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
Of course, the ultimate question with regarding to calling a CC BY-NC dance
at a paid event: is it in fact noncommercial use? What would describe
'commercial use' of a contra sequence, other than republishing it? (It is
my understanding the rich tradition of collecting dances from performers
and caller friends would fall under SA, but i'd require legal verification
of that before i chose to advocate adding specific protections to
choreography.) (p.s. while copyright/left exists to provide an incentive
for creatives to create, i highly doubt that the people who write
contradances require that incentivization for dance composition, or that
there is significant economic gain to be had in the publication of contra
dances...)
also REALLY sorry i couldn't delete the quoted text, trackpad button isn't
working to cut & paste atm
On Thu, Sep 26, 2013 at 12:00 PM, <callers-request(a)sharedweight.net> wrote:
> Send Callers mailing list submissions to
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>
>
> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. Orange You Glad We Met? (Aahz Maruch)
> 2. Re: Orange You Glad We Met? (Aahz Maruch)
> 3. Re: Orange You Glad We Met? (Bill Olson)
> 4. Re: Scheduling/programmer Question (Aahz Maruch)
> 5. Re: See Saw (was Re: Code's Compiling) (Aahz Maruch)
> 6. Re: Norms/Ethics of Dance Choreography Sharing (Aahz Maruch)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Wed, 25 Sep 2013 13:57:47 -0700
> From: Aahz Maruch <aahz(a)pobox.com>
> To: callers(a)sharedweight.net
> Subject: [Callers] Orange You Glad We Met?
> Message-ID: <20130925205747.GA28591(a)panix.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>
> In light of the earlier discussion about both double-progression and
> dances with neighbor swing that don't have circle left 3/4, I wrote the
> following. I'd first like to double-check that this doesn't already
> exist under some other name, nor does the name exist for some other
> dance; I'd also like feedback on the choreography.
>
> Orange You Glad We Met?
>
> Becket
>
> A1
> Men L allemande 1/2 (4)
> Neighbor B&S (12)
>
> A2
> L star 1/2 to prev neighbor (6)
> R star full to current neighbor (10)
>
> B1
> Pass thru current neighbor to new neighbor (4)
> PROGRESSION
> End in wave
> Balance wave (4)
> Square thru 3.5 (8)
>
> B2
> Partner B&S (16)
> --
> Hugs and backrubs -- I break Rule 6
> http://rule6.info/
> <*> <*> <*>
> "It's 106 miles to Chicago. We have a full tank of gas, a half-pack of
> cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses." "Hit it."
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Wed, 25 Sep 2013 14:09:02 -0700
> From: Aahz Maruch <aahz(a)pobox.com>
> To: callers(a)sharedweight.net
> Subject: Re: [Callers] Orange You Glad We Met?
> Message-ID: <20130925210902.GA21016(a)panix.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>
> Ignore this, I hate when I hit "send" and immediately realize there's a
> major choreography boo-boo...
>
> (The square thru doesn't work.)
>
>
> On Wed, Sep 25, 2013, Aahz wrote:
> >
> > In light of the earlier discussion about both double-progression and
> > dances with neighbor swing that don't have circle left 3/4, I wrote the
> > following. I'd first like to double-check that this doesn't already
> > exist under some other name, nor does the name exist for some other
> > dance; I'd also like feedback on the choreography.
> >
> > Orange You Glad We Met?
> >
> > Becket
> >
> > A1
> > Men L allemande 1/2 (4)
> > Neighbor B&S (12)
> >
> > A2
> > L star 1/2 to prev neighbor (6)
> > R star full to current neighbor (10)
> >
> > B1
> > Pass thru current neighbor to new neighbor (4)
> > PROGRESSION
> > End in wave
> > Balance wave (4)
> > Square thru 3.5 (8)
> >
> > B2
> > Partner B&S (16)
> > --
> > Hugs and backrubs -- I break Rule 6
> http://rule6.info/
> > <*> <*> <*>
> > "It's 106 miles to Chicago. We have a full tank of gas, a half-pack of
> > cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses." "Hit it."
> > _______________________________________________
> > Callers mailing list
> > Callers(a)sharedweight.net
> > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
>
> --
> Hugs and backrubs -- I break Rule 6
> http://rule6.info/
> <*> <*> <*>
> "It's 106 miles to Chicago. We have a full tank of gas, a half-pack of
> cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses." "Hit it."
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Wed, 25 Sep 2013 21:10:15 +0000
> From: Bill Olson <callbill(a)hotmail.com>
> To: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
> Subject: Re: [Callers] Orange You Glad We Met?
> Message-ID: <BAY177-W3731E9DF4F06A5F1A4CE35C62F0(a)phx.gbl>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> well, better here than on the dance floor.. *been there*.. hee hee..
>
>
>
>
> > Date: Wed, 25 Sep 2013 14:09:02 -0700
> > From: aahz(a)pobox.com
> > To: callers(a)sharedweight.net
> > Subject: Re: [Callers] Orange You Glad We Met?
> >
> > Ignore this, I hate when I hit "send" and immediately realize there's a
> > major choreography boo-boo...
> >
> > (The square thru doesn't work.)
> >
> >
> > On Wed, Sep 25, 2013, Aahz wrote:
> > >
> > > In light of the earlier discussion about both double-progression and
> > > dances with neighbor swing that don't have circle left 3/4, I wrote the
> > > following. I'd first like to double-check that this doesn't already
> > > exist under some other name, nor does the name exist for some other
> > > dance; I'd also like feedback on the choreography.
> > >
> > > Orange You Glad We Met?
> > >
> > > Becket
> > >
> > > A1
> > > Men L allemande 1/2 (4)
> > > Neighbor B&S (12)
> > >
> > > A2
> > > L star 1/2 to prev neighbor (6)
> > > R star full to current neighbor (10)
> > >
> > > B1
> > > Pass thru current neighbor to new neighbor (4)
> > > PROGRESSION
> > > End in wave
> > > Balance wave (4)
> > > Square thru 3.5 (8)
> > >
> > > B2
> > > Partner B&S (16)
> > > --
> > > Hugs and backrubs -- I break Rule 6
> http://rule6.info/
> > > <*> <*> <*>
> > > "It's 106 miles to Chicago. We have a full tank of gas, a half-pack of
> > > cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses." "Hit it."
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > Callers mailing list
> > > Callers(a)sharedweight.net
> > > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
> >
> > --
> > Hugs and backrubs -- I break Rule 6
> http://rule6.info/
> > <*> <*> <*>
> > "It's 106 miles to Chicago. We have a full tank of gas, a half-pack of
> > cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses." "Hit it."
> > _______________________________________________
> > Callers mailing list
> > Callers(a)sharedweight.net
> > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 4
> Date: Thu, 26 Sep 2013 07:39:24 -0700
> From: Aahz Maruch <aahz(a)pobox.com>
> To: callers(a)sharedweight.net
> Subject: Re: [Callers] Scheduling/programmer Question
> Message-ID: <20130926143923.GA6566(a)panix.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>
> On Thu, Sep 12, 2013, Colin Hume wrote:
> > On Wed, 11 Sep 2013 20:57:04 -0400, Linda Leslie wrote:
> >>
> >> A few dances, such as the Concord MA Scout House, follow the
> >> quarterly rule (with exceptions for traveling callers/bands from
> >> far away). But others seem to schedule up to a year (or more!) in
> >> advance.
> >
> > Groups in England book bands and callers much further ahead. I have
> > 12 bookings for 2014 (it would often be more by this time of the year)
> > and 3 for 2015.
>
> How do y'all bring in new talent?
> --
> Hugs and backrubs -- I break Rule 6
> http://rule6.info/
> <*> <*> <*>
> Help a hearing-impaired person: http://rule6.info/hearing.html
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 5
> Date: Thu, 26 Sep 2013 08:06:35 -0700
> From: Aahz Maruch <aahz(a)pobox.com>
> To: callers(a)sharedweight.net
> Subject: Re: [Callers] See Saw (was Re: Code's Compiling)
> Message-ID: <20130926150635.GA17999(a)panix.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>
> On Tue, Sep 10, 2013, James Saxe wrote:
> >
> > So it appears from the above that CALLERLAB has officially deprecated
> > use of "See Saw" to mean a left shoulder Dosado for ten years (as of
> > tomorrow). I don't have a copy of the CALLERLAB Basic/Mainstream
> > definitions from just before that time, but it seems clear that the
> > prescribed for "See Saw" would have been (left) gypsy-like in some
> > cases and (left) dosado-like in others.
> >
> > Ten years may seem like a long time to younger members of this list,
> > and to people who first took MWSD lessons within the last ten years,
> > it may seem like the definitions they learned describe the way things
> > were from time immemorial. But by 2003 MWSD had already substantially
> > diverged from "traditional" SD for forty years or so.
>
> Well, I certainly appreciate the history lesson. Memory is unreliable,
> of course, but I don't remember ever doing See Saw in MWSD as a left
> dosado, starting in 1986 at UCDavis nor the Stanford Quads a year later
> (just to nail down the timing and locations more precisely). From what
> I can tell, Callerlab seems to be more in the descriptivist camp than
> prescriptivist, so almost certainly the definitional changes you describe
> followed majority practice that started earlier.
>
> If anyone's curious, I can do more digging into people's memories on the
> MWSD side.
> --
> Hugs and backrubs -- I break Rule 6
> http://rule6.info/
> <*> <*> <*>
> Help a hearing-impaired person: http://rule6.info/hearing.html
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 6
> Date: Thu, 26 Sep 2013 08:31:49 -0700
> From: Aahz Maruch <aahz(a)pobox.com>
> To: callers(a)sharedweight.net
> Subject: Re: [Callers] Norms/Ethics of Dance Choreography Sharing
> Message-ID: <20130926153149.GA12176(a)panix.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>
> [late again]
>
> On Fri, Sep 13, 2013, Don Veino wrote:
> >
> > I freely offer that some of the distinctions may or may not make sense to
> > others, but feels right to me in this environment. The grey area one
> above
> > would probably be stifling to several of the choreography review and
> > criticism threads which are otherwise very helpful were it made "not OK."
> >
> > I'd love to hear what others think!
>
> Not sure what I think yet, but because of this and Sam's thread, I've
> stuck "CC BY-NC-SA" on the dances I'm writing -- can't hurt.
>
> I prefer that over Sam's CC BY-NC because the SA requires a pass-along
> license: if there's ever a situation where copyright is relevant, I want
> to force the copyleft.
>
> http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
> --
> Hugs and backrubs -- I break Rule 6
> http://rule6.info/
> <*> <*> <*>
> Help a hearing-impaired person: http://rule6.info/hearing.html
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> Callers mailing list
> Callers(a)sharedweight.net
> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
>
>
> End of Callers Digest, Vol 109, Issue 47
> ****************************************
>
Given the recent discussion about the role of the list, and the comment
that it was originally intended for beginning callers, I have an absurdly
newbie question to ask: how do you go about putting together a program for
a full (or partial) evening of calling?
I know this is a broad question, but I'm curious to hear everyone's
approaches! (I can certainly specify the question if it's too much as is.)
Cheers,
Maia
(Williamstown, MA / New York, NY)
I've just finished a full summer camp season, with 4 week-long camps in
just under 8 weeks and some home-town gigs in between. I feel pretty
wrung out. I've also had seasons when I overbooked and had a big
concentration of local gigs (11 gigs and a weekend, plus a pile of
performance rehearsals, in 8 weeks) that left me similarly pooped. I've
carefully booked the upcoming season to leave myself more down time, and
it's helping a lot. No more than one gig a weekend, with occasion
weeknights.
My question is for the other callers who call a lot, especially if you
travel to do it. What sorts of things to you do to take care of
yourself when your schedule is really intense? How do you keep your
calling fresh, and your attitude good? Do you have any personal
routines that help you focus? Aside from the fact that what we're doing
is mountains of fun, it's also a lot of work and takes careful
concentration and preparation. There's a local square dance caller who
does something like 320 gigs a year. I need to ask him sometime how he
does it, but he's always moving too fast to engage in conversation.
Maybe this is one of those questions that falls too far toward the
"advanced" end of the discussion spectrum. I don't know. But it's one
I'd love to hear from other hard-working callers about.
Kalia
The first couple times I danced this I copied it down, so I know that this was a version of the original. I believe it was Carol Ormand who called the dance both times, but I'm not certain.
Can anyone share their opinion on why the caller would have chosen to make the change in the dance? orientation or flow?
Rocks & Dirt Erik Weberg Type: Contra Formation: Duple-Improper Level: Int
A1 -----------
Neighbor allemande Left 1-1/2 (8)
Women's Chain (8)
A2 -----------
Long lines, forward and back (8)
Ladies by the Right, Gents go round
Women allemande Right 1-1/2 (8) while gents Orbit CCW to the other side
B1 -----------
Partner balance and swing (16)
B2 -----------
Circle Left 3/4 (6)
Square thru to the new ( OR 3 place circular hey without hands )
Ngh Pull by Right - P Left - Ngh Right on to the next with your left
OR Pass 1st Ngh by the Right, Partner Left, Neighbor Right face the next for an alm Left
original dance on Erick's site - A1 N B/S A2 Ladies Chain; Orbit {Ladies Al'd R 1-1/2 while men orbit ccw 1/2 way around}
~
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~
~
I'd love to add a few more mixers to my repertoire. Which ones do you
like for beginning groups or for early in the evening? And do you have
some that more advanced groups can enjoy?
Kalia
Grant said, "The weekly club dances are much less common in the US contra
dance scene."
Shame! We really miss our weekly dancing when we take vacations in the USA.
It is hard work scheduling so that you are in the right place at the right
weekend to get a dance.
How about starting up some more mid-week, weekly dances? Especially in
places where it is warm in the winter :-)
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
My first experience as a caller was in January of 1981. I was teaching
music at a psychiatric hospital and decided to add a bit of dancing to my
teaching. I spent one night a week teaching on a ward for the hearing impaired. We
placed the speakers facing the floor to help the sound be felt. Each
student had one of our teaching assistants as a partner. This combination of
transmitting the vibrations and having a partner who could hear worked very well.
I've since found that using a demonstration set also helps those with
handicaps to understand the movements.
John B. Freeman, SFTPOCTJ
I have one with some similarities:
Moving Along (by Ray Dawson)
Circle Mixer
Start in big circle
A1: Into the middle and back, twice
A2: Partner Allemande Right and pass on
Next person Allemande Left and pass on
B1: Next person Two Hand Turn and pass on
Next person Dosido and pass on
B2: Next person (Balance & )Swing
I think there are a lot of similar dances used by different callers as easy
starters.
The move where you Allemande Right 1 & 1/2 then Left with the next, repeat
until you meet your partner or you get home, is used in Appalachian Squares
and is called a Lock Chain Swing (allemandes usually done as elbow turns)
(see http://round.soc.srcf.net/dances/krs/guts for one reference)
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Mike's Note:
It's a reordering of one I learned from the English caller John Turner when
he was over here in the mid-90's. (As he presented it, the promenade was the
end of the sequence.)
A1 Partner balance and swing
A2 Promenade
B1 Ladies to the center and back (clap on count 4); gents the same,
end facing your partner around the ring (i.e., gents face CCW, ladies CW)
B2 Allemande Right partner (=#1) once and a half, Allemande Left the
next (=#2) once and a half to face the next (=#3, your new partner)
I always think of this as "John Turner's Mixer," but I wrote him some
years back to see if he had title and author information on it. He
calls it "Grand Chain Allemande" but couldn't remember where/when he
had collected it or who might have composed it. I wonder if John
Sweeney or any other English dance leaders who read [Callers] might
know something about it.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
