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.
Dear Contra Caller friends,
November 18, 2020, marks the 25th anniversary of the death of Ted Sannella. Ted shaped our lives as dancers and callers, and we remember him vividly. Before more time goes by and memories fade, we'd like to use this occasion to collect stories and tributes from others who knew Ted.
Ted published some 170 dances, including contras, squares, triplets, and mixers in various configurations. After the death of Ralph Page, Ted was widely considered the “Dean of New England Callers.” He left behind a vast collection of dance materials, which were donated along with his personal papers to the New Hampshire Library of Traditional Music and Dance at the University of New Hampshire to form the Ted Sannella Collection.
Please send your stories to SannellaStories(a)gmail.com; we'll collect them and will arrange for them to be shared more widely. This may happen through a print or web publication of some kind, or—once the COVID-19 pandemic has abated enough that we can dance safely—in dance camp or festival settings. We could even arrange a special Ted Talk!
We will also make sure that all contributions are passed along to the Ted Sannella Collection at UNH and shared with members of Ted's family.
David Millstone and David Smukler
The Friends of Cecil Sharp House presents:
Positional Calling Workshops with Louise Siddons
Saturday 17th October and Saturday 14th November 2020 at 7 pm (UK)
These workshops are intended to introduce participants to positional calling — sometimes described as global terminology — for both ECD/Playford (on October 17) and contra (on November 14). Discover how the skills you already cultivate as a caller can be enhanced by positional thinking, teaching, and calling — and learn how to use those skills to create a more welcoming, inclusive atmosphere at your dances. This workshop will be participatory rather than prescriptive, although Louise will introduce the strategies that she uses in her own teaching and calling as helpful starting points. Louise has been calling both contra and ECD positionally since 2017 in both the US and the UK.
Register by email to judith(a)fcsh.org.uk <mailto:judith@fcsh.org.uk>
