Contra Callers

contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net

8 participants
4417 discussions

by George Mercer

A number of years ago I danced a number of times with a woman who was much shorter than me. I am about 5'6" or so on a good day. She was probably 4'8" give or take an inch. When we'd go into a swing, as my arm went around her to her back, she'd lock her left arm down so that I could hardly get my right hand past her side. At first I thought it was bad form on her part, but let it be. Then as I watched her dance with others, I realized that when her co-swinger managed to get his arm around her to the "normal" place it had the result of lifting her left side up to what appeared to me to be a discomfort level. The taller the man, the further her left side was forced to go. I had to learn a new approach to entering a swing, even to lean toward bad form when the height of the other dancer led me to an adjusted approach. I'm not suggesting we should teach this, but thinking about how your technique (good or bad) can cause another discomfort is worth thinking about. Over the year I've danced enough with men that I've also experienced discomfort with this height differential. Just thinking out loud. Thanks.

11 years, 10 months

Re: [Callers] Hand Manners (was: Dances with three or more allemandes)

by Lindsay Morris

Don's photo illustrates the "OSHA-approved" grip I mentioned. It's not the intuitive thing to do, so callers would do well (IMHO) to promote it. Jonathan, the "thumbs-up" position is different, and puts one at risk of injury or just awkwardness (like, when a new dancer grabs my thumb with their whole hand- ick). "Hand manners" in general would be a good topic - and how callers can promote good ones. -------------------- Lindsay Morris CEO, TSMworks Tel. 1-859-539-9900 lindsay(a)tsmworks.com On Mon, Feb 17, 2014 at 10:03 PM, Don Veino <sharedweight_net(a)veino.com>wrote: > [Lots of other posts trimmed...] > > Similar to a previous comment, and knowing one size does not fit all, I try > to preface any "style points" with a fellow dancer with "it would help me > if..." and then describe or show my desired interaction behavior. Puts the > issue totally on me and makes it sound like I'm asking a favor of them to > adjust to my needs, not correcting them -- if it leads to further good form > from them generally thereafter, so much the better. I've not had a negative > reaction to this since I started doing it. > > BTW, for allemandes I use a connection that I picked up somewhere in my > contra travels (which sounds a lot like some of he best practices described > to this point). I find this to be fairly common where I dance. As a picture > is worth a thousand words, here it is (note I'm torqued slightly in these > due to holding the camera with the other hand for the photo -- the normal > connection is neutral and unstressed but results in good weight): > > https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3My2DFMxZpOb3g1MVJWSS1lOGc/edit?usp=shari… > > -Don > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > Callers(a)sharedweight.net > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers >

11 years, 10 months

question about Disturbed By Insects

by Jonathan Sivier

I'm planning to call the circle mixer Disturbed By Insects on Friday (in part in honor of the 31st annual Insect Fear Film Festival being held this weekend here in Champaign-Urbana) and I've got a question about one of the instructions. The instructions I have are Disturbed by Insects Inga Morton mixer Formation: circle of couples, all facing counterclockwise A1 Promenade (with inside hands joined) California twirl Promenade back California twirl (then join both hands) A2 Ladies, push your partner to the center Gents, push your partner back Ladies, push your partner to the center Ladies, go back B1 With your partner box the gnat With your opposite to the left swat the flea With your opposite to the right box the gnat With your opposite to the left swat the flea B2 With your opposite to the right balance and swing This all makes sense except at the end of A2. If the ladies go back, and the gents stay put, then they will be separated by a gap and won't be able to reach their partner for the "box the gnat" at the beginning of B2. So it seems to me that it should say either "Ladies, go back and the gents follow" or "Gents, push your partner back again" or something similar. Does anyone have any advice on this? Thanks. Jonathan ----- Jonathan Sivier Caller of Contra, English and Early American Dances jsivier AT illinois DOT edu Dance Page: http://www.sivier.me/dance_leader.html ----- Q: How many angels can dance on the head of a pin? A: It depends on what dance you call!

11 years, 10 months

Re: [Callers] Circle & pass through as the last move of a dance

by John Sweeney

Actually: " Circle 3/4 & pass through as ANY move of a dance" I think. Yes, lots of excellent callers stress that circle 3/4 is six beats. I wish more callers would do it. Read also mentioned "avoidance of teaching". But we ARE teachers. You may CALL it a walk-through, but what you are actually doing is TEACHING the dance. And if the dance will work better if you point out some key items then go head and point them out, i.e. teach! In fact there are LOTS of moves that are really 6+2: Down the Hall in Lines of Four (6) Turn Alone (2). Swing (6) open out (with a twirl maybe) for the next move (2) Star/Circle Left (6) turn to prepare to go back the other way (2) These are all things that cause dancers to be late because they do an eight beat move and then spend the first part of the next phrase preparing for the next move. I suspect it might help a lot if we mentioned the 6/2 concept more when calling/teaching! Other examples that would benefit from a few key phrases from the caller (these are all from recent dances attended by hundreds of "experienced" dancers): Down the Hall in Lines of Four (4) California Twirl (4) - it's amazing how many dancers think they can do California Twirl in one beat and end up making lines crash - callers could just mention that California Twirl takes longer than Turn Alone so start around beat 5. (E.g Balance the Ring (4) California Twirl (4)) Men Allemande Left 1 & 1/2 - please, please, please tell them that it is dancing and not arm-wrestling - that if their arm moves closer to their body then they LOSE! :-) It is so frustrating having to fight (which I won't do any more after two shoulder operations) or accept that you aren't going to get around easily and that you aren't going to be able to spin out because it is too late and your arm has been forced into an awkward position. Swings where your partner hangs, grips, clamps, leans or otherwise prevents a wonderful experience - I wish callers would mention more (even to the most "experienced" dancers) that it is a loving embrace, a gentle counterbalance and relaxing will make the experience so much better. It only takes a second to mention these and similar elements during a walk-through. If we all drip-feed good ideas then some of the dancers will try them out and enjoy them. Yes, we should teach! :-) Happy dancing, John John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent

11 years, 10 months

Re: [Callers] question about Disturbed By Insects

by John Sweeney

Hi Jonathan, It depends on how you interpret "push your partner back". People could actually be quite close to their partners if they allow their arms to bend, so then the "Ladies, go back" might be worthwhile. I call it regularly and have always interpreted it as "Take two hands with your partner, as in a Poussette; make a nice firm rectangle with your arms and maintain that frame throughout the move" (but not necessarily with those words when addressing the dancers!). In this case you will end up in the right relative position to start the Box the Gnat, so the only instruction I give is "As you move away from the centre change to a right-to-right hold". Note, with a small number of dancers it is often better to reverse the directions - Men push first. Or you can just enjoy the crashes in the middle and make a joke about the ability of the ladies to steer! (As long as you are sure that no-one will be offended by such non-PC humour!) Happy dancing, John John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent From: Jonathan Sivier <jsivier(a)illinois.edu> To: "Caller's discussion list" <callers(a)sharedweight.net> Subject: [Callers] question about Disturbed By Insects Message-ID: <5304FC78.7060807(a)illinois.edu> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"; format=flowed I'm planning to call the circle mixer Disturbed By Insects on Friday (in part in honor of the 31st annual Insect Fear Film Festival being held this weekend here in Champaign-Urbana) and I've got a question about one of the instructions. The instructions I have are Disturbed by Insects Inga Morton mixer Formation: circle of couples, all facing counterclockwise A1 Promenade (with inside hands joined) California twirl Promenade back California twirl (then join both hands) A2 Ladies, push your partner to the center Gents, push your partner back Ladies, push your partner to the center Ladies, go back B1 With your partner box the gnat With your opposite to the left swat the flea With your opposite to the right box the gnat With your opposite to the left swat the flea B2 With your opposite to the right balance and swing This all makes sense except at the end of A2. If the ladies go back, and the gents stay put, then they will be separated by a gap and won't be able to reach their partner for the "box the gnat" at the beginning of B2. So it seems to me that it should say either "Ladies, go back and the gents follow" or "Gents, push your partner back again" or something similar. Does anyone have any advice on this? Thanks. Jonathan

11 years, 10 months

Re: [Callers] Forum vs email list?

by Bree Kalb

This feels like a good time to thank you, Chris, for setting up this list. Although it makes for tedious reading at times, it's mostly a great asset with good information and ideas. I don't comment much because someone usually says what I would have, but I keep learning here. Bree Kalb Carrboro, NC Wed, Feb 19, 2014 at 12:56 PM, Chris Weiler (Home) < >chris.weiler(a)weirdtable.org> wrote: > >> This list will stay in it's current form. If someone wants to set up a >> competing web-based forum, then they are free to and then people could vote >> with their feet. >> >> Chris Weiler >> SharedWeight moderator >> Craftsbury, VT Bree Kalb, LCSW 301 W. Weaver St. Carrboro, NC 27510 919-932-6262 ext 216 http://www.thewellnessalliance.com/BreeKalb.html Regarding the Use of Email -- Please Note: Although I use a firewall and my computer is password protected, my emails are not encrypted. Therefore, I cannot guarantee confidentiality of email communication. If you choose to communicate confidential information with me via email, I will assume that you have made an informed decision and I will view it as your agreement to take the risk that email may be intercepted. Please be aware that email is never an appropriate vehicle for emergency communication. If you are canceling an appointment less than 48 hours in advance, please also leave me a voice mail message at my office.

11 years, 10 months

Calling weddings and private parties

by Harold E. Watson

Good morning everyone. I've been calling for 15 years and to this day, the hardest dances for me to call are private parties, like weddings. Usually, a "soon to be wed" couple comes to a regular dance for the first time, has a great time, and that's what they want at their wedding reception. What they fail to realize is the atmosphere of a wedding reception is completely different than a normal contra dance. The focus of attendees to a contra dance is the dance. The attendees of a wedding reception are there to socialize and usually drink. I learned through trial and mostly errors that actual contra dances are rarely a good idea at such an event. The stumbling block is the contra progression and has caused more private dances to crash and burn than I can count. You don't want to spend much time teaching as the dancers will lose interest very quickly. So, I keep a stash of very simple proper dances, circles, and squares which seems to work the best. The Virginia Reel is always a favorite because it can become totally messed up, will still be fun, and is easy to recover. Even little kids can join in. Would other callers share some of their experiences and solutions for these types of events? What dances have you found to be the most successful? I thought this might be relevant because if you call dances long enough, at some point you will be asked to do one of these. Harold -----Original Message----- From: callers-bounces(a)sharedweight.net [mailto:callers-bounces@sharedweight.net] On Behalf Of Harold E. Watson Sent: Monday, February 10, 2014 9:03 AM To: Caller's discussion list Subject: Re: [Callers] Programming on-the-fly I echo the congrats on your full evening! I still remember mine. Balancing the planned program with the crowd you end up having is almost always a challenge. Your idea of a backup program was absolutely correct but sometimes you have to "dumb it down" further than you first thought. As with Alan, I keep an emergency list of very easy dances as a fallback. I call this list my "wedding" dances because if you ever call a dance for a wedding or a private party of non-contra dancers, this list is a must have (usually alcohol is involved). Maybe I'll start a thread on that. Harold -----Original Message----- From: callers-bounces(a)sharedweight.net [mailto:callers-bounces@sharedweight.net] On Behalf Of Winston, Alan P. Sent: Sunday, February 9, 2014 5:30 PM To: Caller's discussion list Subject: Re: [Callers] Programming on-the-fly Congratulations, Danielle, on your first full evening. What I do: - I have a file of easy contra dances with me. - I know a bunch of one-night-stand (super easy, often whole-set rather than duple-minor) dances, including mixers, and will whip them out when necessary. - Even without a bunch of beginners, no battle plan survives initial contact with the energy. Always evaluate how your program is going, whether the next dance you had is what's best for the people on the floor, etc. (Sometimes they can handle more than you thought they could.) I echo Andrea's point that as you develop as a caller you'll be able to teach beginners more in less time. -- Alan ________________________________________ From: callers-bounces(a)sharedweight.net [callers-bounces(a)sharedweight.net] On Behalf Of Danielle Boudreau [elle.boudreau(a)gmail.com] Sent: Sunday, February 09, 2014 10:16 AM To: callers(a)sharedweight.net Subject: [Callers] Programming on-the-fly Good morning, My name is Danielle, and I am a new caller in New Mexico. I just called my first full evening last night. We ended up having a rather large group of beginners, so much so that I could use neither my planned program nor even my backup program that I thought would be appropriate for a mixed crowd. I ended up programming on the fly, which didn't go as smoothly as I would have liked. I'd love to hear what other callers do in this situation, or how they are able to avoid it with prep work beforehand. Thanks! Danielle -- Danielle Boudreau <dbou(a)unm.edu> elle.boudreau(a)gmail.com cell: (505) 377-3071 _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)sharedweight.net http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)sharedweight.net http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)sharedweight.net http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers

11 years, 10 months

Dances with three or more allemandes

by Michael Fuerst

When I started contra dancing, people know how to allemande. But over the years people starting bending and twisting the wrists of those with whom they allemanded, so today, in defense, dancers often allemande with a stiff open, bent non-thumb fingers, or wrist to wrist. Thus I was pondering a workshop on correct allemanding: 1) thumbs interlocked, the other four fingers wrapped over the other's hand, 2) the top of your hand and top of forearm forming a straight line, ensuring the other's wrist is not contorted 3) arm not held stiff, but used as a spring to maintain comfortable tension with the other dancer. Such a workshop should be held in the middle of the evening, last 5-8 minutes minutes, and precede a dance with multiple allemandes. So I am asking for dances which have at least three, and preferably four allemandes Michael Fuerst 802 N Broadway Urbana IL 61801 217-239-5844 Links to photos of many of my drawings and paintings are at www.ArtComesFuerst.com

11 years, 10 months

Re: [Callers] Dances with three or more allemandes

by Don Veino

[Lots of other posts trimmed...] Similar to a previous comment, and knowing one size does not fit all, I try to preface any "style points" with a fellow dancer with "it would help me if..." and then describe or show my desired interaction behavior. Puts the issue totally on me and makes it sound like I'm asking a favor of them to adjust to my needs, not correcting them -- if it leads to further good form from them generally thereafter, so much the better. I've not had a negative reaction to this since I started doing it. BTW, for allemandes I use a connection that I picked up somewhere in my contra travels (which sounds a lot like some of he best practices described to this point). I find this to be fairly common where I dance. As a picture is worth a thousand words, here it is (note I'm torqued slightly in these due to holding the camera with the other hand for the photo -- the normal connection is neutral and unstressed but results in good weight): https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3My2DFMxZpOb3g1MVJWSS1lOGc/edit?usp=shari… -Don

11 years, 10 months

Re: [Callers] Height differential

by Hgrastorf＠aol.com

For me (a short person -- but only on the outside), a problem I occasionally have with some tall dancers is the failure to take relative arm length differential into consideration during the swing. If his left arm is nearly straight, my right is hyperextended and I'm off balance. April Blum

11 years, 10 months

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Contra Callers