I just wanted to thank whoever it was who first pointed out the dance
The Big Bicep (by Jim Hemphill) on this list. I've called it a couple
of times now and it's energetic, fun, and just enough of a challenge to
really get the dancers' attention. Bob Green, was it you? I used it as
a closer last night and it rocked! It's got a nice partner
balance-and-swing at the end, too.
Kalia
Boy, when we called all callers, a lot of you listened. We've had over 450 responses to our contra caller's survey so far! If you have completed the survey, thank you so much. If you have not completed the survey or have yet to view it, there's still time; the deadline is June 1. Please go to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VFC5FK7 . Also, please forward this notice to other callers you know who may not have heard about the survey. We will send a summary of the results to everyone who provides us with their email address at the end of the survey.
To remind you, the purpose of the survey is to find out how CDSS can better support contra dance callers. The survey is truly geared to contra callers of all experience levels from brand new to retired, so the more information you give us about your calling experiences, the better. We are focusing on learning about needed resources for North American contra callers, but we welcome any feedback from callers on other continents as well. We want to hear from even more of the hundreds of contra callers than we’ve heard from so far. Even if you don’t take the survey, we’d like to keep you informed about the survey results and the availability of new contra dance caller resources. Go to the survey http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VFC5FK7 and choose the "I can't do it now..." item.
We look forward to hearing from by June 1.
Lynn Ackerson (El Cerrito, CA)
Emily Addison (Ottawa, ONT)
David Chandler (Metuchen, NJ)
Martha Edwards (St. Louis, MO)
Lisa Greenleaf (Bolton, MA)
Chris Page (San Diego, CA)
Louise Siddons (Stillwater, OK)
Mary Wesley (Ferrisburg, VT
Hey all,
This might be a really silly question, but has there been much (er, any)
academic work done on contra/contra culture, from a sort of
anthropology/sociology perspective? If it exists, please point me towards
it, I'd love to read it! And if it doesn't... I may have to remedy this!
Peace,
Maia
Here's a note I wrote a few weeks ago about teaching, specifically in the
context of teaching at a contra dance.
Performative Aspects of
Teaching<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ruk7ZSMwpbauuOLR5vyeWfvqDsPLgwZz--uK9dp…>
Looking forward to reading the works cited in reply to this (interesting!)
question.
- Roger Hayes
PS: I think that the adjective "objective" may not have the talismanic
force in anthropology, folklore, and gender studies that it does in some of
the other social sciences.
Hi all,
Thanks for the suggestion to call 3-33-33. I did that and it went well, but
good dancers got very tired and winded. What tempo do you use?
Thanks also for the suggestion to call Bill Olson's The Hussey Bride. I did
that too, and it went well except that in one of the lines a couple kept
getting left out at the top. Again, mostly experienced dancers. The A1 is:
Long Lines forward and back / Ladies Allemande Right 1 1/2 to cross the set
and form long wavy line with the gents with the ladies facing out. A couple
of us thought that several folks had trouble finding the lady to allemande
with, especially when she was the next neighbor lady. Have you had similar
experiences with this dance? What did you do about it?
Thanks again,
Rickey Holt,
Fremont, NH
Hast, Dorothea E. "Performance, transformation and community: contra dance in New England." Dance Research Journal 25.1 (1993): 21+.
Schwartz, David M. "Contra dancing." Americana 7 (1979): 62+.
Becker, Robin. "Contra-dancing in Nelson, N.H." The Kenyon Review 14.1 (1992): 26+.
Flinn, Juliana. "American country dancing: a religious experience." Journal of Popular Culture 29.1 (1995): 61+. Abstract:
American country dancing such as contra and square dancing is
assuming religious status for many U.S. citizens, who want to have a sense of
coherence and community integration above materialism and individualism. They
use religious terms such as spiritual and transcendental to express their
experiences of dancing. They compare the dance with religion on the basis
that both these functions generate a feeling of togetherness among
participants. Dance gives them an opportunity to have spiritual experience.
Simplicity of the dance is another reason for its popularity.
Contra dancing in Maine: the revival of an American tradition : a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment ... for the degree of Master of Arts (Musicology - Ethnomusicology) -- Vincent Tufo, University of Michigan. School of Music
University of Michigan, 1979
Good luck!
I seem to remember someone asking on this list about where they could
find a card box that was larger than what is available at office supply
stores. A dance friend who is also a woodworker just gave me a new box
that he made in his spare time at work. I'm attaching a couple of
pictures and would be glad to get you in touch if you're interested in
getting him to make one for you. With the addition of a bit of packing
foam at the back, I even have a safe place to carry my audio recorder in
my card box, and I have lots of room for my card collection to grow.
Jack
http://books.google.com/books/about/Creating_Community.html?id=NpZdXwAACAAJ
Rasby Marlene Powell's 1997 sociology dissertation, Florida State University: Creating Community -- An Ethnography of Old-time Dance Groups.
Richard Hopkins
850-894-9212 at home
850-544-7614 mobile
Hopkinsrs(a)comcast.net
Sent from my iPhone
Calling all contra dance callers! The CDSS (Country Dance and Song Society) Contra Dance Task Group wants to find out how CDSS can better support contra dance callers. We encourage you to take our survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VFC5FK7 so CDSS can hear your ideas, concerns, and questions directly. We will send you a summary of the results if you provide us with your email address at the end of the survey.
The survey is truly geared to contra callers of all experience levels from brand new to retired, so the more information you give us about your calling experiences, the better. We are focusing on learning about needed resources for North American contra callers, but we welcome any feedback from callers on other continents as well. We want to hear from as many of the hundreds of contra callers as possible, so please encourage your fellow callers to respond.
Even if you don’t take the survey, we’d like to keep you informed about the survey results and the availability of new contra dance caller resources. Go to the survey http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VFC5FK7 and choose the "I can't do it now..." item.
We look forward to hearing from you very soon.
Lynn Ackerson (El Cerrito, CA)
Emily Addison (Ottawa, ONT)
David Chandler (Metuchen, NJ)
Martha Edwards (St. Louis, MO)
Lisa Greenleaf (Bolton, MA)
Chris Page (San Diego, CA)
Louise Siddons (Stillwater, OK)
Mary Wesley (Ferrisburg, VT)
