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
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>
Given the simplicity of the following, I expect to confirm they already
exist... but thought I'd check in with the knowledgeable horde here on SW.
This is something I apparently "wrote" over a year ago but found again
during a files dive today. :) I expect I may have put it aside due to no
Neighbor swing in the first pass. Spun off w/another A2 to address that
just now, below.
Revisiting them in light of the great heat we've had locally, they might be
sweet lower exertion dances with the right tunes. And lack of a second
swing can be a "feature" vs. "bug" in such conditions.
Please let me know the real author(s), should it not be me. :)
Thanks,
Don
Don Veino DRAFT 20150117 - Becket Left/CW
A1
LT Diag R&L Thru
Ladies Chain Straight Across
A2
Star Left
Star Right
B1
Big Oval Left and Right (until opposite P)
B2
Gents Allemande Left 1/2x
Partner Glance Around* Right, Swing
Don Veino DRAFT 20160726 - Becket Left/CW
A1
LT Diag R&L Thru
Ladies Chain Straight Across
A2
Ladies Glance Around* Right 1x
Neighbor Swing
B1
Big Oval Left and Right (until opposite P)
B2
Gents Allemande Left 1/2x
Partner Glance Around* Right, Swing
*Glance Around is just a placeholder for that other call, you know the
one...
On Tue, 26 Jul 2016 21:57:30 -0700, Martha Wild via Callers wrote:
> What is it with people and every dance having to have a neighbor swing? I
personally dislike dance programs where
> every dance has a neighbor swing. Sometimes Id like to pay attention to
the partner Im dancing with and not
> everyone else. Sometimes interesting choreography is available when you
dont have to squeeze two swings into
> everything.
That's exactly what I think, and I'm so pleased to hear an American say the
same thing!
Colin Hume (currently in Ann Arbor, MI where I'm calling a workshop of
Advanced Contras & Squares on Saturday)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
mail2web.com ? Enhanced email for the mobile individual based on Microsoft?
Exchange - https://link.mail2web.com/Personal/EnhancedEmail
I completely agree with the others who have responded. The world needs more
dances with fewer swings. I love swinging but I love other moves as well.
If a dance has something like "Partner Balance & Swing, Circle Left 3/4,
Neighbour Swing" then my immediate reaction is that that is half the dance
gone already and it has nothing interesting in it. We've all done that a
thousand times. Let's have some variety!
Once you break out of the need for two swings in a dance you can use the
space to create much more interesting choreography.
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
I agree with Martha and Colin. There's no reason to think that any contra
dance without two swings has a bug, necessarily, although Don may have been
in the mindset of fulfilling the desires and catering to the tastes of his
audiences when he said what he said. I can support that, too!
Greg
On Wed, Jul 27, 2016 at 3:01 PM, via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
> wrote:
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> Today's Topics:
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> 1. Another Existential Inquiry (Don Veino via Callers)
> 2. Re: Another Existential Inquiry (Martha Wild via Callers)
> 3. Re: Another Existential Inquiry (colin(a)colinhume.com via Callers)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Tue, 26 Jul 2016 21:39:33 -0400
> From: Don Veino via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net>
> To: "Caller's discussion list" <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
> Subject: [Callers] Another Existential Inquiry
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> f5-3v4a4uA(a)mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
> Given the simplicity of the following, I expect to confirm they already
> exist... but thought I'd check in with the knowledgeable horde here on SW.
>
> This is something I apparently "wrote" over a year ago but found again
> during a files dive today. :) I expect I may have put it aside due to no
> Neighbor swing in the first pass. Spun off w/another A2 to address that
> just now, below.
>
> Revisiting them in light of the great heat we've had locally, they might be
> sweet lower exertion dances with the right tunes. And lack of a second
> swing can be a "feature" vs. "bug" in such conditions.
>
> Please let me know the real author(s), should it not be me. :)
>
> Thanks,
> Don
>
> Don Veino DRAFT 20150117 - Becket Left/CW
>
> A1
> LT Diag R&L Thru
> Ladies Chain Straight Across
> A2
> Star Left
> Star Right
> B1
> Big Oval Left and Right (until opposite P)
> B2
> Gents Allemande Left 1/2x
> Partner Glance Around* Right, Swing
>
> Don Veino DRAFT 20160726 - Becket Left/CW
>
> A1
> LT Diag R&L Thru
> Ladies Chain Straight Across
> A2
> Ladies Glance Around* Right 1x
> Neighbor Swing
> B1
> Big Oval Left and Right (until opposite P)
> B2
> Gents Allemande Left 1/2x
> Partner Glance Around* Right, Swing
>
> *Glance Around is just a placeholder for that other call, you know the
> one...
>
Hi All,
I collected a dance from Lisa Greenleaf. Neither she nor the person
from whom she collected it knows the author. I'm hoping you can help
me. Here it is:
Holiday Daze
Becket
A1 Cir L 3/4, pass through
New neighbor swing
A2 Long lines F&B
Ladies chain
B1 Left diag. hey for 4
B2 (original) Ladies L shoulder gypsy
Partner swing
Thanks
-Amy
I would always include in the notation the fact that the balances for a Box
Circulate are MUCH more satisfying if they are Forward & Back - that sets
you up with the right momentum to cross the set.
I really wish callers would specify the direction of every balance; for
instance if the next move is Allemande Left, then balancing Left/Right is
much better than Right/Left (which leaves you too close to the person you
are Allemanding).
Spinning as you cross the set in a Box Circulate is also fun, and much
easier to do if you have balanced Forward & Back.
:-)
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
Hello all. In addition to the lovely Du Quoin Races dance by Orace Johnson, are you familiar with any other box circulate dances that you could share? Thanks!
Vicki MorrisonTallahassee, FL
