Contra Callers

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20 participants
4374 discussions

by Maia McCormick via Callers

Found an unlined 3x5 card in my deck with this dance written in pencil in mysterious, shaky handwriting. The card has the title Late in the Evening, though I have no idea if that's the actual title. Attributions, anyone? A1: (new) N bal & box the gnat mad robin (gents forward first... gents cross set to...) A2: P gypsy P swing B1: gents alle L 1 1/2 N swing B2: square through _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net

10 years, 2 months

How Would You Teach This Hey?

by Don Veino via Callers

Another recent composition (thanks to Luke for getting me thinking about Zig-Zags!), called this to good feedback earlier this month. Only tricky part of the teaching was the A2 through B1 Hey entry... how would you teach this? I generally hate breaking the flow of a dance in a walk-through if possible to maintain it, but some folks got lost when I first taught it as "...Hey - Gents pass left shoulders across, Pass Partner Right..." My current thinking is to form a teaching-only wave across with Gents by left in center, have them note the side Gent is on (will Swing P back here when meet second time), drop hands and start the Hey. Thanks, -Don PS: At least one dancer needed re-assurance that passing through in reverse of progression was correct the first time around. :) *Hey, Let's Zig-Zag!* [Type]: Contra [Formation]: Duple Improper [Author]: Don Veino [Status]: DV:: [Comments]: Zig-Zag into Hey dance (first of it's kind?). Tricky two forward, one back progression. :: [A1]: (4,12) NEIGHBOR BALANCE, SWING :: [A2]: (4,4) CIRCLE LEFT 1/2, Ladies lead P ZIG LEFT [past CURRENT Ns] (4) ZAG RIGHT [passing NEXT Ns, to face 3rd Ns] and SEPARATE from P #PROGRESSION 1&2 (4) HEY 1/8, GENTS START BY LEFT [across set, GL, PR, etc.] :: [B1]: (8) HALF HEY [so 5/8 total, until meet P 2nd time] (8) PARTNER SWING [on Lady's home side] :: [B2]: (4,4) RING BALANCE, LADIES ROLL GENTS [DIAGONALLY back-to-back across set, NO Half Sashay] *OR* Alternate: Gents Cross by Right (4,4) RING BALANCE, PASS THROUGH [Up/Dn] in REVERSE of progression #DE-PROGRESSION :: [Notes]: TEACH - NEVER OUT - do what those in the dance want you to do at ends! End effects TBC, but expect it is to wait out with Lady on Left ready to Zag right towards the Hey. Can have dancers swap places up/down with their N after hands-4 - this is the direction they'll come into the A1 Balance. Linda Leslie suggested a B2 Gents cross in place of my original draft's Gents See-Saw 1+1/2, added a Gents Roll Away option for more connection.:: [Tunes]: :: [Provenance]: From author. Composed 2/23/2015. First called Scout House 3/9/15 with Gents Cross in B2:: [Tags]: DI, Intermediate-Advanced, DV:: _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net

10 years, 2 months

15/16 season in Toronto

by Elizabeth Guy Szekeres via Callers

Hello, Callers, I am the talent coordinator for the Toronto Contra Dance. If there are any of you great callers who would like to come to Toronto to call, please give me a shout and tell me something about what you do. We dance on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month from September to mid-June. Thanks! Elizabeth Szekeres Www.tcdance.org Talent(a)tcdance.org Sent from my iPhone _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net

10 years, 2 months

Re: [Callers] Solo fiddler or recorded music?

by via Callers

>From Ed Butenhoff's book, "Dance Parties for Beginners" Question - "How do I get good judgement?" Answer "Experience." Question - "How do I get experience?" Answer "BAD JUDGEMENT..." We all take our lumps, and hopefully learn from it... hang in there, Brooks! Ben Allbrandt ---- Jacob Nancy Bloom via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > I would absolutely believe that the dancers were completely confounded by > "right and left through". I remember how surprised I was, when I called my > first dance, to discover how much more confusing it was than a Ladie's > Chain. If you are used to both of them, then you tend to think of them as > being similar. If you've never done either, then one of them has you > connected to other people, while the other leaves you by yourself, trying > to figure out which way to turn (and usually getting it wrong.) > > But learning which figures are easier and harder comes quickly. Learning > which dances to call for a given crowd and how to teach them efficiently is > a neverending process! > > Jacob > > On Fri, Mar 27, 2015 at 10:47 AM, Brooks Hart via Callers < > callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > > > So, as the original poster, I am reporting back. > > > > The dance with the solo fiddler was a mixed bag. The music was very nice, > > but because I am new to calling, and our dancers are 99% beginners, way too > > much time was spent on walk-throughs and teaching. The fiddler sat out for > > long stretches of time, which seemed like a waste of his time and the money > > spent on live music. > > > > I thought I had picked easy dances, but you wouldn't believe how > > confounded so many of the people were at "right and left through", and > > that falls on me and my lack of experience with teaching and crowd > > wrangling. > > > > A special moment for everyone, though, was doing a circle waltz dance with > > the fiddler playing, unplugged, in the center of the circle. > > > > So, thanks again for everyone's input and encouragement, > > Brooks > > > > > > > > > > > Date: Fri, 27 Mar 2015 03:50:51 -0700 > > > To: callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > > > Subject: Re: [Callers] Solo fiddler or recorded music? > > > From: callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > > > > > > [resting up before the CALLERLAB convention, catching up on some older > > > messages] > > > > > > On Thu, Mar 05, 2015, Neal Schlein via Callers wrote: > > > > > > > > So, the moral of the story is that if a caller isn't USED to working > > with a > > > > band, live music isn't necessarily going to result in the best > > experience > > > > for the dancers. > > > > > > My experience as a relatively new caller is that it also depends on the > > > caller's experience as a dancer. My hearing makes it a bit difficult to > > > tune into the phrasing of a live band to call at the correct times, but > > > because I've been contra dancing for so many years (almost exclusively to > > > live music) I can roughly manage it -- and I know what it's supposed to > > > sound like. > > > -- > > > Hugs and backrubs -- I break Rule 6 http://rule6.info/ > > > <*> <*> <*> > > > Help a hearing-impaired person: http://rule6.info/hearing.html > > > _______________________________________________ > > > Callers mailing list > > > Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > > > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Callers mailing list > > Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net > > > > _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net

10 years, 2 months

Re: [Callers] Triple dosado?

by Patricia Campbell via Callers

What's your Broken Transcription, Don? On Fri, Mar 27, 2015 at 3:21 PM, Don Veino via Callers < callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > Broken Sixpence? I personally find the triple Dosi excessive and use my > "accidental" creation Broken Transcription in place of it. > > Broken Sixpence – DI – Don Armstrong > > A1 > > (8) N Dosido > > (8) L Dosido > > A2 > > (8) G Dosido > > (8) Ones Swing, *End facing down the hall* > > *Twos tack on to outside ends* > > B1 > > (8) Down the Hall 4 in Line, turn Alone > > (8) Up the Hall, Bend the Line > > B2 > > (8) L Chain *to P* > > (8) L Chain *to N* > > > > > On Fri, Mar 27, 2015 at 3:03 PM, Aahz Maruch via Callers < > callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > >> The thread about dizziness reminded me of a dance I was in once or twice >> in the late 80s or early 90s and have never seen since. It was unusual >> in having a triple dosado -- yes, consecutive, I think neighbor, partner, >> neighbor. >> >> Anyone have a clue what I'm referring to? >> -- >> Hugs and backrubs -- I break Rule 6 >> http://rule6.info/ >> <*> <*> <*> >> Help a hearing-impaired person: http://rule6.info/hearing.html >> _______________________________________________ >> Callers mailing list >> Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net >> http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net >> > > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net > > _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net

10 years, 2 months

Re: [Callers] Medleys (was Techno contras)

by Aahz Maruch via Callers

On Wed, Mar 25, 2015, Eric Black via Callers wrote: > > MEDLEYS: Medleys are becoming or have become mainstream at many contra > dances. I often call a 3-dance no-walkthrough medley at a regular > contra even with lots of beginners (in fact, I did so several times > on my recent tour in NC), and local dancers kind of expect it. I do > 45-minute medleys from time to time (not at a regular evening dance). > Lots of callers do medleys, and dancers get a thrill from successfully > navigating an accessible medley chosen for the crowd. For my taste, > the most salient aspect of a Techno Contra is the long-running dance > set, with the option (and encouragement) for people to drop out at the > bottom, get refreshed, maybe change partners, and join back in. But > for sure the long medley is not restricted to a techno. Medleys suck for people with hearing impairments. As I've mentioned before, the average contra caller definitely has worse enunciation than the average square dance caller, amplified by sound that focuses more on music than voice. Trying to hear calling over the music while dancing really doesn't work very well. (I can manage because I have a good kinesthetic sense and many years of experience with both contra and folk dance -- most of the folk dances I know I never was formally taught, so I'm pretty good at just following along. But I still loathe medleys, and I would be much more inclined to sit them out if I knew ahead of time when one was being called.) -- Hugs and backrubs -- I break Rule 6 http://rule6.info/ <*> <*> <*> Help a hearing-impaired person: http://rule6.info/hearing.html _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net

10 years, 2 months

Triple dosado?

by Aahz Maruch via Callers

The thread about dizziness reminded me of a dance I was in once or twice in the late 80s or early 90s and have never seen since. It was unusual in having a triple dosado -- yes, consecutive, I think neighbor, partner, neighbor. Anyone have a clue what I'm referring to? -- Hugs and backrubs -- I break Rule 6 http://rule6.info/ <*> <*> <*> Help a hearing-impaired person: http://rule6.info/hearing.html _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net

10 years, 2 months

Re: [Callers] Solo fiddler or recorded music?

by Jacob Nancy Bloom via Callers

I would absolutely believe that the dancers were completely confounded by "right and left through". I remember how surprised I was, when I called my first dance, to discover how much more confusing it was than a Ladie's Chain. If you are used to both of them, then you tend to think of them as being similar. If you've never done either, then one of them has you connected to other people, while the other leaves you by yourself, trying to figure out which way to turn (and usually getting it wrong.) But learning which figures are easier and harder comes quickly. Learning which dances to call for a given crowd and how to teach them efficiently is a neverending process! Jacob On Fri, Mar 27, 2015 at 10:47 AM, Brooks Hart via Callers < callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > So, as the original poster, I am reporting back. > > The dance with the solo fiddler was a mixed bag. The music was very nice, > but because I am new to calling, and our dancers are 99% beginners, way too > much time was spent on walk-throughs and teaching. The fiddler sat out for > long stretches of time, which seemed like a waste of his time and the money > spent on live music. > > I thought I had picked easy dances, but you wouldn't believe how > confounded so many of the people were at "right and left through", and > that falls on me and my lack of experience with teaching and crowd > wrangling. > > A special moment for everyone, though, was doing a circle waltz dance with > the fiddler playing, unplugged, in the center of the circle. > > So, thanks again for everyone's input and encouragement, > Brooks > > > > > > Date: Fri, 27 Mar 2015 03:50:51 -0700 > > To: callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > > Subject: Re: [Callers] Solo fiddler or recorded music? > > From: callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > > > > [resting up before the CALLERLAB convention, catching up on some older > > messages] > > > > On Thu, Mar 05, 2015, Neal Schlein via Callers wrote: > > > > > > So, the moral of the story is that if a caller isn't USED to working > with a > > > band, live music isn't necessarily going to result in the best > experience > > > for the dancers. > > > > My experience as a relatively new caller is that it also depends on the > > caller's experience as a dancer. My hearing makes it a bit difficult to > > tune into the phrasing of a live band to call at the correct times, but > > because I've been contra dancing for so many years (almost exclusively to > > live music) I can roughly manage it -- and I know what it's supposed to > > sound like. > > -- > > Hugs and backrubs -- I break Rule 6 http://rule6.info/ > > <*> <*> <*> > > Help a hearing-impaired person: http://rule6.info/hearing.html > > _______________________________________________ > > Callers mailing list > > Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net > > _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net

10 years, 2 months

Re: [Callers] Solo fiddler or recorded music?

by Erik Hoffman via Callers

Ah! the trials and tribulations of what some of us call The One Night Stand Dance. Many of us have learned that, when calling to a group of beginners, hands-four dances come way late in the evening, if at all. Right & left thru, women chain, progressing, are all big challenges for beginners. Even understanding the line is a challenge. You might want to purchase a book or two on the subject. Dudley's /Traditional Barn Dances with Calls/, is a great one, as are Marian Rose's /Step Lively /books, and The New England Dancing Masters books. And, of course, I could use this for unsolicited self promotion, as I wrote a book called /Old-Time Dance Calling for Weddings, Parties, and One-Night Stands/. ($18 to be mailed to you, $15 if you come get it...). ~erik hoffman On 3/27/2015 7:47 AM, Brooks Hart via Callers wrote: > So, as the original poster, I am reporting back. > > The dance with the solo fiddler was a mixed bag. The music was very > nice, but because I am new to calling, and our dancers are 99% > beginners, way too much time was spent on walk-throughs and teaching. > The fiddler sat out for long stretches of time, which seemed like a > waste of his time and the money spent on live music. > > I thought I had picked easy dances, but you wouldn't believe how > confounded so many of the people were at "right and left through", > and that falls on me and my lack of experience with teaching and > crowd wrangling. > > A special moment for everyone, though, was doing a circle waltz dance > with the fiddler playing, unplugged, in the center of the circle. > > So, thanks again for everyone's input and encouragement, > Brooks > > > > > > Date: Fri, 27 Mar 2015 03:50:51 -0700 > > To: callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > > Subject: Re: [Callers] Solo fiddler or recorded music? > > From: callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > > > > [resting up before the CALLERLAB convention, catching up on some older > > messages] > > > > On Thu, Mar 05, 2015, Neal Schlein via Callers wrote: > > > > > > So, the moral of the story is that if a caller isn't USED to > working with a > > > band, live music isn't necessarily going to result in the best > experience > > > for the dancers. > > > > My experience as a relatively new caller is that it also depends on the > > caller's experience as a dancer. My hearing makes it a bit difficult to > > tune into the phrasing of a live band to call at the correct times, but > > because I've been contra dancing for so many years (almost > exclusively to > > live music) I can roughly manage it -- and I know what it's supposed to > > sound like. > > -- > > Hugs and backrubs -- I break Rule 6 http://rule6.info/ > > <*> <*> <*> > > Help a hearing-impaired person: http://rule6.info/hearing.html > > _______________________________________________ > > Callers mailing list > > Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net > > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net

10 years, 2 months

Re: [Callers] Dizziness Equivalents

by Erik Hoffman via Callers

Bill wrote about dizziness: > To put this into "real life" perspective, I have only had dancers > complain about ONE DANCE in this regard and that's Carol Ormand's "You > Can't Get There From Here" which has a LOT of CCW motion.. I have to > also add that some dancers have actually REQUESTED this dance because > they love it so much!!! (xxoo Carol if you're reading this) So how do > you deal with this from a dance programming perspective??.. keep > things varied I guess.. In the 80s a few of us called Dan Pearl's dance, Rendezvous "The Chiropractor's Delight," Circle left, circle left swing for 16 counts. We figured all that leftness would require a back-cracking adjustment.... ~erik hoffman _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net

10 years, 2 months

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Contra Callers