Contra Callers

contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net

14 participants
4360 discussions

by Michael Barraclough via Callers

I have an interesting dance coming up this Saturday! The regular Phoenix 2nd Saturday Contra is having a contra dance with the Desert Valley Squares Club (an LGBT MWSD group). In addition, the Desert Valley Squares have been advertising this dance heavily in the local LGBT community as part of their recruitment drive. Any suggestions as to how best to handle this mix (regular contra dancers, MSWD dancers and non-dancers) would be most welcome. -- Michael Barraclough michael(a)michaelbarraclough.com www.michaelbarraclough.com

9 years, 11 months

caller needed

by Bill Olson via Callers

Hi all, Anybody going to be in mid-coast Maine on July 18 and want to call the 3rd Saturday dance at Bowdoinham Town Hall?? We'd love to have a new face there! Let me know, thanks!! bill

9 years, 11 months

Another approach to Gender Free calling

by Jim Hemphill via Callers

The recent discussions on this topic inspired me to try an experiment in gender free calling. Last night I called the contra dance in St. Louis using gender free calling without telling anyone. The experiment was a great success. I received lots of positive feedback on the evenings dance. At the break and after the dance I made a point to ask several dancers, some were callers as well, if they noticed anything different or unusual about the dances or how I taught them. One person noticed that there were more dances that included a swing in the center for couple 2 than usual. No one I talked to noticed that the calls and teaching were gender free. It took some extra time to construct a fun, diverse 3 hour program, but it is certainly possible. Re-labeling the dancers is not the only way to call gender free. If you are interested in the program I used or the larger collection of gender free dances I chose the program from, send me an email, arcadian35(a)gmail.com. Thanks, Jim Hemphill

9 years, 11 months

What Dancers Need to Know and Gender Free Calling

by Michael Fuerst via Callers

So, what do dancers need to know in order to progress through a duple contra dance? (1) At the end of a swing, who finishes on which side. Thus we need some words and concept of these two roles, whether men and women, larks and ravens, or P's and Q's. (This seems really important when neighbors swing, and less important in ECD.) (2) The identity of their current and future neighbors. (Tells dancers which way they are progressing.) (3) A consistent way to designate positions within a group of four. For the moment consider "first corners" to be the positions of woman 1 and man 2 at the start of the a duple improper dance. Prudent use of all of these seems important over the various contra formations: improper, proper, becket (progressing left or right), indescent (2's crossed), and dances where the "1's" (those moving away from the music) start below the "2's." For beginning and intermediate dancers, callers' use of (1) is often easier than (3). In dances with unusual end effects, caller's use of (3) can be difficult. In general using (1) is clearer, because (a) it is easier to find a person, and (b) one's position changes throughout the 32 seconds or so of a contra. I can think of quite a few dances which become much more difficult to convey to the dancers when (1) is avoided. For example: (a) "Second corners chain on the left diagonal" will always seem obscure.(b) Who rolls in front during a roll away, or moves in front during a Mad Robin(c) dances with partial heys (d) Many proper dances Michael Fuerst 802 N Broadway Urbana IL 61801 217 239 5844

9 years, 11 months

Re: [Callers] Another approach to Gender Free calling

by John Sweeney via Callers

Andea asked, "I would love to hear from those who have danced Morris or other single gender sets in hands four whether they use numbered corners or some other designation." Most Cotswold Morris is six men - two lines of three. And, yes, we say First Corners for the long right diagonal (what ECD would call First Long Corners) and Second Corners. The two men in the middle of the two lines of three are Third Corners. I use the same nomenclature (Third Corners) when calling dances like Black Nag. There are not many situations where you have the equivalent of "hands four" in Cotswold Morris. One exception is the Lichfield Hey - Lichfield is an 8-man dance. You will hear the men chanting, "First, Second, Pause, Change". First and Second here refer to POSITION, so you alternate between being a First Corner and a Second Corner. = = = = = = = = = = = I notice that neither http://heatherandrose.org/terms.shtml nor http://lcfd.org/gf-ecd-calling-conventions.html seem to have the word "Swing" anywhere on the page! This seems to me to be a major omission! There do appear to be people who think that ECD doesn't include swings, and maybe in some American ECD clubs they don't. But country dancing in England most definitely includes swings in all sorts of styles. Happy dancing, John John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent

9 years, 11 months

Re: [Callers] Another approach to Gender Free calling

by Bob Stein via Callers

This discussion of ECD just made me realize that the one move that is usually specifically gender related -- Ladies Chain -- is actually 2nd corners chain. If the idea of first and second corners is introduced to contra dancers than there would be no problem with most of the moves: chains, allemandes, heys. It all becomes position oriented. Bob

9 years, 11 months

Re: [Callers] Global terminology in contra dances

by Don Veino via Callers

Note, that page doesn't use the phrase "Global Terminology". More specifically, the word "global" doesn't appear anywhere on it. It does include a "Heather and Rose Terminology" section which is what I believe is being referenced. I only bring this up because it caused me some confusion at first, as it was not clear in which section the referenced "global" material was. On Mon, Jun 1, 2015 at 12:51 PM, Linda Leslie via Callers < callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > In an earlier email, David Casserly shared the following link, which > defines the approach very, very well! > http://heatherandrose.org/terms.shtml > Linda > >

9 years, 11 months

Jets / rubies genderfree terms redux: gems?

by Ron Blechner via Callers

For those interested in gender free contra dance terms: 1. Do you like or dislike jets / rubies ? 2. How would gems / rubies compare? In dance, Ron Blechner

9 years, 11 months

The Benefits of Difference (was: Jets / rubies genderfree terms redux: gems?)

by Jacob Nancy Bloom via Callers

On Sat, May 30, 2015 at 2:57 PM, Delia Clark via Callers < callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > ... > > It will ultimately be a good thing if there is a generally accepted set > of words (certainly not a strict requirement, but something that’s > generally accepted across the country, if possible) that meet the range of > criteria, along the lines of those suggested by Ron in his matrix. > There is an assumption behind this statement which is often made, but which I find very disturbing. The assumption is that it is an unalloyed good thing for there to be standardization. This is the kind of thinking that led the Modern Western Square Dance movement to standardize all of their calls, and all of their teaching programs. They wanted any square dancer to be able to go to any square dance club in the country, or in the world, and immediately know exactly what was meant by everything that was said. There are some advantages to that kind of standardization, especially if you happen to be a globe-hopping square dancer who enjoys dancing hot hash, but it comes at a tremendous cost. It comes with a loss of the opportunity to experience, adapt to, and appreciate regional differences. I don't care about being able to go to a new place just to find that things there are done in the same way that I'm used to them being done back home. I care about being able to go to new places and learning the way things are done there. What this means for the current discussion, from my point of view, is that it's a good thing if dance callers and producers discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using different terminology, and consider what language will work best for their dance. It would be a BAD thing if anyone switched terminology JUST BECAUSE that's what other people were doing. It may well be that a certain set of terms will become generally accepted because it works better for the dancers in a lot of places. It may well be that dances which were written to be gender-neutral will be generally accepted because they work better for the dancers in a lot of places. In the meantime, if you find yourself assuming that it would a good thing if there was standardization across the country, please give some thought to what advantage you are trying to achieve, and what the disadvantages would be. Jacob Bloom

9 years, 11 months

Fwd: Wireless Headset

by Rich Sbardella via Callers

Hello friends, I recently called a dance and had trouble with my Shure wireless headset system. I had feedback as I called from the floor/field. That indicates that the mic pattern is probably to wide, since the volume was not that loud. It also droped out as I walked around the field at the outdoor dance. Can anyone recommend a good quality headset system for a singing caller who is often on the floor as he calls? Rich Sbardella Stafford, CT

9 years, 11 months

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