Contra Callers

contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net

20 participants
4374 discussions

by Jack Mitchell

Dean Snipes called me a few weeks ago with this dance asking if it had already been written. As simple as it is, I suspect that it has been, but didn't have a dance in particular to point to. Anyone recognize it? If so, can you put a name to it? RH Star N Alle R Gent pass L, 1/2 hey N Sw Gents Alle L 1 1/2 P Sw Ladies chain LH Star Sent from my iPhone

11 years, 3 months

Dean dance....Camp Sertoma fairwell

by calldeansnipes＠yahoo.com

Yes star left to new neighs star right once to neigh allm right once and a half...gentslead one half hey pass left middle....neigh swing...gents left once and half partner swing...I hate chaining partner away after a short swing .....As Beth Molaro says...it's just a dance......ladies chain to left hand star.....Daily I drive my truck.....run power tools ....shovel and garden cart.....I do not have good maps for internet highway...Thank you all for your love and care of dance Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

11 years, 3 months

Re: [Callers] Community

by John W Gintell

> > Date: Sun, 23 Feb 2014 15:45:35 -0500 > From: "Chris Weiler (Home)" <chris.weiler(a)weirdtable.org> > To: Shared Weight <callers(a)sharedweight.net> > Subject: [Callers] Community > Message-ID: <530A5DEF.1090606(a)weirdtable.org> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed > There is also the issue that communication via text is a lot different than in person. I used to participate actively in a (now defunct) USENET newsgroup and there were a couple of posters who seemed kind of nasty in some of their posts. Then I met them in person and when they said the same sort of thing it was completely different thing - you'd see the twinkle in their eyes or the smile and interpret their communications completely differently.

11 years, 3 months

Re: [Callers] Forum vs email list?

by JohnFreem＠aol.com

Here! Here! I contribute and use little I observe here, as I have gone on "emeritus status" after over 30 years of active calling. Most issues here don't apple to me. There is very little music and dancing where I now live, although there are still some hard core folks. Our issue are mostly local. I am not a "center set" caller by choice. I am ready to jump in as needed, but others seem to enjoy doing this more than I do. Please leave things the way they are so that we may all continue to contribute or not as we choose. John B. Freeman, SFTPOCTJ

11 years, 3 months

Forum vs email list?

by Lindsay Morris

How many of us (you lurkers included) would be willing to see this forum move to a web-based forum? One advantage I see is User Ranks: over time, we vote up certain people because they offer more wisdom. That lets us give greater weight to their opinions, even though we may not personally know them. Here is a good discussion of email lists vs user forums<http://www.freelock.com/blog/john-locke/2010-03/mailing-list-or-forum-theory> . And here is a one-question survey <https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Y9GS3BK>. I don't have a huge investment in this idea - just thought I would toss it out there. I'll give it a day or two then share the results with all. Please vote. Thanks. -------------------- Lindsay Morris CEO, TSMworks Tel. 1-859-539-9900 lindsay(a)tsmworks.com

11 years, 3 months

Re: [Callers] Forum vs email list?

by John W Gintell

A potential solution would be to replace it with a Google Group. People can choose to receive messages via email (digest or not) or view it as a group, or both. An advantage is that if you want to revisit a discussion it is easier. > Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2014 13:21:42 -0800 > From: Aahz Maruch <aahz(a)pobox.com> > To: callers(a)sharedweight.net > Subject: Re: [Callers] Forum vs email list? > Message-ID: <20140219212142.GA19155(a)panix.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii > > On Wed, Feb 19, 2014, Bree Kalb wrote: >> >> This feels like a good time to thank you, Chris, for setting up this >> list. > > Ditto! > --

11 years, 3 months

Re: [Callers] voting people up

by Chip Hedler

The reason I didn't like the idea is because I'm against voting, which I think would prejudice readers toward a post based on its author as opposed to considering the content of the post. The best way to honor respected folks in an open forum is simply to feel respect toward them(and reply if you feel so moved), not to make their soapboxes taller than everyone else's. I don't want to filter out a voice just because it's seldom heard and therefore slower to gather points. If the less-voted-for get filtered out, how would anyone besides the favored few ever be able to gain votes? Chip Hedler Date: Fri, 21 Feb 2014 08:40:52 -0500 From: Lindsay Morris <lindsay(a)tsmworks.com> To: "Caller's discussion list" <callers(a)sharedweight.net> Subject: Re: [Callers] Forum vs email list? Message-ID: <CAGNhc2Lm5iMA_fX3o9_2KZ2mJXFiVWdGb-G-0njNGFia02Fd6g(a)mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Today its 29 hate-the-idea, 7 like-it, 7 not sure. I'll let it go. Really, all I wanted was a way we could vote people up, so we could give more weight to the opinions of the especially respected folks here (and filter the email flood down to just those people). I wonder if there's any other way to do that? -------------------- Lindsay Morris CEO, TSMworks Tel. 1-859-539-9900 lindsay(a)tsmworks.com

11 years, 3 months

Height diffferential

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, 4 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, 4 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, 4 months

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Contra Callers