes on each other, and then when you get back to place there is the person you were do-si-doing in front of you.
<<Delayed because I sent from the wrong e-mail account...>>
I personally don't like arms folded in a dosido, so my three points in
favour of not folding was really a light-hearted response to the
previous post with three points in favour of saying nothing.
I always explain these things with a smile, tactfully, and make it
absolutely clear that they can fold their arms if they want: "innovation
and improvisation are good!" :-)
Why teach the dosido spin? Because it helps people to know which way to
spin, and because there are elements like catching your partner's eyes
between the spins that people won't necessarily pick up without some
guidance.
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk <http://www.contrafusion.co.uk/> for
Dancing in Kent
Hi All,
I can't help looking for opportunities to modify...
For crowds that don't like the "inactive" role of 2's and 3's, the dance can be
made into a triplet, (set of 3 couples) if the 2's and 3's allemande once and a half to change places
while the actives go "across the hall and come back." If this is timed perfectly, a group of 6
can actually be in a line up and down the hall, just before the cast off.
About the "across the hall," the same old-timer who asked me about the contra corners with
each active visiting 4 corners, (BTW Thank you all for the feedback) demonstrates what he termed
a "rant" step at the end of the "across the hall" before the "and come back."
And, when dancing Sackett's harbor with a playful crowd, the Contra corners can be
turned into two "stars for three" with a little fast footwork. And I wonder if anyone has
written a version of this dance that includes that "visit all 4 in the contra corners" figure...
bobfab(a)aol.com
-----Original Message-----
From: callers-request <callers-request(a)sharedweight.net>
To: callers <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
Sent: Wed, May 29, 2013 12:00 pm
Subject: Callers Digest, Vol 105, Issue 28
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han "Re: Contents of Callers digest..."
oday's Topics:
1. Historic dances, Sacktt's Harbor (Donald Perley)
2. Re: Historic dances, Sacktt's Harbor (Kalia Kliban)
3. Re: Historic dances, Sacktt's Harbor (Jonathan Sivier)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
ate: Tue, 28 May 2013 13:19:43 -0400
rom: Donald Perley <donperley(a)gmail.com>
o: "Caller's discussion list" <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
ubject: [Callers] Historic dances, Sacktt's Harbor
essage-ID:
<CAMKNU+-+H8CYAY3++-gFvyA=TY0sprL1_5nG7tx53hySvtjmwg(a)mail.gmail.com>
ontent-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252
Last year the 200th anniversary of Hull's Victory had a lot of callers
eaturing that fine chestnut.
Today marks the 200th for the battle of Sacket's Harbor (second of 2
nyway) so consider adding it to your program in the next week. I
alled it last weekend to an enthused crowd.
Sackets Harbor
ormation: Contra, triple minor proper
igs: Steamboat Quickstep/I Lost My Love
A1-
orward six and back
ircle left, 3/4 round (six hands,) gents face up and the ladies face down
2-
ctives ?down? the center, turn alone
eturn, cast off
1-
urn contra corners and fall back into your own line
2-
orward six and back
ircle right, 3/4 round ( six hands)
In A2 the actives are actually moving across the hall as the minor
ets are rotated. If the stage is north, they move
est to east.
-----------------------------
Message: 2
ate: Tue, 28 May 2013 10:39:26 -0700
rom: Kalia Kliban <kalia(a)sbcglobal.net>
o: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
ubject: Re: [Callers] Historic dances, Sacktt's Harbor
essage-ID: <51A4EBCE.7020803(a)sbcglobal.net>
ontent-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed
On 5/28/2013 10:19 AM, Donald Perley wrote:
Last year the 200th anniversary of Hull's Victory had a lot of callers
featuring that fine chestnut.
Today marks the 200th for the battle of Sacket's Harbor (second of 2
anyway) so consider adding it to your program in the next week. I
called it last weekend to an enthused crowd.
And you can get the English dancers in the crowd intrigued by telling
hem that it's essentially Trip to Tunbridge turned sideways. The
-to-T tune segues pretty nicely out of Steamboat Quickstep if you want
fun musical trivia moment.
Kalia
-----------------------------
Message: 3
ate: Tue, 28 May 2013 12:40:33 -0500
rom: Jonathan Sivier <jsivier(a)illinois.edu>
o: "Caller's discussion list" <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
ubject: Re: [Callers] Historic dances, Sacktt's Harbor
essage-ID: <51A4EC11.5030907(a)illinois.edu>
ontent-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252"; format=flowed
On 5/28/2013 12:19 PM, Donald Perley wrote:
Last year the 200th anniversary of Hull's Victory had a lot of callers
featuring that fine chestnut.
Today marks the 200th for the battle of Sacket's Harbor (second of 2
anyway) so consider adding it to your program in the next week. I
called it last weekend to an enthused crowd.
The next two Fridays, May 31 and June 7, Scott Meyer and I will be
eading workshops on Chestnut Contras prior to the Urbana Country
ancers' regular contra dances in Urbana, IL. We will be doing a number
f different classic dances including Hull's Victory and Sackett's
arbor. Here is the list of dances we will be selecting from for the
orkshops.
Chorus Jig
ull's Victory
ady of the Lake
ady Walpole's Reel
etronella
ortland Fancy
ory O'More
ackett's Harbor
There were several others we considered, but had to leave off the
ist. We could easily have added a 3rd or even a 4th workshop. We hope
o give our local dancers a feel for some of the history of contra dance
nd where some of the figures they encounter in modern dances came from.
Jonathan
----
onathan Sivier
aller of Contra, English and Early American Dances
sivier AT illinois DOT edu
ance Page: http://www.sivier.me/dance_leader.html
----
: How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?
: It depends on what dance you call!
-----------------------------
_______________________________________________
allers mailing list
allers(a)sharedweight.net
ttp://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
nd of Callers Digest, Vol 105, Issue 28
***************************************
I think it is time to write a dance celebrating the victory of the Shannon
over the Chesapeake, for the Canadian and British dancers. There is a fine
song about it with a jig tune, so that would work, musically. I'll try to
work up some choreography because the anniversary of that is coming up,
too: June 1.
Maura
Ottawa, Ontario
>
Last year the 200th anniversary of Hull's Victory had a lot of callers
featuring that fine chestnut.
Today marks the 200th for the battle of Sacket's Harbor (second of 2
anyway) so consider adding it to your program in the next week. I
called it last weekend to an enthused crowd.
Sackets Harbor
Formation: Contra, triple minor proper
Jigs: Steamboat Quickstep/I Lost My Love
A1-
Forward six and back
Circle left, 3/4 round (six hands,) gents face up and the ladies face down
A2-
Actives “down” the center, turn alone
Return, cast off
B1-
Turn contra corners and fall back into your own line
B2-
Forward six and back
Circle right, 3/4 round ( six hands)
In A2 the actives are actually moving across the hall as the minor
sets are rotated. If the stage is north, they move
west to east.
In response to various posts:
Having your arms slightly out from your body DOES help with balance, by
increasing your moment of inertia. That's why tightrope walkers have
their arms out - not that I am recommending you put them that far out!
Having them folded DOES make it harder to balance! Yes, most people can
still spin, but why make it harder for yourself!
Using your arms effectively can help you spin more easily - you bring
them out a little before the spin then bring them in closer as you spin
- I take my right arm out slightly to the side as I start a
counter-clockwise spin in a right-shoulder dosido and wrap it in front
of me as I spin (I am used to doing this as I teach a number of other
dance styles which have spinning in and it is a key part of getting good
spins). I usually do three spins in a dosido, catching my partner's
eyes three times, so my arm moves out and in three times. For me it is
a reflex action. It is not a big movement, but it helps make the spins
easier and smoother.
You will see ice skaters doing the same thing to get multiple spins.
If you are interested in the science see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angular_momentum
I definitely don't get in the way of people's pleasure - I just
tactfully let those who are learning a dosido for the first time know
that they don't need to fold their arms, but that they can if they want
to. We call our sessions "Dancing for Fun" so I make sure every one is
smiling! :-)
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
Perry brings up a couple things which are often on my mind. As i write
this, i'm thinking there are a few folks out there rolling their eyes or
gritting their teeth at the recent flood of progressive dialogue on this
thread. Bear with me, please...
I consider myself a trans-role dancer (as opposed to cis-gendered; i fully
identify as male, but my gender identity has no bearing on which role i
dance). When i first encountered contradance, it was with callers who
emphasized that "gent/lady" are merely titles of traditional roles which
anyone can play regardless of their gender identity. That idea stuck. At
those dances in rural Maine, there was often a surfeit of female dancers,
and the callers brought along a briefcase full of neckties to help folks
denote roles. (That practice suffers the same limitations that physical
armbands do, if dancers plan on "flipping the ship" mid-dance.)
I'm going to focus this next bit on "same gender neighboring" versus
partnering, so as to include heteropartner-pairs who have swapped roles,
and speak from my experience as a trans-role male (a slightly different
topic than trans-role female partner/neighbor issues, i recognize). The
interpersonal dynamics of same-gender neighbor swings (particularly those
following from a gypsy!) are never far from my mind. It seems that no
matter where i dance, from Maine to Massachusetts to North Carolina, the
sample composition is the same: most men are comfortable with limited
same-gender neighboring; many are energized by the apparent physical
opportunity to swing or flourish more vigorously; some are merely
disoriented by it; and a few are downright uncomfortable.
A friend of mine, a male in his 60s, describes his initial discomfort at
same-gender dance floor encounters giving way to an appreciation for the
inclusivity of the community. He still prefers to partner
heteronormatively, but he recognizes the value of making the dance
community as inclusive as it is, and on occasion actively supports that
value by partnering same-gender. I think that position describes where a
lot of dancers are. Whatever a person's experience of the folkdance
meta-community is, i believe we can agree that one thing which sets it
apart from other social spheres is its inclusivity.
In a few locations i've danced, most recently Bangor, Maine, i've noted a
phenomenon where multiple sets forming seemed to segregate into cisgendered
dancers versus trans-role dancers. I foresee a potentially vehement tangent
in response to this observation. Yes, having sets segregate by some set of
partnering preferences, be it age or role-flexibility (the two often
co-occur) does begin to fragment the community - but it is a patch solution
which minimizes the discomfort to some dancers, offering a choice of
expressions and comfort levels in communities where a strictly gender-free
dance outlet is unavailable.
Will we ever move contradancing to a completely gender-free system? I hope
not. Good or bad, the genderedness of the form is an intrinsic aspect of
the tradition, more so even than in couple dancing; without it, where would
the "proper" dance formation be? Gender-free dance can be a "safe space",
or a playground for more adventurous dancers - offering an experiential
contrast to traditionally gendered dance we would be unable to enjoy or
appreciate if the distinction were erased.
But... terminology, gender, dance roles, partnering issues (broadening to
include other characteristics like age, physical characteristics, dance
skill...). In a discussion thread elsewhere, Scott Higgs described
partnering issues as an "elephant in the room" that can be a major factor
determining whether individuals' experience of the dance is positive or
negative. I agree wholeheartedly, and hope that we as a community can be
more attentive to these issues, following on opportunities like the session
he and Lisa Greenleaf led at NEFFA 2012 to discuss partnering choices and
behavior patterns in a judgment-free zone.
The thing that's really on my mind right now, and seems to be on others',
is that contradance is a unique form, and terms which accurately describe
other dance forms don't really fit here. Can we as a community find a
system of our own, one that innovates while honoring the tradition,
transcending yet including our historical antecedents?
As we move into 2013, i hope we can continue to decloak this elephantine
polylogue, finding ways to both honor individuals' comfort level and
enhance the inclusivity of the community... and get rid of that damn
"lead/follow" thing...
happy new year, btw!
------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Wed, 2 Jan 2013 08:12:42 -0800 (PST)
> From: Perry Shafran <pshaf(a)yahoo.com>
> To: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
> Subject: Re: [Callers] gender
> Message-ID:
> <1357143162.59466.YahooMailNeo(a)web120701.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
> There are several issues here.? One is the terminology that is used to
> differentiate the two dance roles and second, whether we will ever move
> contra dancing to a completely gender-free system.
>
> I think that
> we all have to understand that everyone has their own comfort zone.?
> Some people do NOT want to dance with a same-gendered person no matter
> how much you prod them, shame them, or even force them to do so.?? Some
> are willing to try it from time to time, others enjoy it a lot, and others
> want to make all
> contra dances completely gender free regardless of whether or not it
> will chase some members from the community.?
>
> It is a strong
> uphill battle to at least move from a heteronormative way of thinking.?
> Just recently it was suggested that the way to get someone to contra
> dance (a man) was to tell him that a
> new woman will be thrown into his arms every 30 seconds.? Reason being
> that most people are heterosexual and might be drawn to dance thinking
> he's going to dance with women.? I suggested that this was a bad idea
> due to the fact that in most dances you'll see men dancing with men,
> women dancing with women, and people switching roles.?
>
> I think
> that the best compromise is to continue with the gents/ladies
> terminology, but emphasize that these are merely titles of traditional
> roles, but anyone can play them regardless of physical gender.? That is
> what I say in my workshops, and it's usually generally understood.? Any
> new terminology that you use will force people to translate which means
> "man" and which means "woman".?? However, I do understand the baggage
> that these gender-loaded terms do bring.??
>
>
> Perry
>
>
