Contra Callers April 2018

contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net

49 participants
48 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, 4 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

3 years, 11 months

Calling a Halloween dance tonight? Try this circle mixer...

by Amy Cann via Callers

I try and call the dances of Rich Blazej whenever I can and this one's a Halloween favorite, re-done as "Werewolves and Zombies". *Garfield's Escape* -- circle of couples PLUS ONE EXTRA in the center (Garfield) A1 All into the center EIGHT steps and back, menacing the Garfield A2 Circle left, circle right B1 Women (werewolves) promenade single file to the right, while men (zombies) "star" by the right -- each man puts his right hand on right shoulder of the man in front - including Garfield. B2 Caller hollers "Escape!" ("Boo!", or maybe "Braaaiiins") and all men run to the outside and swing with a woman in the outer circle. A new Garfield remains in the center. Rich himself named this after Garfield the comic-strip cat, way back when he was cynical and funny (the cat, not Rich). "The single man remaining at the end of the dance is entitled to a pan of lasagna and some fresh kitty litter". My favorite normal tune for this is the minor jig Coleraine, played at a slightly slower lurch-y tempo, but if I'm lucky the band'll do the Alfred Hitchcock theme. Have fun, just thought I'd share -- and I'd love to hear how it goes if you do it, and what variations emerge. Cheers, Amy

4 years, 6 months

Looking for "fun" dances

by sdgola＠aol.com

Sure they're all fun (we hope). I'm looking for a few dances that are particularly playful, quirky, silly....something that typically gets the dancers laughing. Some examples would be "Over the Hill and Still Chased" with the lady round two/gent cut through figure, or Beneficial Tradition when the dancers throw their free arm up and shout "Wooo!" You get the idea. What are your favorites? Sue Gola Princeton, NJ

4 years, 11 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

Sharing ¡Que Linda!

by Don Veino

I wanted to share a contra written in honor of Linda Leslie - it was called this weekend in a session with the Youth Festival Orchestra at the 2018 New England Folk Festival to a nice reception. Full details at http://veino.com/blog/?p=1990 . May it bring dancers joy - as did she. -Don *¡Que Linda! - DI - Don Veino 20180211* *A1* Neighbor Balance & Swing *A2* Long Lines Forward & Back Mad Robin CCW 1+1/4x (Ladies through center 1st, to Wave/4 across) [N by LH, Ladies RH center] *B1* Balance Wave, Neighbor Allemande Left 1/2x, Gents Pass Right to cross, Partner Swing *B2* Circle Left 3/4x, Ring Balance & CA Twirl

6 years

Star 1/2 -> Star 1/2?

by Luke Donforth

I was recently thinking about star to star transitions. There are lots of great dances that go star 1x to opposite hand star 1x (such as Lisa Greenleaf's "Poetry in Motion", Robert Cromartie's "Al's Safeway Produce", Linda Leslie's "Burlington Spirit"...); and then there are the star -> same hand star dances (Mike Richardson's "Star Trek", my "Voyager", Dugan Murphey's "The Next Generation"...) Are there dances that use star just half way -> with next, opposite hand star 1/2 way? I'm envisioning something with a bit of a zig-zag feel, but that could be done in crowded dance halls where you don't want folks swooping out laterally (like John Coffman's "Boys of Urbana"), but more connected than a single file promenade snake like Cary Ravitz's "March of the Coffee Zombies". Are there already dances out there like this? Switchback Stars Improper, single progression A1 With #1 Neighbors, Left Hand star 1/2x With #2 Neighbors, Right Hand star 1/2 With #3 Neighbor, left shoulder gyre 1x A2 With #2 Neighbor, right shoulder gyre and swing (now current neighbors) B1 Circle Left 3/4 Partner Swing B2 Ladies chain across to neighbor Long Lines forward and back If so, how do they handle the timing? And for that dance (assuming it doesn't already exist), would you prefer it as written above, or shifted to put the progression in B2? Switchback Stars + 16B Improper, single progression A1 With Neighbor, right shoulder gyre and swing A2 Circle Left 3/4 Partner Swing B1 Ladies chain across to neighbor Long Lines forward and back B2 With #1 Neighbors, Left Hand star 1/2x With #2 Neighbors, Right Hand star 1/2 With #3 Neighbor, left shoulder gyre 1x come back to Neighbor #2, now current neighbor -- Luke Donforth Luke.Donforth(a)gmail.com <Luke.Donev(a)gmail.com>

6 years

Star 1/2 - seat 1/2

by Tom Hinds

Luke I think you've come up with something original. The only dances I know of that have a series of half stars were written by Rod Linnel. He came up with a figure (i believe) he called grand star and used in a double square. Sent from my iPad

6 years

New (?) simple dance without a neighbor swing

by Luke Donforth

Hi folks, This is a pretty simple dance without a neighbor swing. Anyone recognize it as already existing? A1 Neighbor Allemande Right 1 1/2 Gents Allemande Left 1 1/2 A2 Partner Balance and Swing B1 Long Lines forward and back Promenade across set with partner B2 Ladies chain back to neighbor Left hand star 1x Thanks -- Luke Donforth Luke.Donforth(a)gmail.com <Luke.Donev(a)gmail.com>

6 years

Fwd: Identify some dances

by K Panton

>Yoyo Zhou <https://www.mail-archive.com/search?l=callers@lists.sharedweight.net&q=from…> Tue, 12 Mar 2013 16:19:18 -0400 (EDT) <https://www.mail-archive.com/search?l=callers@lists.sharedweight.net&q=date…> >Thanks, all. I've found that the first dance (? 1), as I noted it, isn't in >any of your collections, because it doesn't work: This is an old thread, but I was searching for an easy introduction to an alle/orbit figure and landed on it. I have made a fix to Yoyo's original transcription that, as he described, resulted in couples swapping sides and, my guess, cycling back and forth within one place of the starting point forever! The fixed dance is as follows and has a CCW progression. I swapped a LL for the R/L and juggled a figure here or there in A. the only hiccup is the slight grinding of gears (i.e. reverse of momentum) for the ladies transitioning from a swing to a chain (but not a biggie and it occurs often in the repertoire). *A1* *(8)* *LL F & B* *(8)* *Gents alle L 1.5* *A2* *(8)* *N Swing* *(8)* *Ladies Chain* *B1* *(8)* *Cir L 3/4; pass thru* *(8)* *New ladies alle L 1.0* *Gents orbit CW* *B2* *(16)* *P Bal & Sw* I've discovered this is very similar to Cary Ravitz's "Amy's Harmonium" leading me to think that Yoyo might have had that dance in mind. https://danceminder.com/dance/show/amysha *A1* LLFB (partners roll away w/half sashay on the way back) Gents allemande right 1 3/4 8 *A2* Neighbor balance and swing 8 *B1* Ladies chain across Circle left 3/4, Pass thru (up/down) to new couple 8 *B2* Ladies alle lt 1x while Gents orbit 1/2 CW(left) Partner swing I like Cary's better for flow (his balance/no balance swings are a better fit) BUT the roll-away is an extra thing to throw off novices. On the other hand, there's no reason that, in the first version, partners couldn't flow right into a 16 beat swing (or dancers' choice), foregoing the balance.

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Contra Callers April 2018