Contra Callers

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22 participants
4374 discussions

by Kalia Kliban

I haven't yet gotten to dance Boston Harbor, but love Fairport Harbor. From either a calling or dancing point of view, what would make you choose one of these two dances over the other? What about end effects? Seems like with both of them, as long as you get _everyone_ into the big promenade circle it would work ok. Kalia

12 years, 8 months

Have you called Double Boomerang by Gene Hubert?

by Rickey Holt

Hi, If you have called Gene Hubert's wonderful dance "Double Boomerang", I have 2 questions for you about end effects. The dance is below. When the ladies chain on the left diagonal there are ladies at each end who cannot do that as there is no one there. That's fine. I am used to that. My questions are not about that. They are: (1) When a couple reaches an end ( I have only been able to watch the top), where do they wait and for how long. . The woman needs to get into position for the ladies chain on the diagonal, which I think means that she needs to cross over as she waits for that. The man also needs to cross over and stand next to her at that point. . When however the second pass through is done (in B1), both the man and the woman who are waiting out at that point need to be in position to balance and swing with their partners (B2), which I think means that they need to be in different lines from each other. . Finally, as it is a Becket, at the end of the partner swing you and your partner need to be together on the same side but - which side and how do you get there. (2) How do you teach all of this. Really good dancers seem to understand where they need to be and get there, but even experienced dancers have been having trouble with this and it has thrown them. Do you know the dance? Can you help? Thanks, Rickey Holt, Fremont, NH Here is the dance if you have forgotten it: DOUBLE BOOMERANG, Gene Hubert (Becket) A1 Gents Allemande Left (1 1/2) Neighbor Swing A2 ON THE LEFT DIAGONAL, Ladies chain Long Lines Forward and Back B1 Pass through straight across the set and turn alone. Circle Left all of the way around Up and down the set pass through B2 Partner Balance and Swing

12 years, 8 months

Re: [Callers] Boston Harbor vs. Fairport Harbor

by Kalia Kliban

I'm not sure why my responses to some of you go only to you, and my responses to others here go to the whole list, but here, for all of you (this time for sure :>), are the two dances I've been wondering about: Boston Harbor Laura Johannes A1 N dosido and swing A2 Promenade w/Nbr CCW around the big ring, then turn as a cpl. Promenade back, watching for Ptnr. B1 Wo. Allemande R 1-1/2 Ptnr swing. B2 Circle 3/4 Balance the ring and pass through Fairport Harbor Paul Balliet Becket A1 Men allemande L 1-1/2 Promenade w/Nbr CCW around the big ring A2 Wo. roll back to Nbr behind for gypsy and swing, ending in promenade position facing CW B1 Promenade back to Ptnr Ladies chain B2 Pass through and swing Ptnr. (Men will want to reach R for new man) I'm never quite sure which dances are so familiar that everyone knows them, and which ones aren't :>) Kalia

12 years, 8 months

birthdays, notable anniversaries

by Hilton Baxter

Is there a compilation (online or printed) of birthdays, anniversaries of notable events, death dates, etc. related to contradance, notable contra choreographers and musicians, dance series, and so on? There are such resources for general events, classical music, and other categories. If there isn't already one for contradance, English country dance and related traditions, it would be interesting to start one. Hilton Baxter

12 years, 8 months

Storage solutions for dance cards

by tavi merrill

Hi neighbors, partners, and peers, On a quest to deepen my bench of dances, my collection has much outgrown the handy little recipe box i store them in. Shopping around i find that the majority of boxes for 3x5 cards only hold 250-350. I'm wondering what sorts of nifty 3x5 storage solutions - durable, portable, and at least a little bit classy - other callers have come up with... and where you might have found 'em. thanks for sharing the weight! tavi merrill

12 years, 8 months

Wanna teach polka (and maybe call one dance) at Harvard Divinity School next Friday afternoon for free?

by Alan Winston

Boston-Area callers: Harvard Divinity School has an annual Oktoberfest where a professor's German band plays mostly polkas for two hours. I have a dancing friend from California now attending HDS, and she's bummed that nobody knows how to polka so there's never any dancing, and is hoping to scare up somebody who can come and give a quick lesson to give people confidence to get up and dance. (I asked if that person could maybe lead a country dance to polka music too and she says fine.) There's no funding, so the pay is in beer, sausages, pretzels, and karma. It's on the Harvard Campus, October 19. The whole event is 3-5 pm, and I assume a half-hour polka lesson is most useful at the beginning. If interested get in touch with me and I'll pass your info on to my friend. Thanks! -- Alan

12 years, 8 months

Re: [Callers] Storage solutions for dance cards

by colin＠colinhume.com

I got up to 5 boxes of 3 x 5 cards, decided that was getting silly, and bought a briefcase such as you can see at http://tinyurl.com/9nug8o7 I put in two cardboard dividers to make three columns and it will take all 2,500 cards plus microphone, cough sweets, Ibuprofen and anything else I need! Now my eyes have got to the stage where I need glasses to read the cards, and then I can't see the dancers. So now I use a lap-top with my Dance Organiser program which you can download from http://www.colinhume.com/download.htm - it has a full-screen option which is what I need when I'm calling. Colin Hume -------------------------------------------------------------------- mail2web - Check your email from the web at http://link.mail2web.com/mail2web

12 years, 8 months

How to not contra dance safely

by Tepfer, Seth

Does anyone remember a booklet/flyer entitled "How to not contra dance safely?" Anyone have an electronic copy floating around you could pass on? Seth Tepfer Director of Administrative Computing Oxford College 770-784-8487 seth.tepfer(a)emory.edu ________________________________ This e-mail message (including any attachments) is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this message (including any attachments) is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please contact the sender by reply e-mail message and destroy all copies of the original message (including attachments).

12 years, 8 months

Rochester Contradance

by bobfab＠aol.com

Hi All, I have been asked to take responsibility for booking bands and callers for our great Weekly Thursday Night dance in Rochester, NY, for 2013. If any of you are looking to be in the Finger Lakes area, please let me know -- our schedule for next year is virtually blank. We are situated for a nice little tour of Fredonia, Buffalo, Syracuse, Ithaca, and some Southern Tier dances on Friday and Saturday nights and even another Sunday English dance. Please contact me directly so we don't fill up the forum with scheduling details... bobfab(a)aol.com

12 years, 8 months

Square Dance History Project launches website

by David.Millstone＠valley.net

[apologies for duplicate postings. We're trying to spread the word as widely as possible. Please share this news and the link with others who might be interested.] David Millstone Square Dance History Project Launches New Website A group of square dance enthusiasts has launched a digital library and website (SquareDanceHistory.org) that takes a broad look at square dancing now as well as the historical antecedents of today's squares. The project's primary focus is to collect good examples of moving images--more than 400 videos so far--that document square dancing in its many forms. This includes New England dosido and western docey-do, barn dances and hoedowns, stately quadrilles and rip-roarin' squares of the 1950s, as well as modern square dance programs from Mainstream to Challenge. The site also includes interviews, text, photographs, audio files, and much more. Among the many treats awaiting you: * Rare footage of the Lloyd Shaw's Cheyenne Mountain Dancers, plus a black and white silent film (1955) showing square dances in Central City, Colorado * A set of 100 high-definition videos filmed at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC, with six nationally-known square dance callers * 25 additional videotaped interviews with those callers, plus videotaped interviews with Kathy Anderson and Sandy Bradley * More than 150 items related to MWSD, including an article by Jim Mayo looking at the early years, illustrated with live recordings from the 1940s and 1950s * Elizabeth Burchenal's silent footage of southern Appalachian mountain squares from the early 1930s * A curated assortment of videos showing dancing from Newfoundland and Quebec to the American Southwest * Exhibits showcasing items in the collection, on such diverse topics as the pioneering work of Lloyd Shaw in Colorado to an in-depth look at dances from Maryland Line, Virginia The site is a work in progress, and additional material will be added regularly to the collection. The home page offers a way to contribute additional items; the organizers are especially interested in locating home movie footage from decades past. Financial support for the project comes from Country Dance and Song Society, CALLERLAB, the Lloyd Shaw Foundation, and Arts-Dance - Alliance of Round, Traditional, and Square-Dance. CDSS has also announced the release of a CD-ROM of the Dare to be Square mega-event held November 18-20, 29011 at the John C. Campbell Folk School, Brasstown, NC with callers Bob Dalsemer, Larry Edelman, Phil Jamison, Bill Litchman, Jim Mayo, and Tony Parkes. Contains page PDF with transcription of all 80 dances taught at the weekend, plus teaching, and discussions. CD with 158 cuts, and 10.2 hours of content, both walkthroughs and calling for all dances taught at the weekend. Available for pre-order from the CDSS Store http://www.cdss.org/product-details/product/dare-to-be-square-syllabus-pre-…

12 years, 9 months

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