Contra Callers April 2016

contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net

1 participants
29 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.

1 year, 11 months

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, 5 months

A new(?) dance, written with a gyre

by Luke Donforth via Callers

Hello all, Linda Leslie's suggestion of gyre as a replacement for gypsy bubbled around in my brain and a new (I think) dance percolated up. It has a twist that isn't the gyre (which I consider just new nomenclature); women casting out of the swing to travel from one minor set to another (similar to gent's movement in Scoot by Tom Hinds). I haven't gotten to test it with dancers yet, as I just finished running it through with pegs on my desk; but I wanted to share it in support of a new term. A Gyre for Linda by Luke Donforth Contra/Becket-CCW A1 ----------- (4) Pass through to an ocean wave (ladies left, catch right with partner) (4) Balance the short Wavy line (2) Walk forward (3) Shadow gyre right 1/2 (3) Gents gyre left 1/2 in the middle A2 ----------- (16) Neighbor gyre right and swing B1 ----------- MEANWHILE FIGURE: (8) Men allemande Left 1-1/2 WHILE women cast cw around whole set one woman’s place (8) 1/2 Hey, passing partner by right shoulder B2 ----------- (16) Partner gyre right and swing at home As for the other aspects that have been discussed: I pronounce it with a softer g sound. For reasons unclear to me, gyre has different accepted pronunciations; but (to my knowledge) gyration doesn't. As for using the term (which I clearly support); it costs me nearly nothing to switch and helps make the dance more accessible for some; both in dropping a term some find offensive and making the name more descriptive of the move. My job as a caller is to help share the joy of dancing, and if this does that I'm in favor of it. -- Luke Donforth Luke.Donforth(a)gmail.com <Luke.Donev(a)gmail.com>

6 years, 7 months

Re: [Callers] Gents doing "ladies" chain

by Rona via Callers

This discussion got me thinking about dances which have both a Gents RH chain and Ladies LH chain. I wasn't sure if any existed, so I wrote a few. I have no idea when I would ever call them, but it was a fun exercise :) On a somewhat related note, I appear to have a thing for writing Becket dances, but I'm proud to say that none of these start with "Circle Left 3 places". In fact, they don't have any circles in them, so they can also help with the "dances without a circle left" campaign. That's Not How We Do ItContra, BECKET, by Rona Wiener, Jan 2016 A1 (4) Balance the Ring (4) Gents Roll away P along set (8) Gents RIGHT HAND chain [To N] A2 (8) Gents [Gypsy] x1 (8) Neighbor Swing B1 (4) Balance the Ring (4) Ladies Roll away N along set (8) Ladies LEFT HAND chain [to P] B2 (8) On Right Diagonal Half a hey [Ladies lead by L] (8) Partner Swing Slightly Less Wrong Contra, BECKET, by Rona Wiener, Jan 2016 A1 (4) Balance the Ring (4) Spin R (as in Petronella), face NN (4) Balance the Ring (4) Spin R A2 (8) Star L x 1 [hands across, gents drop out] (8) Ladies LEFT HAND chain [to N] B1 (8) Star R x 1 [hands across, ladies drop out] (8) Gents RIGHT HAND chain [To P] B2 (4) Pass Through (12) Partner Swing Double NegativeContra, BECKET, by Rona Wiener, Jan 2016 [Starts on side with P, Gents on R] A1 (8) Star R x 1 [hands across, ladies drop out] (8) Gents RIGHT HAND chain [To N] A2 (8) Star L x 1 [hands across, gents drop out] (8) Ladies LEFT HAND chain [to P] B1 (8) Half a hey [Ladies lead by L] (8) Partner Swing B2 (8) Right and Left Through (8) Pass Through, Single File Promenade along the set to NN On Wednesday, January 20, 2016 10:17 PM, Alexandra Deis-Lauby via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: I think I just danced one in CDH which both chains. But I can't remember who was chaining when because I was swapping anyway. But if anyone else was there and remembers... On Sun, Jan 17, 2016 at 7:11 PM, Ron Blechner via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: Anyone know any contras with gents chaining from right-hand position? I have four I wrote on the plane, and I don't think I've ever danced one. And considering the ro swapping I encounter at many of my gigs, maybe it's time I start calling them sometime.I know there's one by Gene Hubert where ladies chain, are rolled away with 1/2 sashay, and gents are right-hand chained from the right. Notes for that appreciated. I'd like dances where gents are doing a regular right hand chain.I'm not talking about "Gents chain", which is from the Left-hand side. For that matter, I want to make it clear that "gents chain" is named poorly. I called "gents, left-hand chain" the other night in Greenfield and it required less explanation than when I've called/taught it as "gents chain". But I digress.Thanks! Ron Blechner _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net

8 years, 5 months

Re: [Callers] here it is - sorry

by Ron Blechner via Callers

That article had a few interesting *new* points, for me. 1. That Roma are in the US, not just Europe, and face continued discrimination. 2. That Roma in the US often don't speak up about their identity out of fear of discrimination. 3. That perhaps the use of "gypsy" as a term isn't as bad as non-Roma self-identitying as "dance gypsies". Roma wander because they are persecuted or can't find work. When we talk about "dance gypsies" beig wandering from place to place, we're comparing our having fun traveling to various dances to the widespread persecution of an ethnicity (the worst being the Holocaust). On Apr 1, 2016 10:03 AM, "via Callers" <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > I was thinking that very thing, but didn't have any experiences. > Something I read recently pointed out that Romani people in Spain proudly > refer to themselves as "Gitano" which translates to Gypsy. > > This is issue is not as cut and dry as many of us would like it to be. > > Thanks for sharing this story. > > > ****************************************************************************************************** > Amy Carroll > amy(a)calleramy.com > 206-330-7408 > http://www.calleramy.com/ > > > > On April 1, 2016 at 9:02 AM Rich Sbardella <richsbardella(a)gmail.com> > wrote: > > There are still at least two sides to this argument. Although I am using > the term less and less, I want to relate a recent experience. > > I was dancing in one of MA biggest contra venues as a caller walked the a > dance with a "two eyed" turn. A dancer in my line became more than a > little upset, yelling it "it's a gypsy". Turns out the dancer is Romani, > and the term "gypsy" is one he proudly owns. > > I do not think the Roma people as a whole have come to a consensus. (For > example, The Gypsy Kings proudly use the term as a reference to their > heritage.) > > Rich Stafford > > > On Fri, Apr 1, 2016 at 4:56 AM, Michael Fuerst via Callers < > callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > > Ms Carroll: > > Quite frankly a fairly useless article for us. > Ms Raessi is "a Romani/Métis researcher and activist" so it seems logical > that she dislikes the term gypsy. > She lists alleged myths stereotypes about Romani people > Every ethnic group has an associated set of myths and stereotypes. > Every ethnic group tries to purge the negative stereotypes and retain the > positive aspects of their heritage. > Ms Raessi writes "many people find that using this term is wrong because > it perpetuates misinformation about our origins" > This makes little sense. Anyone person bigoted enough to entertain > any of her alleged stereotypes has no idea about the origins of Romani > people. > > Ms Raessi writes "...the term has been used as a racial slur and is > loaded with stereotypes ..." > Yes the word gypsy has been used to deprecate Romani people but over the > years it evolved to mean a free-spirited or nomadic person. > Other ethnic slurs (such as kike, chink, jap or nigger) have not similarly > evolved, and thus their use remains offensive. > This article discusses some English words or idioms that evolved from > ethnic slurs: > http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/24/offensive-words-_n_4144472.html > > The ongoing discussion during the past year of the word gypsy has included > claims that some persons of Romani descent embrace gypsy and its positive > aspects of current usage, most don't care, and some hate the word. And > of course only those who object will speak out. > As long the common usage of gypsy keeps evolving towards a free-spirited > or nomadic person, keeping it in the contra lexicon seems appropriate > > > Michael Fuerst 802 N Broadway Urbana IL 61801 217 239 584 > > > On Thursday, March 31, 2016 11:32 PM, via Callers < > callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > > > http://bellydanceu.net/culture/520/ > "What's wrong with the Word 'Gypsy'?" > > ****************************************************************************************************** > Amy Carroll > amy(a)calleramy.com > 206-330-7408 > http://www.calleramy.com/ > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net > > > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net > >

8 years, 5 months

Triplet Times Through?

by Don Veino via Callers

I've been adding Triplets into my programs in certain situations and have given some thought about the duration to run them. I'm curious what others have determined - how many times through do *you* run a Triplet? Let's see if we can get a consensus value via a simple poll: http://doodle.com/poll/yz9ubdr5e7fs4tuu It would be helpful to me if you'd focus quantitative responses through the poll. Discussion or qualitative responses which inform your poll input are welcome here in this thread. Thanks, Don

8 years, 6 months

A balanced view of ECD

by Aahz via Callers

[I'm writing this "to" Kalia because she was calling English at the Queer Contra Dance Camp a couple of weekends ago, but then I figured other people might find it interesting and/or useful] Howdy Kalia, I think I finally figured out part of the reason why I overall dislike English despite its similarity to contra. Part of the figuring out was teaching Postie's Jig at CALLERLAB this year. Basically, I don't have a sense of balance, and something about the way English puts less emphasis on giving weight makes it feel less comfortable for me. (I've got similar issues with certain folk dances, such as Zemjo Makedonska, but that's slow enough and repetitive enough that I can focus on balance.) For anyone not familiar with Postie's Jig: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVYYCx7snk4 I noticed that you did some ECD that was different from the usual turn single, slide across, etc, and I enjoyed that a whole lot more. I don't have problems with e.g. heys because there's enough momentum to carry me around. Note that my balance issues are different from most other people's because I literally have no sense of balance (e.g. can't tell when a hammock is swinging) and I rely on visual/kinesthetic mechanisms to balance -- which actually gives me good functional balance when I'm moving, but much less when I'm standing. If you run across other people with balance issues, this analysis may allow you to do a better job of helping them figure out what works for them. Thanks, Aahz -- Hugs and backrubs -- I break Rule 6 http://rule6.info/ <*> <*> <*> Why is this newsgroup different from all other newsgroups?

8 years, 7 months

caller suggestions for beginner handout

by Emily Addison via Callers

Hello shared weight callers :) Knowing that callers do so much to support brand new contra dancers, as a dance organizer, I have a question for you! Ottawa Contra is working on a 1-pg handout to give to first time dancers. The goal of the handout is to provide tidbits that will help convince first timers to come back, that contra's accessible/they can be successful/climb that learning curve, and that contra's a great fit for them. Who knows if the handout will actually work but we want to try as part of our focus on increasing the retention of all the beginners we get. I have a few examples of other handouts but they often focus on explaining the specific moves. We're thinking more along things that speak to the spirit of contra/are inspiring PLLLUS great technical tips (nuggets!) that can make a huge different to their experience as beginners. If you have any ideas, please pass them along. They may be little messages you feel every beginner should know, or even tips you provide in the beginner/intro lesson before the actual dance. With much thanks! Emily Addison in Ottawa ON

8 years, 7 months

Re: [Callers] caller suggestions for beginner handout

by Claire Takemori via Callers

Emily, as a relatively new dancer, I still remember my first dance and what made me want to come back. The music was awesome, Seth Tepfer was the newcomer’s lesson teacher!! We were welcomed and despite it being the Post-American-Week Gala dance, the dancers were kind to new dancers. We only made it to the break and had to get our son to bed, but we all wanted to go back. I don’t think anything written on paper would’ve made a difference if we were shouted at, pushed to get some place on time, or scowled at when we made a mistake. This did happen to me at a recent ECD (not local) and being new to ECD made me very leery of going back. just my 2 cents. Claire Takemori (SF bay area) On Apr 20, 2016, at 1:01 PM, via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: Date: Wed, 20 Apr 2016 13:40:35 -0500 From: Emily Addison via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net <mailto:callers@lists.sharedweight.net>> To: "Caller's discussion list" <callers(a)sharedweight.net <mailto:callers@sharedweight.net>> Subject: [Callers] caller suggestions for beginner handout Message-ID: <CAD7WKUUs4-9AC=2pWHf6MYZDZnEcaNRLkytVS+0vsirtNFZhTQ(a)mail.gmail.com <mailto:CAD7WKUUs4-9AC=2pWHf6MYZDZnEcaNRLkytVS+0vsirtNFZhTQ@mail.gmail.com>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" Hello shared weight callers :) Knowing that callers do so much to support brand new contra dancers, as a dance organizer, I have a question for you! Ottawa Contra is working on a 1-pg handout to give to first time dancers. The goal of the handout is to provide tidbits that will help convince first timers to come back, that contra's accessible/they can be successful/climb that learning curve, and that contra's a great fit for them. Who knows if the handout will actually work but we want to try as part of our focus on increasing the retention of all the beginners we get. I have a few examples of other handouts but they often focus on explaining the specific moves. We're thinking more along things that speak to the spirit of contra/are inspiring PLLLUS great technical tips (nuggets!) that can make a huge different to their experience as beginners. If you have any ideas, please pass them along. They may be little messages you feel every beginner should know, or even tips you provide in the beginner/intro lesson before the actual dance. With much thanks! Emily Addison in Ottawa ON

8 years, 7 months

does this dance exist?

by Andy Shore via Callers

(Sent this to Chris Page a week ago and no answer!.. so I'm asking the hive mind.) Using the G-word until there's a widely accepted substitute that doesn't need a footnote to explain. from a dance-writing session led by Jeff Spero at a recent dance camp... This Was Your Idea by John Kelley, John Bartlett, Sandy Gabucan, Andy Shore Contra/ Duple Improper A1 ----------- (8) Gypsy Neighbor1 Right 1.5 (8) Gypsy Neighbor2 Left 1.5 A2 -----------. (8) Gypsy Neighbor3 Right 1x come back ... (8) Neighbor2 swing B1 ----------- (4) Give & Take to Lady's Side (12) Partner swing B2 ----------- (8) Right and left through (8) Balance the ring and spin to the right (petronella) to face N2 Note that the progression happens in A2. The Petronella into a (right shoulder) Gypsy seems unusual. I don't have any dances in my collection that do that. Dancing it with a test group seemed to be fine. Thoughts? -- /Andy Shore http://site.andyshore.com/ best email - andyshore(a)gmail.com

8 years, 7 months

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Contra Callers April 2016