So I had my first introduction to contradance through my school, taught by
student callers who had been taught by student callers before them, etc. I
was first taught to call a Petronella as... a Petronella. And then as I
started going to more outside dances and started reading up on the practice
of calling, I heard the move more and more just called as "balance the ring
and spin to the right" or "balance the ring and spin to swap."
So, esteemed caller-folk, I ask you: how do* you* call a Petronella Turn?
By name, or with some other turn of phrase? Do you have any sense how
widespread either of these conventions are? Why not just call a Petronella
a Petronella? If you call it by description rather than by name, do you
generally put the entire call together (e.g. "BALance the RING and SPIN to
the RIGHT") or break it up ("BALance the RING... and SPIN to the RIGHT" so
that "spin to the right" ends up coming on beats 3 & 4, just before the
actual spinning occurs)? Any thoughts are welcome!
Cheers,
Maia
Hi callers - I've started blogging about my adventures in calling. Would
love for you to visit and follow if it interests you!
http://jolainejonespokorney.blogspot.com
--
JoLaine Jones-Pokorney
"We are as gods and might as well get good at it!"
- Stewart Brand
Folks,
Below is a query that I posted to the SharedWeight organizers' forum
on Nov. 12. Since it's been a week with no responses, I'm trying
again here on the callers' forum, where I hope more people will see
it (and where it seems not entirely off-topic, since some of you
callers may have shared techno-contra gigs with DJs).
--Jim
> Date: November 12, 2012 7:37:53 PM PST
> To: organizers(a)sharedweight.net
> Subject: Pay split at techno-contras
>
> There's been some discussion before on SharedWeight about pay
> formulas for staff at contra dances. For example, see the
> callers' forum archive for June and July 2011, as well as some
> of the recent posts on the subject "Accounting for numbers".
> I have a question that I don't think I've seen discussed
> before.
>
> If you've organized or performed at "techno contra" events
> that feature a DJ instead of a band, what, in your experience,
> is the usual division of staff pay to DJ, caller, and sound
> tech? What about at "techno-live" events with both a DJ and
> live musicians?
>
> Thanks.
>
> --Jim
>
Madison, Wisconsin caller Carol Ormand is beloved throughout the dance
community for her smooth and unflappable style, wickedly fun dances, and
penchant for keeping all the dancers on the floor smiling. Carol’s
enthusiasm, paired with her clear and efficient teaching, creates a
delightful dancing experience for beginners and veteran dancers alike.
Carol will be in the Chapel Hill, NC area the weekend of April 12-14.
She is calling for the Triangle Country Dancers regular Friday night
dance on April 12th (in Carrboro, NC) and on Saturday will be leading an
all day workshop designed to improve a specific calling related skill.
Calling well can be a great source of pleasure. In the workshop, each
participant will get to focus on improving one calling-related skill. By
the end of the day on Saturday, you will know how to make progress on
the skill of your choice and on all of the other topics covered that
day. Anything related to calling is fair game: creating an inviting
atmosphere, programming an evening, communicating with the band,
efficient yet effective walk-throughs, effective use of a microphone...
whatever you most want to work on next. On Sunday, we'll gather to
reflect on what we've (collectively) learned and to plan our
(individual) next steps in that work.
The workshop and evening dance will be held in a private home near
Chapel Hill, NC. Meals on Saturday are included in the cost of the
workshop, which is based on a sliding scale between $40-$95, depending
on what you can afford. If you have any questions, please email me at
jamitch3(a)mindspring.com.
To register for the workshop, please fill out the registration form on
the TCD website at http://www.tcdancers.org/workshop/
Ron T Blechner <contraron(a)gmail.com> wrote:
> I've been finding circle mixers extremely valuable for dances with newer
> dancers. They provide a way both to expose them to many different
> experienced dancers as well as to make them comfortable with the idea of
> dancing with different people all night. (We've all seen The Couple That
> Shows Up And Dances Just With Each Other that doesn't come back because
> they don't really meet anyone ...)
>
With the address of "contraron" I'm going to assume that you are talking
about a regularly scheduled contra dance series that is open to the
public. (I really appreciate when posters make the context of their post
clear. There are a lot of different kinds of callers on this list and what
works in one setting may be inappropriate in another. We need to know what
we are talking about to have a useful discussion.)
Circle mixers can certainly play a role at open, public contra dances but
your comment seems to make some assumptions about the dancers and the local
dance culture. Are you using any strategies or techniques--other than
mixers--to integrate first-timers into the hall?
Your comment assumes that at least some of the newcomers will not be aware
of the tradition of switching partners after each dance and that the
regulars will not take any action to proactively integrate these folks.
When I call at public contra dances I always follow each dance with the
instruction: "Please find a new partner and form ___ contra dance lines."
I use the optional newcomers orientation, explicit instructions, careful
programming, clear and precise calling, as well as many implied messages to
make it clear that integration of first-timers is not only essential but
also fun. Very rarely I will see a couple of first-timers dancing
exclusively with each other. But this occurs only after they have ignored
multiple explicit and implied instructions and have fended off several
attempts by regulars to partner with them. In that case I will intervene
myself, personally, on the dance floor, approach the couple, and explain
the nature of our dance event. That has always had the desired effect.
Integration of newcomers is at the heart of these open, public social
events. I do use mixers occasionally, but tend to reserve them for other
types of events. If I do use a mixer at an open, public contra dance I
take care to announce it well in advance. I do this because an unexpected
mixer will derail the efforts of regulars to partner with first-timers. I
want to encourage the integration efforts of the regulars so I warn them of
an upcoming mixer to facilitate their cooperation.
Mixers do have a place but I see them as part of an overall integration
strategy.
- Greg McKenzie
Hi all
Just wondering about a transition in Nathaniel Jack's "Walk the Plank."
It looks like a nice bouncy dance with good rebound, but there's a
transition from a petronella twirl into a LH star at the end, and in the
absence of a group of guinea pigs here at the house I thought I'd ask if
anyone's tried this and what they think. Here are the notes:
Walk the Plank Duple Imp.
A1 4,4 Neighbor balance, Al right 3/4
8 Men Al left 1-1/2
A2 16 Partner Bal + Swing, end facing down
B1 8 Down the hall in lines of 4, turn alone
8 Come back up, bend the line to a circle
B2 8 Balance the ring, spin right one place
8 Star left 1ce around.
Is it comfortable to come from that twirl into catching L hands for a star?
Kalia
> Message: 1
> Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2012 09:57:45 -0500
> From: Jeff Kaufman <jeff(a)alum.swarthmore.edu>
> To: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
> Subject: Re: [Callers] Walk the Plank
> Message-ID: <20121115145744.GB19857(a)melfpelt.swarpa.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>
> Chris Lahey wrote:
>> I specifically told them that usually I encourage clapping and
>> talked about how nice it felt and actually got most of them to clap
>> for the first petronella and not for the second.
>
> I think presenting yourself as being on the pro-clapping side is
> probably key to why that worked for you. Many callers don't like
> clapping on petronellas and dancers who like the clapping know that
> callers think this. So when a caller says "don't clap", even if it
> really is specific to this particular dance, a lot of people think
> "don't tell me how to dance" and ignore them.
>
> Jeff
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2012 07:06:25 -0800 (PST)
> From: Richard Mckeever <macmck(a)ymail.com>
> To: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
> Subject: Re: [Callers] Walk the Plank
> Message-ID:
> <1352991985.42870.YahooMailNeo(a)web120404.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
> In my opinion - this is getting too regimented again.
>
> I never tell dancers if they should clap or not.? I have been known to let them know how I feel about it in light hearted way.
>
> Just let them dance and focus on the important stuff
>
> Mac
What always amuses me about the clap is how people clap during the walk through - of course at varying times since there is no musical phrase.
This may have been discussed before, but why does the idea that they
should take hands four seem to come as a complete surprise to at least
half the dancers, every single freakin' time?
It's not hard. You can do it while you're talking. It's a complete and
total no-brainer for contemporary contras. And yet...
Anyone have successful strategies for helping this process along that
doesn't involve specially-trained dogs?
Kalia
Once I was calling at a festival in Denmark. As the dancers were
milling around I announced that the first dance would be a contra.
INSTANTLY contra lines were formed (literally 3 seconds). I asked
them to take hands four and it was done in a maybe 4 seconds. I
thought maybe I was dreaming.
T
