Contra Callers February 2020

contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net

39 participants
80 discussions

Re: Is there an on-line simulator to visualize/observe contra dance moves/interactions?

by Gregory Frock

Hi Becky, Lots of good references and advice here. Three things I would add are: 1. If you are diagramming, you will have better results using items with "faces". For a lot of dances, which direction each dancer is facing can also be important (think of box circulates and the like). 2. Like many things, diagramming is a skill that gets better with practice. Even if you find a good app online, keep diagramming at least a few dances on your own. You will find it easier over time. 3. If a dance is really difficult to diagram, it's most likely not worth it, except as diagramming practice. Consider that all the trouble you have diagramming is likely to extend as you figure out how to teach a particular dance. Best of luck in your search, Greg On Sun, Feb 9, 2020 at 2:02 PM Becky Liddle via Contra Callers < contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > I doubt this exists, but thought I’d ask: > I have seen on-line apps that demonstrate just one particular move (a > ravens chain or whatever) showing how each dancer moves in that single > call/move. > But has anyone yet programmed something that allows you to put in all the > moves of a full contra dance, so you can see how all the dancers in a > contra line interact? > I’m trying to figure out movements and end effects using a magnetic > whiteboard, moving magnets around, but it is both painstakingly slow and I > keep screwing it up. > > I know the ideal way to figure out end effects and make sure a dance works > before calling it is to get a few friends together to walk it thru, but > short of getting that many contra dancers in a room (I have one friend who > offers them pie as incentive, but I’m no pastry chef!), has anyone figured > out a better system for visualizing dancer interactions and end effects > other than magnets on a whiteboard? > > Assuming an on-line simulator doesn’t exist, I’m about to go that > magnet/whiteboard route, so if anyone cares to suggest the least > mind-boggling way to set that up (Lark 1A, Raven 1A, Lark 2A, Raven 2A, > etc?) do chime in! I need some way to label each dancer so that when they > leave their minor set, and then, say, do a left diagonal ravens chain back > to their partner I can tell if it really IS their own partner or if I’ve > screwed up again. :-( > > I find online videos can sometimes help me visualize the interactions in > the middle of the line (if the videographer will hold still long enough for > me to see a whole run-thru of the dance with one minor set), but I can > almost never see end effects in those. > > Thanks for any suggestions! > Becky Liddle, Toronto > _______________________________________________ > Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net >

4 years, 9 months

Re: Is there an on-line simulator to visualize/observe contra dance moves/interactions?

by Colin Hume

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4 years, 9 months

Re: Is there an on-line simulator to visualize/observe

by Claire Takemori

Hi Becky, I also use square glass magnets. I printed blue stickers for half and purple for the others. I typed L1-L8, and R1-R8 for Lark Left, Robin Right. I’ve also put the stickers on so a portion covers one side edge so I know which way a dancer is facing, as that matter in some dances. In case the automations are not helpful and you go back to magnets. Also know that with time and practice, you get faster and better at seeing moves in your head. Good luck! Claire Takemori, California > On Feb 9, 2020, at 9:00 PM, contracallers-request(a)lists.sharedweight.net wrote: > > Date: Sun, 9 Feb 2020 13:57:01 -0500 > From: Becky Liddle <beckyliddle(a)bell.net <mailto:beckyliddle@bell.net>> > Subject: [Callers] Is there an on-line simulator to visualize/observe > contra dance moves/interactions? > To: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net <mailto:Callers@lists.sharedweight.net> > Message-ID: <E068296E-877C-495D-B4C0-0895A6E565D0(a)bell.net <mailto:E068296E-877C-495D-B4C0-0895A6E565D0@bell.net>> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 > > I doubt this exists, but thought I’d ask: > I have seen on-line apps that demonstrate just one particular move (a ravens chain or whatever) showing how each dancer moves in that single call/move. > But has anyone yet programmed something that allows you to put in all the moves of a full contra dance, so you can see how all the dancers in a contra line interact? > I’m trying to figure out movements and end effects using a magnetic whiteboard, moving magnets around, but it is both painstakingly slow and I keep screwing it up. > > I know the ideal way to figure out end effects and make sure a dance works before calling it is to get a few friends together to walk it thru, but short of getting that many contra dancers in a room (I have one friend who offers them pie as incentive, but I’m no pastry chef!), has anyone figured out a better system for visualizing dancer interactions and end effects other than magnets on a whiteboard? > > Assuming an on-line simulator doesn’t exist, I’m about to go that magnet/whiteboard route, so if anyone cares to suggest the least mind-boggling way to set that up (Lark 1A, Raven 1A, Lark 2A, Raven 2A, etc?) do chime in! I need some way to label each dancer so that when they leave their minor set, and then, say, do a left diagonal ravens chain back to their partner I can tell if it really IS their own partner or if I’ve screwed up again. :-( > > I find online videos can sometimes help me visualize the interactions in the middle of the line (if the videographer will hold still long enough for me to see a whole run-thru of the dance with one minor set), but I can almost never see end effects in those. > > Thanks for any suggestions! > Becky Liddle, Toronto

4 years, 9 months

Re: Is there an on-line simulator to visualize/observe contra dance moves/interactions?

by jim saxe

Jeff Kaufman wrote: > When I was learning to call I read about diagramming dances (I completely forget where). ... The section "Diagramming Dances" in Cary Ravitz's "Notes on Choreography for Duple Minor Improper Contra Dances" https://www.dance.ravitz.us/chor.php describes a system similar to the one in Jeff's message. Note, however, that Cary places the top of the set at the right side of the page, so that when it is helpful to diagram more than one foursome, the contra line extends horizontally rather than vertically. --Jim

4 years, 9 months

Re: Is there an on-line simulator to visualize/observe contra dance moves/interactions?

by Jeff Kaufman

When I was learning to call I read about diagramming dances (I completely forget where). For an equal turn dance you write the dancers as "l" and "r" for the ones and "-" for the twos. The top of the hall is the top of the page. You mark these down at each step through the dance: r l - - A1 (16) Neighbor balance and Swing - - r l A2 (8) Ravens chain - r - l A2 (8) Promenade across l - r - etc. I usually find I can keep things clear enough that I can track what a given call will do to the dancers, and having all the stages written down is helpful for looking back. Jeff On Sun, Feb 9, 2020 at 3:21 PM Alan J Rosenthal via Contra Callers < contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > I use chess pieces. It's not all that different to what you are doing with > magnets except that I think it meets the objectives you state in your > message. > > Partners are same pieces of a different colour (e.g. a pawn's partner is > a pawn, etc, and you only use one pair of pawns). You can use black to > represent Larks etc (or the other way around obviously). Couples are > arranged in some meaningful order to you, such as by the value of the > chess piece or by height. > > Then after you move them all around for a while, you can still tell who's > who. > > Actually I bought four different colours of chess pieces from > https://www.chesshouse.com (five years ago, so things there might have > changed). I've never used them to play chess. (I had in mind to make a > youtube video about how some dance progressions work, which I may or may > not manage to do some day. But I've used them to work out dances a lot.) > > regards, > ajr, dancing in and near Toronto, Canada > _______________________________________________ > Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net >

4 years, 9 months

Re: Is there an on-line simulator to visualize/observe contra dance moves/interactions?

by Alan J Rosenthal

I use chess pieces. It's not all that different to what you are doing with magnets except that I think it meets the objectives you state in your message. Partners are same pieces of a different colour (e.g. a pawn's partner is a pawn, etc, and you only use one pair of pawns). You can use black to represent Larks etc (or the other way around obviously). Couples are arranged in some meaningful order to you, such as by the value of the chess piece or by height. Then after you move them all around for a while, you can still tell who's who. Actually I bought four different colours of chess pieces from https://www.chesshouse.com (five years ago, so things there might have changed). I've never used them to play chess. (I had in mind to make a youtube video about how some dance progressions work, which I may or may not manage to do some day. But I've used them to work out dances a lot.) regards, ajr, dancing in and near Toronto, Canada

4 years, 9 months

Digest

by Andrea Nettleton

I know there was a post about it, but I missed it/deleted it. I very much need to be in digest format for all my shared weight accounts. How do I do that?? Andrea Sent from my iPhone

4 years, 9 months

Re: Is there an on-line simulator to visualize/observe contra dance moves/interactions?

by Maia McCormick

Haven't actually played with it much, but you could check out Cary Ravitz's Micro Robot Dance: https://www.dance.ravitz.us/mrd.php On Sun, Feb 9, 2020 at 2:02 PM Becky Liddle via Contra Callers < contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > I doubt this exists, but thought I’d ask: > I have seen on-line apps that demonstrate just one particular move (a > ravens chain or whatever) showing how each dancer moves in that single > call/move. > But has anyone yet programmed something that allows you to put in all the > moves of a full contra dance, so you can see how all the dancers in a > contra line interact? > I’m trying to figure out movements and end effects using a magnetic > whiteboard, moving magnets around, but it is both painstakingly slow and I > keep screwing it up. > > I know the ideal way to figure out end effects and make sure a dance works > before calling it is to get a few friends together to walk it thru, but > short of getting that many contra dancers in a room (I have one friend who > offers them pie as incentive, but I’m no pastry chef!), has anyone figured > out a better system for visualizing dancer interactions and end effects > other than magnets on a whiteboard? > > Assuming an on-line simulator doesn’t exist, I’m about to go that > magnet/whiteboard route, so if anyone cares to suggest the least > mind-boggling way to set that up (Lark 1A, Raven 1A, Lark 2A, Raven 2A, > etc?) do chime in! I need some way to label each dancer so that when they > leave their minor set, and then, say, do a left diagonal ravens chain back > to their partner I can tell if it really IS their own partner or if I’ve > screwed up again. :-( > > I find online videos can sometimes help me visualize the interactions in > the middle of the line (if the videographer will hold still long enough for > me to see a whole run-thru of the dance with one minor set), but I can > almost never see end effects in those. > > Thanks for any suggestions! > Becky Liddle, Toronto > _______________________________________________ > Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net >

4 years, 9 months

Re: Is there an on-line simulator to visualize/observe contra dance moves/interactions?

by Colin Hume

On Sun, 9 Feb 2020 19:09:08 +0000, Amy Cann via Contra Callers wrote: > Betting that Colin Hume has the definitive answer to this... There's a Contra Dance Designer at http://www.seattledance.org/misc/contra.design/index.htm which I've never tried. And there's an excellent simulator at http://dancekaleidoscope.org.au/dance.html where the author says you can download the application and run it yourself, but again I haven't. Colin Hume

4 years, 9 months

Re: Is there an on-line simulator to visualize/observe contra dance moves/interactions?

by john＠modernjive.com

Hi Becky, See if http://www.dancekaleidoscope.org.au/dance.html helps. At the bottom of the page is the link to make your own. Happy dancing, John John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802 940 574 http://www.modernjive.com for Modern Jive Events & DVDs http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent

4 years, 9 months

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Contra Callers February 2020