Contra Callers

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4417 discussions

by David.Millstone＠VALLEY.NET

I just posted clips from the evening dance at the Montpelier SquareBall, with Will Mentor and Nils Fredland calling: http://vimeo.com/13388634 This is another sampler, with short clips showing figures from give dances: First Night Quadrille Just Because Little Sisters Take Three Swings Virginia Reel Square Enjoy. David Millstone Lebanon, NH

15 years, 5 months

Re: [Callers] trad NH squares - videos

by Becky Nankivell

David, thanks for sharing all of these, and the previous batch (and upcoming!)! ~ Becky Nankivell Tucson, AZ & Long Beach, CA On Mon, Jul 12, 2010 at 9:00 AM, <callers-request(a)sharedweight.net> wrote: > Send Callers mailing list submissions to > callers(a)sharedweight.net > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > callers-request(a)sharedweight.net > > You can reach the person managing the list at > callers-owner(a)sharedweight.net > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Callers digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. trad NH squares - videos (David Millstone) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: 12 Jul 2010 09:55:30 -0400 > From: David.Millstone(a)valley.net (David Millstone) > To: trad-dance-callers(a)yahoogroups.com, callers(a)sharedweight.net > Subject: [Callers] trad NH squares - videos > Message-ID: <132921109(a)retriever.VALLEY.NET> > Content-Type: text/plain > > Lester Bradley calls a very traditional square dance program in central New > Hampshire. (Lester was one of the dance callers selected to represent New > Hampshire at the 1999 Smithsonian Folklife Festival in DC.) > > Here are five videos of traditional singing squares from Lester's monthly dance > in Wentworth, NH. The files are lower-quality than some others I've posted; I > tried out a different compression algorithm to speed up the process. > > My goal in posting all this material is to encourage callers to include more > squares in their repertoire. The squares are part of our rich country dance > heritage and they add variety to an evening's program. For callers unfamiliar > with this material, seeing some of the dances may make it easier for you to > think about calling them. > > David Millstone > Lebanon, NH > > Here's the latest batch: > > Red River Valley > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMhOllPhq5w > This one also has shots of the various musicians playing with Lester; those > shots come about halfway through the video. > > Forward Six and Back > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wPM7ncM4Yg > > Comin' Round the Mountain > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tyR3J-5ydM > > Oh Johnny (big circle mixer) > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWRGauYCPwY > > Listen to the Mockingbird > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsdiBIvRLVc > > > ------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > Callers(a)sharedweight.net > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers > > > End of Callers Digest, Vol 71, Issue 9 > ************************************** >

15 years, 5 months

trad NH squares - videos

by David.Millstone＠valley.net

Lester Bradley calls a very traditional square dance program in central New Hampshire. (Lester was one of the dance callers selected to represent New Hampshire at the 1999 Smithsonian Folklife Festival in DC.) Here are five videos of traditional singing squares from Lester's monthly dance in Wentworth, NH. The files are lower-quality than some others I've posted; I tried out a different compression algorithm to speed up the process. My goal in posting all this material is to encourage callers to include more squares in their repertoire. The squares are part of our rich country dance heritage and they add variety to an evening's program. For callers unfamiliar with this material, seeing some of the dances may make it easier for you to think about calling them. David Millstone Lebanon, NH Here's the latest batch: Red River Valley http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMhOllPhq5w This one also has shots of the various musicians playing with Lester; those shots come about halfway through the video. Forward Six and Back http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wPM7ncM4Yg Comin' Round the Mountain http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tyR3J-5ydM Oh Johnny (big circle mixer) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWRGauYCPwY Listen to the Mockingbird http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsdiBIvRLVc

15 years, 5 months

more square dance videos

by David.Millstone＠VALLEY.NET

Dear callers, I've just uploaded nine square dance videos to YouTube. Unlike the ones I mentioned earlier from the Montpelier Square Ball, these are complete dances. The shortest is just over 4 minutes; the longest is nearly twice that length. You'll find both patter squares and singing squares. Enjoy! These were all recorded at the release party for Ralph Sweet's "On the Beat with Ralph Sweet," which was edited by Nils Fredland and published by Country Dance and Song Society. CDSS organized the afternoon dance party at the Greenfield, MA, Grange Hall as a way to celebrate Ralph in particular and square dancing in general; indeed, Nils Fredland now has a part-time position with CDSS in which he'll be looking to expand that organization's publications and recordings of traditional American dance. The band playing is Elixir (also recently featured on the NPR contra dance piece), joined by three other talented New England musicians. (Full personnel listings are given in the notes for each piece of footage.) Technical note: Viewers of some of my other videos will note that the audio here isn't as crisp as usual. Unfortunately, that afternoon when I attempted to patch into the hall's PA system, I kept picking up a signal from a nearby radio station, so the audio here comes solely from an onboard shotgun microphone. So it goes... David Millstone Lebanon, NH Here's the list of the new videos: The Auctioneer Ralph Sweet, caller http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBCElrznG9M Bachelor Mill Nils Fredland, caller http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79t2LHhmIsY Do-si-do and Face the Sides Tony Parkes, caller http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZa59b-FWIk Little Red Wagon Nils Fredland, caller http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWlHdVavwk0 Marianne Tony Parkes, caller http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quu7SyfavZc Sally Goodin Ralph Sweet, caller http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldsl2mJRH28 Shindig in the Barn Ralph Sweet, caller http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOfPY85ttc4 Trail of the Lonesome Pine Tony Parkes, caller http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmcVQ08hdjs Wagon Wheel Ralph Sweet, caller http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AiqS0EQT88

15 years, 5 months

square dance video

by David.Millstone＠valley.net

I've uploaded some video clips from the recent Montpelier, VT, SquareBall hosted by Will Mentor and Nils Fredland with financial support from Country Dance and Song Society. http://www.vimeo.com/13213390 More footage from this event (and from the Ralph Sweet book release party) coming in the next few weeks as I get around to compressing and uploading it. This first batch is a series of short clips illustrating some of the various figures (and some breaks) called by different folks throughout the day. Not a large crowd-- the event that night pulled in more folks-- but those who were there had a good time. Enjoy! David Millstone Lebanon, NH

15 years, 5 months

Best tunes for a band that normally doesn't play Contra

by Christopher Buck

Greetings, I'm planning for a one night stand, or, more precisely, a one dance stand, at my brother's wedding. I'm seeing all sorts of advice here for the kind of dances to use in such a circumstance, so thank you all. But... he's asking what tunes the band should play, and I have no clue as to the names of the best traditional tunes for contra. I only need a couple. Thank you in advance. -Chris Christopher Buck

15 years, 5 months

Favorite squares

by Tom Hinds

In the New England style, I think you should look at squares by Tony Parkes. Many of his squares keep the dancers moving and are fairly accessible. My favorite, Festival Quadrille takes a bit more skill but has incredible flow. For patter squares one of my favorites is Arkansas Traveler. There are many variations of this one that are fun as well. I also suggest that you take a look at anything written by Ed Gilmore. My understanding is that his two 33 1/3 records are now available on CD. You must get them! My notes tell me that Joe Tilmont wrote Tic Tac Toe. Tom

15 years, 5 months

Another Tempest dance

by Hgrastorf＠aol.com

Steve's Tempest, in honor of a Glen Echo dancer who just loves to swing. A1. 1s down the hall, turn as couples (8); 1s up the hall, face the nearest 2s (8). A2 Circ L JUST halfway (2s are back to back in the middle, 1s on the outside), Meanwhile figure: 2s arch, let the 1s pass under while the 2s walk forward, back to their home side, Cal twrl to face in, ready to DSD the other set of 1s who are fast approaching because -- (other half of the meanwhile) the 1s: pass under the arch, then pass the other set of 1s in the center (rt shoulder), arriving across the set just in time to DSD their respective opposites (the set of 2s they did NOT circle with). There is JUST enough time to do this. Really. I called it in Harrisburg, and it works. B1 (Recovery mode) Double sets of long lines forward and back (8), swing your opposite (the one you dosidid) (8) B2 Circle left UNTIL the 2s are on the outside (home) and the 1s are on the inside (6-8). Swing partner in triumph and relief. 1s end the swing in time to go down the hall (1s will have traded sides with the other 1s). Note that while the 1s head down the hall and back, the 2s, who started swinging halfway through B2, may keep swinging for the entire next 16 counts -- a perfectly legal 24-count swing. I found it helped to remind the soon-to-be-1s who were out at the top to form a crosswise line during the A1, and watch the 1s immediately below them -- the dance feels VERY different from the "other side." That also makes it easier for the 1s coming up the hall not to overshoot at the top of the line. I'd be reluctant to call this one in a VERY crowded hall, the double pass thru in A2 needs some shoulder room. April Blum In a message dated 7/1/2010 12:00:13 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, callers-request(a)sharedweight.net writes: Send Callers mailing list submissions to callers(a)sharedweight.net To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to callers-request(a)sharedweight.net You can reach the person managing the list at callers-owner(a)sharedweight.net When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Callers digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Re: Anyone have a "tempest" formation dance ?? (David Millstone) 2. Re: Anyone have a "tempest" formation dance ?? (Amy Cann) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: 01 Jul 2010 10:19:22 -0400 From: David.Millstone(a)valley.net (David Millstone) To: callers(a)sharedweight.net Subject: Re: [Callers] Anyone have a "tempest" formation dance ?? Message-ID: <132629016(a)retriever.VALLEY.NET> Content-Type: text/plain Ted Sannella's dance, "Ted's Tempest" is lots of fun, though dancers need to keep sets compact. You'll find directions online in the syllabi for the Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend (always a good place to go when you're looking for dances... start with the index and sort from there) And Bec, you'd be particularly interested in "Toronto Tempest" by David Smukler: http://www.davidsmukler.syracusecountrydancers.org/DSS.html#toronto David Millstone Lebanon, NH ------------------------------ Message: 2 Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2010 10:36:12 -0400 From: "Amy Cann" <ACann(a)putneyschool.org> To: millstone(a)valley.net Cc: callers(a)sharedweight.net Subject: Re: [Callers] Anyone have a "tempest" formation dance ?? Message-ID: <fc.0118c72d00c372363b9aca005c4c93e4.c3723f(a)putneyschool.org> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 I wondered where you were, David ! Anytime anyone asks "anyone have a dance in X formation " I expect you to be there with a "yes of course, here's three great ones " i pretty much immediately... Cheers, Amy (long live non-contra's !) ------------------------------ _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)sharedweight.net http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers End of Callers Digest, Vol 71, Issue 1 **************************************

15 years, 5 months

Re: [Callers] Anyone have a "tempest" formation dance ??

by The Witful Turnip

Thanks everyone for the tempest formation suggestions! You folks are great! And yes David, I was particularly interested in "Toronto Tempest" and am going to go with that one! Happy Canada Day to JD and any other Canadians lurking, and Happy 4th of July to all you! Bev

15 years, 5 months

Re: [Callers] Callers Digest, Vol 71, Issue 3

by Martha Wild

I caught the last part of that. Thanks for providing the link, I wanted to listen to the rest of it. Martha On Jul 3, 2010, at 9:00 AM, callers-request(a)sharedweight.net wrote: > Send Callers mailing list submissions to > callers(a)sharedweight.net > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > callers-request(a)sharedweight.net > > You can reach the person managing the list at > callers-owner(a)sharedweight.net > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Callers digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. NPR piece (David Millstone) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: 02 Jul 2010 21:06:35 -0400 > From: David.Millstone(a)valley.net (David Millstone) > To: David.Millstone(a)valley.net (David Millstone) > Subject: [Callers] NPR piece > Message-ID: <132681012(a)retriever.VALLEY.NET> > Content-Type: text/plain > > If you missed it, here's a link to the story about young people and > contra dance > that aired tonight on National Public Radio. > > http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128273050 > > I've asked Marika Partridge, the producer of the piece, if there's > a way that we > can listen to the longer version that she hoped would air. Instead, > NPR did a > lot of editing and ran a much shorter piece. I'll let the list know > if there's a > way we can hear-- with apologies to the late Paul Harvey-- The Rest > of the > Story. > > David Millstone (aka "the old-time caller") > Lebanon, NH > > > ------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > Callers(a)sharedweight.net > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers > > > End of Callers Digest, Vol 71, Issue 3 > **************************************

15 years, 5 months

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Contra Callers