Contra Callers

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22 participants
4362 discussions

by Louise Siddons

Hi all, I'm calling a dance this Friday on a dock (over a reservoir). I anticipate (fear?) the following problems: mostly new dancers (we're frequently 3/4 new or new-ish); dancers having difficulty hearing me (although I will have a mic); and a relatively rough dance surface (they hold Latin Dance Club events here frequently, so it isn't entirely undanceable). As a result, I've been looking for simple dances that allow dancers to help each other -- lots of contact, and balances/clapping/other "here's where we are in the dance"-type noises have been a focus of my planning. But I'm having a little trouble with putting together a set list with sufficient (to my mind) variety, so I'm turning to the list for suggestions. One additional note: our organizer told me that petronellas are on the challenging side for our group even though they love them; I think this particular dance surface would make them not-fun to dance, too. So I'd really love dances that include balancing a ring but don't include a petronella. Thanks! Louise.

13 years

Re: [Callers] Gene Hubert and Double Boomerang

by David.Millstone＠valley.net

This is how I have the dance. A2 Ladies chain on L diagonal Forward and back file:///Users/davidmillstone/Documents/Dance/American%20Dances/Dance%20directions/%20Collections%20of%20dances/Gene%20Hubert%20dances/Gene%20Hubert%20contras.webarchive David Millstone

13 years, 1 month

Gene Hubert and Double Boomerang

by Rickey Holt

Hi, I seem to have 2 versions of Double Boomerang by Gene Hubert. Becket The only difference is in the A2 Version 1 A2 ON THE LEFT DIAGONAL ladies chain / Long lines forward and back Version 2 A2 Long lines forward and back / ON THE LEFT DIAGONAL ladies chain. Are there 2 versions being danced? If you call or dance it which version do you do? If there are really 2 versions, what are the advantages or disadvantages of each. Thanks, hoping to call it a week from Tuesday. Rickey Holt, Fremont, NH

13 years, 1 month

Re: [Callers] Name of the Dance - Fidgety Feet

by John Sweeney

Thanks for all the responses. I found the dance documented in a couple of Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend Syllabuses. In both cases it is documented as Swing rather than Balance & Swing - maybe because of the difficulty of getting back in time for the Balance. The version we danced seemed to work well; the ladies just continued their Rory O'More spin until they were heading in the right direction to start the hey, though the option someone suggested of Ladies Allemenande Left 1/2 into the Hey also sounds good. Happy dancing, John John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802 940 574 http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent

13 years, 1 month

Name of the Dance

by John Sweeney

Anyone recognise this: Becket Formation A1: Circle Left 3/4; Pass Through New Ladies Allemande Left 1 1/2 to Partner and Ocean Wave A2: Balance R/L, Rory O'More Balance L/R, Rory O'More B1: Full Hey - Ladies start Left Shoulder B2: Partner Balance & Swing I noted it down at a dance but didn't get a chance to ask the name or the author. Can anyone help? Thanks. Happy dancing, John John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802 940 574 http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent

13 years, 1 month

A few dances needed that .....

by Rickey Holt

OK, I am looking for dances that are from "Easy" to "Intermediate" in difficulty that can be used in a mixed crowd that is not predominately beginners, but more likely predominately experienced dancers, AND that do not have a ladies chain or a circle in them. A few more Heys would be nice too. My collection and the old American Country Dances on line database do not seem to have any such dances. Any suggestions? I am trying to program an evening with a minimum of repeating figures. I realize that it may not matter. We have had this discussion earlier. But it would be nice anyway not to have too many dances with a ladies chain in it for instance. Thanks all. Rickey Holt, Fremont, NH

13 years, 1 month

Looking for a Dance

by Ryan Smith

I'm calling a dance tomorrow. Being so close to April Fools day, I'm planning just a tiny bit of foolishness. There's a dance, it may be called Trick Or Treat, where the hook is a 16-count segment where the dancers are encouraged to call some action of their own, so long as they end up back where they started at the end. If anyone has a copy of this and can send it my way, that would be great. Otherwise, I'll just put together my own. Thank you, --Ryan

13 years, 1 month

Low Numbers, Slow Starts

by JoLaine Jones-Pokorney

I am calling a dance this Friday night for a small town in Florida that is trying to start a contra dance series in their community hall. I have several ONS-type dances that I use for weddings, but what I don't have is very very easy dances for low numbers. This is their first event so we could see 5 or 6 people. I need to make sure they have fun or it will be the end of their dreams of a contra community! I've looked at Ted's Triplets, but they are too complex for a group that has never contra danced before. What are suggestions for ultra easy ONS-type dances that would also work for very low numbers? JoLaine -- JoLaine Jones-Pokorney "We are as gods and might as well get good at it!" - Stewart Brand

13 years, 1 month

easy dances, low numbers

by JoLaine Jones-Pokorney

In researching the dances some of you suggested, I found this website: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/greenery/BarnDances/WholeSet.html Very helpful! JoLaine

13 years, 1 month

Re: [Callers] What makes a program varied, how important is that

by Brian Hamshar

Me too! Wow, what a great tool to keep in mind while planning out my programs. Brian Hamshar -----Original Message----- Date: Tuesday, March 27, 2012 10:53:42 am To: "shared weight" <callers(a)sharedweight.net> From: "Chrissy Fowler" <ktaadn_me(a)hotmail.com> Subject: Re: [Callers] What makes a program varied, how important is that wow, i love don's analogy! chrissy fowler belfast, me > ------------------------------ > > From: Donald Perley <donperley(a)gmail.com> > > I'll make an analogy between an evening of 12 dances and an essay of > 12 paragraphs. > > If a common word appears in every paragraph, I wouldn't notice. If > it's a less common word, or every paragraph begins with the same > word, or the same sentence appears in several paragraph, then I would. > > To me as a dancer, ladies chain or B&S I wouldn't notice as > repetitious. Something like rory o'more or mad robin I would. > > _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)sharedweight.net http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers

13 years, 1 month

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Contra Callers