Contra Callers

contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net

21 participants
4345 discussions

by Kalia Kliban

Hi all, I was trying to do a search in the Shared weight Contra-callers archives and kept getting "Server error. An error occurred while processing your request." Are any admins around and able to take a look at that? Thanks, Kalia

6 days, 10 hours

bringing back waltz line of direction

by Joe Harrington

There used to be a strong community tradition about the flow of waltzing at contra dances. It was fast around the outside and stationary in the middle. You could do a nice Viennese, flying around the outside of the hall with no trouble, except in the most crowded of halls. You could do tricks galore standing virtually still. You could do everything in between. There were a lot fewer collisions, despite some much-faster-moving dancers. Halls were at least as crowded as they are today. Today, that's a near-impossibility in many halls. There tends to be a slow-circulating middle, but there isn't the former gradient of speeds outside of that zone that increases options while reducing collisions. It's all just a slow-moving mass, and people are so focused on their partners that collisions are common. I think everyone's enjoyment would increase if we followed four simple considerations: a) If someone passes you on the inside, you are a slower-circulating couple and should move closer to the middle, b) If you pass someone on the inside, you are a faster-circulating couple and should move farther out, c) Moving counter-flow or wagging strongly sideways (much more than just a side-by-side promenade) in the traveling ring are no-nos, d) Both partners really need to look out for others all the time and protect each other from collisions, elbows to the face, etc. This is not just the lead's job, especially if they're being considerate and moving backward for a substantial portion of the time. I hope this is on-topic for this group. Callers are the evening's MCs, but they usually don't have much to do with waltzes, other than to announce them. However, what I'm talking about here would probably come about if callers a) announce it and b) include it in their waltz lesson, if they hold one. And maybe c) discuss it with dancers and organizers. Happy(ier) waltzing! --jh-- Joe Harrington Orlando

1 week

Favorite 4x4s?

by Luke Donforth

Hi Maia, My most called: Dance all Night - Rick Mohr Spring Blooms - Linda Leslie Fox Hollow Fancy - Jacob Bloom (grand square!) Coconut Cream Pie - Lynn Ackerson The Devil's Backbone - William Watson A couple of mine that have unusual features: Double the Pleasure (swing both neighbors, not your trail buddy) https://www.ibiblio.org/contradance/thecallersbox/dance.php?id=11126 Things that go Bump in the Night (6 balances) https://www.ibiblio.org/contradance/thecallersbox/dance.php?id=16360 Tamlin's Cross (variation). Has a hey for 8 through the middle: https://www.ibiblio.org/contradance/thecallersbox/dance.php?id=14778 I should update Caller's box, I have called that one multiple times. Have fun! Luke On Sat, Mar 22, 2025 at 1:37 AM Maia McCormick via Contra Callers < contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > What it says on the tin—I want more four-face-fours in my collection (not > least because I’m calling a session of them at NEFFA 😅), drop your > favorites here! Accepting recommendations of any difficulty level. > > Thanks all! > - Maia (Brooklyn, NY) > > -- > Maia McCormick (she/her) > 917.279.8194 > _______________________________________________ > Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net > -- -- Luke Donforth calling.luke(a)gmail.com 802-448-4533 Click here for publicity information. <https://www.uvm.edu/~ldonfort/ContraPublicity/>

1 week, 2 days

Bringing back waltz line of direction (Joe Harrington)

by becky.liddle＠icloud.com

Hi Joe, I’m so glad you suggested this! I’ve been contra dancing about 8 years and have NEVER heard anyone describe the waltz circulating convention (counter-clockwise, faster toward outside). It would be SO easy to just announce it (not every time, but even a few times a year would eventually get the info/convention out there to everyone.) I will try to remember to suggest it from the stage if I ever get to call again! (I just moved from Toronto, where I called 2 or 3 times a year, to Bowen Island BC where if I want a contra dance I will have to start it myself!) Becky Liddle > On Mar 18, 2025, at 10:00 PM, contracallers-request(a)lists.sharedweight.net wrote: > > Send Contra Callers mailing list submissions to > contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via email, send a message with subject or > body 'help' to > contracallers-request(a)lists.sharedweight.net > > You can reach the person managing the list at > contracallers-owner(a)lists.sharedweight.net > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Contra Callers digest..."Today's Topics: > > 1. bringing back waltz line of direction (Joe Harrington) > > From: Joe Harrington <contradancerjoe(a)gmail.com> > Subject: [Callers] bringing back waltz line of direction > Date: March 17, 2025 at 10:14:03 PM PDT > To: Shared Weight Callers <contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> > > > There used to be a strong community tradition about the flow of waltzing at contra dances. It was fast around the outside and stationary in the middle. You could do a nice Viennese, flying around the outside of the hall with no trouble, except in the most crowded of halls. You could do tricks galore standing virtually still. You could do everything in between. There were a lot fewer collisions, despite some much-faster-moving dancers. Halls were at least as crowded as they are today. > > Today, that's a near-impossibility in many halls. There tends to be a slow-circulating middle, but there isn't the former gradient of speeds outside of that zone that increases options while reducing collisions. It's all just a slow-moving mass, and people are so focused on their partners that collisions are common. > > I think everyone's enjoyment would increase if we followed four simple considerations: > > a) If someone passes you on the inside, you are a slower-circulating couple and should move closer to the middle, > b) If you pass someone on the inside, you are a faster-circulating couple and should move farther out, > c) Moving counter-flow or wagging strongly sideways (much more than just a side-by-side promenade) in the traveling ring are no-nos, > d) Both partners really need to look out for others all the time and protect each other from collisions, elbows to the face, etc. This is not just the lead's job, especially if they're being considerate and moving backward for a substantial portion of the time. > > I hope this is on-topic for this group. Callers are the evening's MCs, but they usually don't have much to do with waltzes, other than to announce them. However, what I'm talking about here would probably come about if callers a) announce it and b) include it in their waltz lesson, if they hold one. And maybe c) discuss it with dancers and organizers. > > Happy(ier) waltzing! > > --jh-- > Joe Harrington > Orlando >

1 week, 6 days

Contra callers - Puttin' On The Dance 3 is starting to fill up!

by Emily Addison

Hi contra callers, I just wanted to put the bug in your ear as some of you are organizers as well. :) Puttin' On The Dance 3 is happening later this spring in Belfast Maine. Registration has been open for under two weeks and we're already 2/5 full....it's pretty exciting! If you are an organizer and would like to join we'd love to have you. Details are below. :) Emily in Ottawa One of the POTD3 organizers along with Chrissy Fowler and Patty Giavara ================================== Puttin' On the Dance 3: Dancing Forward Together is happening May 2-4 in Belfast, Maine. Our conference theme, Dancing Forward Together, reflects the commitment we all share. Our dances create strong social bonds and positive uplift to our communities, and in this time of uncertainty and upheaval, it is especially important for dance organizers to support each other and ourselves. POTD will nourish peer to peer connections and buoy our spirits, helping us return to our dance organizations with renewed commitment and vigor. Let’s join hands to move forward! Before you register, look at puttinonthedance.org/potd-3/ <https://www.puttinonthedance.org/potd-3/> for important info on: - fees - scholarships - schedule - program survey - and more! Register Here: https://forms.gle/uUMWrebtrwJdBTJW9 The Fund Your Attendance <https://www.puttinonthedance.org/register/fund-your-attendance/> page has new information, including: - scholarship process - offsetting the exchange rate for Canadians - additional strategies to fund your attendance without stretching your personal reserves. Live outside the POTD catchment area <https://www.puttinonthedance.org/potd-3/>? If you want to attend - fill out the registration form now - but don’t pay. On April 1, if there’s room in the conference, we will offer spots to registrants outside the catchment area, in date order of registration. We’re getting some great input through the POTD3 Program Input Survey - if you haven’t filled it out, here’s the form: https://forms.gle/3gCBRuqodu9Z2RCV8 We can’t wait to be with you in May! POTD Planning Team Patty Giavara, Chrissy Fowler & Emily Addison PS Check out these amazing photos from POTD2 to get a sense of the fun and energy! <https://www.flickr.com/photos/puttinonthedance/albums/>

2 weeks, 5 days

Re: working with inexperienced bands

by David Kirchner

I'd like to cosign nearly all of Greg's excellent response below. Don't tell people how to play their music. It's disrespectful. But you can say that in order to have them play for your dance, you have certain needs. Are they interested in working to meet those needs? If not, that's fine, it's not the gig for them. If so, focus on your bottom line needs and build from there. What is already in their repertoire that you can use? What is a "must-have" (e.g. distinguishable phrases, steady beat), and what can you do without if you have to? I once did a entire dance where I did without 2-part tunes -- the band just played tune after tune, medleys of 5, 6 or 7 tunes played two or three times each. Some were three-part, some half-length, some regular. Fabulous musicians (internationally known, actually), but in their style of music they had never thought much about how many parts their tunes had. It was going to be a huge lift for them to keep track of which tunes had how many parts, and so I just let go of it. (Happily, all of their tunes had square phrases, at least.) I recently did a dance with an Irish bar band that had somehow heard about contra dancing and managed to talk themselves onto the schedule without having a clue what they were supposed to be doing. I went to a rehearsal about a month out and told them a bunch of things about what would work and what wouldn't, but I also realized there was no substitute for experience. So I said, "which of the next few Saturdays could some of you go to one of our dances? I'll arrange to get you a free pass." Eventually two of them came the following week to a dance and simply watched what was happening for about 90 minutes. The band leader called me the next day (I had a conflict and could not be at the dance myself) and said "Ohhhh. Now we understand." They ended up doing a nice job and were asked back. David > > Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2025 16:09:40 +0000 > From: Gregory <glibguide(a)protonmail.com> > Subject: [Callers] Re: working with inexperienced bands > > Hi Joseph, > > What is your musical experience/skill? > > I have a music degree, have plied my trade in a few different areas of > professional musicianship, and I've been working with live musicians > (particularly young fiddlers who i see as the future and want to give > performance opportunities to) for 10 years as a dance caller in an area > with little-to-no contra dancing. > > First off, I would get a sense of your musicians interest in the gig. Are > they doing it for easy money? Are they genuinely interested to play for > dancers and don't care how much they get paid? Are they making their living > from gig work? Or is this something they do on the side for fun? Are they > old-time experienced players? Or are they new upstarts, still forming their > musical identity as a performer? Have they mastered their instruments or > are they better-then-average amateurs? Answers to these questions can help > set expectations for their commitment. > > I can confidently say that the suggestion of sending musicians new tunes / > resources a few weeks before the dance is not a welcome prospect and not > setting them up for success. You should, instead, encourage new repertoire > over a long period of time, and for the next show focus on what is in their > current repertoire that will suffice for dances (if you want them to play > for you again). It may seem an imposition, but if you can attend one of > their rehearsals or jams, and ask to go through their repertoire, that > would be best. Keep a few things in mind while doing so: > > - No matter how experienced a fiddler is, playing for contra dances is a > specific skill or knowledge base; don't be afraid to say that such-and-such > doesn't work > - Some tunes sound fine but they're actually crooked and will not work for > contra. You need to be able to detect these tunes to prevent them being > programmed and ruining one of the dances. Crooked tunes in the contra dance > realm take multiple forms: additional beats within a measure, yes, but also > additional measures on a phrase. Phrases that are 4 or 12 beats long, and > tunes that have more than 2 parts are particularly hard to detect. Your > musicians may or may not know the difference or whether this is important > or not (even if you're clear that 32 bars jigs and reels is what you're > after, before hand). > - Different kinds of tunes work if the band is willing to play with the > tempo. For example, jigs tend to be played faster than is comfortable for > the dancers, so they need to be slowed down a touch, and polkas can also be > played at a slower tempo. I suggest this to attempt to broaden the > potential tunes that can be programmed while working within what they > already know. > > Also be respectful of different musicians abilities... Dave Brubeck > couldn't read music, and some traditional musicians also never learned how > to read music, picking up tunes by ear instead. If this is the case, > sending tunes a few weeks before a show is simply not going to work. > Musicians have their own culture apart from dancers, so temper your > expectations and be patient and respectful. > > Consider not hiring a "band" but hiring a fiddler. I don't know what the > remote situation you're in is like, but if you have any professional > musicians in your area, they should know how the gigs work. If you can find > a single fiddler and hire them, they will find someone else to play with > them as a duo or trio, as long as you explain what you're looking for > (reels at 120 bpm, playing for dancers, etc.) and the pay. If you can pair > less experienced musicians with more experienced musicians, this will > benefit you in the long run, bringing up a new generation of fiddlers in > this tradition. For example, many musicians have students. Ask if one of > their students is up for the task of performing and they can join in on a > few tunes. It also broadens your dance base when the parents come out and > participate. > > You'll want to go over with whomever you hire a series of signals that > indicate "speed up", "slow down", "keep playing", "stop immediately" and > "stop at the end of the phrase / last time". > > You'll want to ensure that they start each tune with a 4 beat introduction > ("Four for nothing" as Winton Marsalis says, and "Four potatoes" as is the > phrase around here), which is a cue for you to cue the dancers. Musicians > are NOT in the habit of doing this on their own, and waiting once through > the tune instead is too long. > > Forcing a square peg into a round hole is not what i would consider > setting anyone up for success. Expecting your blue grass band to convert to > a contra dance band lickity-split is, in my opinion, not a good approach. I > would suggest letting it be what it's going to be. Maybe your group likes > blue grass tunes, and you form a contra/bluegrass syncretism. This is part > of the folk process. Everywhere, everyone, is different and cherishing that > and encouraging appreciation is what i would consider setting people up for > success - my previous recommendations and advice support this idea, I > think. For example, in my area, fiddling is heavily influenced by many > repertoires, particularly Metis, which was originally used for Metis step > dancing. I doubt the Metis fiddle tunes get played anywhere else, but they > make for excellent contra dance tunes with their own flare and feel. I'm > leaning into this, it's part of the Manitoba sound! > > Best of luck! Happy Dancing! > > Greg, Winnipeg >

1 month

Callers around Albany?

by Maia McCormick

Hey all, Got an inquiry from someone who enjoyed contra dancing at Flurry, has a big barn (120 people) at which they've held barn dances in the past, and is curious about holding a contra. Would anyone be interested in calling an event or two for them? Let me know, and I can put you in touch. Cheers, Maia (Brooklyn, NY) -- Maia McCormick (she/her) 917.279.8194

1 month, 1 week

Classes for Callers

by Janine Smith

Hello Friends! Look what’s being offered at CDSS American Week at Pinewoods (July 19-26). Not one but 2 Callers Classes! Wheeeee! *Let’s Throw A Barn Dance! – Janine Smith* Ever been asked by a friend to call a dance at their wedding? Or are you in a community with a lot of 20- and 30-year-olds and you want to get them up and dancing *fast*? Want to dance some really fun, easy dances in the last period of the day? Well, come on down! Learn how to call simple but satisfying dances that build community and get everyone (including you) smiling and laughing and having a *big old time*. Dancers, callers, and musicians are welcome to attend this very happy workshop. On Thursday, we switch over to honky tonk line dancing to get ready for the big after-hours Roadhouse. This class is where the fifth period P-A-R-T-Y is! *Contra Caller’s Confab – Lisa Greenleaf* We love getting into the nitty gritty of calling and will explore a different theme each day. Participants can choose from such topics as: stellar walk throughs, working with musicians, programming secrets, gotta have stage presence, and practice-practice-practice! We will create a safe space to enjoy learning from each other, so get ready to boost your skill set and your confidence! All experience levels are welcome. ALSO, Pourparler is as magical as

1 month, 1 week

SURVEY: Looking for YOUR ideas for Puttin’ on the Dance 3!

by Puttin' on the Dance Team

Dear fellow dance organizers, We’re very excited to be gathering with many of you this spring at Puttin’ On The Dance 3 - Dancing Forward Together! We want your input to help develop the conference program. Can you share your thoughts by completing this short survey by March 12th <https://forms.gle/Zy7ce7Aij2dhBte38>? Reminder that conference registration opens March 1st at www.puttinonthedance.org! We have some great news. We’ve heard from five organizations that have pledged funds to support the conference and reduce the cost for participants. We’re grateful to Country Dance & Song Society (CDSS), New England Folk Festival Association (NEFFA), DownEast Friends of the Folk Arts (DEFFA), Montpelier Contra Dance, and Belfast Flying Shoes for stepping up early with sponsorship grants. Plus, some organizations are offering partial scholarships. We will post the details soon on the POTD website - how to fund your attendance page <https://www.puttinonthedance.org/register/fund-your-attendance/>. Thanks again for completing the survey <https://forms.gle/Zy7ce7Aij2dhBte38> . Dance organizers like you are so important in this world. You give people an opportunity to connect in a positive and real way: face-to-face, hands joined, Dancing Forward Together. Thank you all! POTD3 Planning team (Patty, Chrissy & Emily) -- puttinonthedance.org facebook.com/PuttinOnTheDance *You're on the POTD email list because we think you're interested in conferences for dance organizers. Let us know if you want your address removed. *

1 month, 1 week

working with inexperienced bands

by Joseph Erhard-Hudson

Hi all, I live in a relatively isolated community in the contra dance world. To the extent we have a house caller it's me. We are trying to foster and develop new callers, but you gotta have bands too. So, I'd welcome your thoughts on working with new bands. My motive for asking is, a couple of times in the last year we have had new bands come play for our monthly dance. One was a blue-grassey country band. Another was a family group playing predominantly Irish tunes. Their musical skills were fine and their repertoire was serviceable, and they did okay, but there were definitely some rough spots. New musical talent is a valuable commodity for us, and I want to set them up for success. So, how would you approach this? I'd especially love to hear from folks who have done this sort of thing before, but all thoughts are welcome. Joseph Erhard-Hudson Moscow, Idaho, USA

1 month, 1 week

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