Contra Callers January 2024

contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net

25 participants
7 discussions

by Becky Liddle

> On Jan 25, 2024, at 12:00 AM, contracallers-request(a)lists.sharedweight.net wrote: > >>> Late in a regular evening dance a caller recently threw in a contra >> with larks and robins progressing in opposite directions or at >> different rates. Although it was announced as a mixer, it was >> sufficiently unexpected that chaos and discomfort ensued. I'd have >> been happier with that in a workshop setting. "Dance with who's >> coming at you." >> >> David, I'd love to have this dance for uh, scientific purposes and >> certainly not to sow chaos 👀 >> >> >> -- >> Maia McCormick (she/her) >> 917.279.8194 Here is one: Note: I can’t guarantee I have everything right here. I think I remember prepping to call it and then chickening out! :-) ð BECKET MIXER No Use Crying Over Spilled Milk by Chris Weiler Teaching: Note: warn Robins that they’ll feel stuck at ends when not stuck. If there’s nobody on your side to dance with, then dance with the person across from you and face back in LL/RR as usual. Larks triple progress, but robins progress forward 2 and back one so it can feel like you’re stuck when you’re not. Don’t fix it or you will get stuck! A1 BECKET: on side of set w/partner: Partner balance & swing A2 (6) Circle left 3 places & pass thru along the set (8) New neighbor swing B1 (8) long lines forward and back (8) third neighbor (beside you along side of set, who you did NOT just swing) allemande left 1 ½ (there’s an awkward hand-hold switch here: robins, you can make it smoother if you take the lark’s left hand you’re holding in your right hand, and put it into your left hand for the allemande left 1 ½ ) B2 (8) Robins chain (to current partner— then say goodbye) (8) Star left (all the way around) to a new partner Calling Notes: Note: If you’re out at the ends and there’s nobody on your side to dance with, then do the move (whether partner or neighbour) with the person across from you and face back in LL/RR as usual. warn Robins that they’ll feel stuck at ends when not stuck. Larks triple progress, but robins progress forward 2 and back one so it can feel like you’re stuck when you’re not. Don’t try to fix it or you will get stuck! Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7At3Dhq-G0

10 months, 2 weeks

English/Contra medleys

by Maia McCormick

Hello hivemind, I’m thinking again about an ECD/contra Medley — presumably where you switch from one style to the other every time you change dances, though I am of course open to other ideas. Does anyone have thoughts here? Have you seen the unsuccessfully? Tips on what to avoid or common pitfalls? Thanks for your insights! Maia -- Maia McCormick (she/her) 917.279.8194

10 months, 2 weeks

Suggestions for great recent contra compositions

by Gregory Frock

Dear Colleagues, I will be at NEFFA 2024 calling a session of "the best dances of 2010 and later". I have a pretty good list of nominees, but if anyone wants to add suggestions, or encourage selections of particular dances, I would love to hear them. I am looking for a good variety of geographic origin and work from both renown and lesser known choreographers. Thanks all! Greg

11 months

New College Contra / 1st time with 50+ dancers!

by Robert Matson

Hi All, Please join us in celebrating a significant milestone for our college dance: more than 50 dancers this past Friday! Last school year we averaged around 20/dance. Last year's core dancers were seniors. This school year we have been averaging around 10/dance, but our core dancers are mostly freshman. (Yay!) Video clip from the dance: Dance: 'The Flircle." Ellen Hostetter calling. Band: Bobby Fjsh and the Magic River https://youtu.be/TGWzuIk2LTE (For videos, we've promised to obscure dancers' features in order to maintain privacy.) As some of you know, who have met us on-line or in-person, we started our dance from scratch, with all first-time dancers and a novice caller who hadn't done much contra. (That said, our novice caller is a professional educator and researcher whose formative art was ballet and tap). At last Friday's dance, about 80% were first-timers. The other 20% were beginner-level. To share, with the hope that some of you can benefit, we've identified several possible explanations for the high turnout. The primary new effort was that we hosted a pop-up art exhibit in the space, lasting for the 120-minutes for which we had the studio. Long story short, pursuant to our floating the idea in our regular announcement and inviting artists to pin-up, one of our core dancers volunteered to curate a show and spoke with her art professor who, in turn, liked the idea and gave the students credit if they participated. From that, a good 25-30 student artists came with work to pin-up -- or put down -- we had one sculpture -- who had never heard of contra, who may have never put a foot down on a beat, and had no intent of dancing. With encouragement, all but one (due to health issues) joined in for the whole dance. The student who curated has offered to continue creating exhibits and we plan to do this every time. (We dance 2x/month.) We think it was a rogue wave of sorts. Another student, it so happened, on the same eve, got a group of his friends to come, and several students from the outdoors club showed up. And then several of our usual dancers, who we hadn't seen for a while, showed up. And then one of our usual dancers was freaked out by the size of the crowd, she told us, and left. :-) Luckily, a reporter and photographer from the school newspaper also visited on the same eve! So, a wonderful tsunami of first timers. We look forward to seeing how many keep returning. Program: Circassian Circle The Flircle - Intermission, art show, hob-nobbing - Swing workshop Lucky 7 Mixer We did three walkthroughs of each dance and started 10 min. late due to distractions caused by hanging the art show. We dance Larks/Robins. All best, Rob - - - - - - - - - - - Robert Matson Cell: (917) 626-2675

11 months

Workshop activities for helping dancers improve their skills?

by Emily Addison

Hi fellow contra callers :) I am wondering if any of you have little activities/exercises that you use to help dancers improve their knowledge/skills of contra dance? I know there's lots of opinions on whether this is even necessary or should be offered. However, I have a few situations where I've got dancers who are keen to improve their skills and I'd like to have various fun ways of doing so. I'd love to hear your ideas! One activity I remember from mannnnny years ago in Ottawa was led by Adina Gordon. She had us form up in contra lines and then she would say 1-2 (maybe 3?) figures. We weren't to dance the figure... instead, simply go to the spot where we would end up after the figure(s). I remember this as being a lot of fun and a great learning experience. I also remember from that same session something about sending some dancers out of the room and teaching the dance to others and then doing the dance. (I don't remember the details.) Thoughts? Any advice/ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! Emily in Ottawa ON

11 months, 1 week

Practicing dances

by Mary Collins

Researching a discussion I had with a fellow organizer. As a caller, newbie, experienced, old hat experienced: 1. how often do you practice calling dances, esp new to you dances? 2. Do you practice to music? 3. How far in advance do you set and work through your program? Thanks for any and all input. Mary Collins Fanklinville/Olean NY

12 months

Caller Directory - for your reference

by Luke Donforth

Hello folks, I haven't chimed in on this for a while, so I thought I'd mention again that there's a list of callers who have hung their shingle available as a google spreadsheet at http://tinyurl.com/hnb72wv If you know of a caller who wants to be on that list, they can submit information at https://goo.gl/forms/62beEKCKsyysepGk1 If you're a caller who wants to be off that list, or have information changed, reach out to me if you don't have your direct edit link anymore. Happy New Year. Luke

12 months

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Contra Callers January 2024