Hi, Lindsay and everyone--
Sounds like those cubs got to take on entire dances before they were
truly ready. Might be interesting to double or even triple cubs like
them up during a single dance, maybe even just the first half, so they
can conference with each other or with a seasoned caller to enhance
the learning that happens. There could be other strategies for
"professional development" as well --- what if your dance series
required a cub to go to a workshop like David's before they could
qualify for prime time (as well as demonstrate that they were ready to
give the dancers what they need)? They might get ready a lot more
quickly.
I think cub callers (with whom I still feel considerable affinity
despite my own slowly-accrued experience) need to do what earnest
aspiring public servants of other kinds do: take some time to think
about the various stakeholders involved, what it takes to meet those
stakeholders' needs, and how they (the cubs) need to prepare to fully
meet those needs. Yeah, that sounds pretty analytic (just noticed that
"anal" is part of "analytic!"---) but those needs revolve around an
incredibly rich shared experience of pleasure, so it shouldn't be too
painful for them to indulge in some constructive reflection.
Of course, if things have stayed the way you described for years,
trying to implement some developmental programming might threaten to
bruise some egos. Guess what I would do in a situation like that
would be cook a lot of really great food, invite a buch of caring
stakeholders including the cubs, and have an open, non-judgemental
discussion of how the dance series is doing and why. After that, float
proposals for solutions to perceived problems and other ideas about
how to move the dance upward and nward.
Chip Hedler
[original message follows]
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 2009 10:48:20 -0500
From: Lindsay Morris <lindsay(a)tsmworks.com>
To: "Caller's discussion list" <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
Subject: Re: [Callers] Callers' workshop
Message-ID:
<73ec9f2f0912160748p120b518eo203919930ebe614b(a)mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Our dance group brought along a group of half-a-dozen "cub callers" a few
years ago.
It was a bad thing.
After they got into the calling rotation at our weekly dance, they never
wanted to get off, of course.
Our really good callers got to call less often; the new callers only got to
call a dance once every 3 months, so they never got any better. The dance
was plagued with inexperienced and not-very-great calling for years.
Sorry to offer problems without solutions, but this well-intentioned debacle
has stayed on my mind. Seem like this is the place to share the
"cub-callers" problem.
Lindsay Morris
Principal
TSMworks
Tel. 1-859-539-9900
lindsay(a)tsmworks.com
Tough situation, particularly for programmers, holding the balance between an excellent dance with skilled talent and fostering the future of the dance through new callers and musicians.
I know that I benefited from taking it slowly: I sought out training and called over a full year of guest spots at others' dances before even attempting a half-dance. These experienced callers offered gentle but pointed feedback, and the dancers offered encouragement since it was only one dance, after all. Even after beginning to call whole eves, I still sought out half-dances for another few months (and still will, actually, since that allows me to dance too - the best of both worlds!)
Adina Gordon is an example of someone who successfully jumped in fast with both feet, but the slow apprenticeship model seems to work well for us ordinary mortals; plus it spares the dance community too much torment while we "raise" new callers who will hold and further the tradition.
Buon Fortuna --
Tina
As one of those callers with 3-4 years' experience, I agree with others who've called for unusual formations like triplets and chestnuts. They're pretty hard to figure out on your own, and local dances will only want them if a caller already has them down cold.
I also would benefit from training in how to deconstruct, and thereby effectively teach, more difficult dances for an experienced crowd. Specifically - and for any dance for that matter - when learning a dance from a card, how to note points of potential difficulty and how to figure out the exact clear, concise thing to say then so the dancers don't get confused.
David, your class sounds like a wonderful opportunity and I'm suddenly a bit sorry I don't live in the east. Break a leg!
Tina
Hi David and All --
As David knows, I'm a caller on the newer end of the spectrum. I
would love a workshop on triplets and chestnuts. I picked up your
book and since I haven't danced many of the dances and the formats
are new to me (and the crowds that I call to), a session dancing them
and learning how to call them would be really helpful. I don't yet
"get" triplets, and knowing how to do them would solve an occasional
issue of calling dances for a very small crowd.
I'm a birder. When I look at a bird and try to identify it, I'm
parsing out the features (beak type, size, flight pattern, etc) and
then there is that ahah moment when the bird is identified. I'm still
waiting for that to happen for me with contras -- I can imagine that
there is a pattern to clusters of them. Maybe this is something that
can only be felt and not taught, but if there are any useful tips on
how you "recognize" a dance I would find that useful. I'm thinking it
will help me with putting down the card and calling from memory.
Count me in!
Nancy Turner
Waitsfield VT
Also agree. Was just at the board meeting for our local dance group,
and one of the things we were talking about was the need for the caller
to reinforce good dancing. Have had a number of folks recently
complain about dance floor injuries from people dancing out of their
space. Strangely enough, we had more issues at a dance that was well
attended, but not overcrowded than we did at a really crowded dance.
Theory was expressed that people possibly felt that they had more space
and expanded to fill it (and didn't really have as much space as they
thought). Then theres issues with allemandes, late twirls,
cranking.....
Would love to hear what you come up with (or other people's ideas) for
ways to get things like that across without being preachy or just
having the dancers stop listening to you.
Jack
At 07:48 PM 12/15/2009, you wrote:
Agreed!
I would also add - how to do the same with "community-building": how
to make
people feel welcome, glad to be there, relaxed with the other
dancers,
friendly, and full of good humor, all without being preachy.
M
E
On Tue, Dec 15, 2009 at 6:22 PM, Alan Winston - SSRL Central
Computing <
winston(a)slac.stanford.edu> wrote:
> David wrote:
>
>
> > So, what are topics that _you_ would like to see in a workshop?
Assuming
> that
> > one already has the nuts and bolts of programming an evening,
teaching a
> dance,
> > and delivering the calls in good fashion, what skills would be
useful to
> > address?
>
>
> How to teach/sell 'good dancing' without seeming like a pedant.
(It seems
> like
> it's an easy trap for callers in all country dance genres to aim
for
> competence/efficiency in teaching _dances_, and neglect teaching
_dancing_.
> You pretty much have to slip that style/skill instruction in while
teaching
> dances, and that's a skill in itself.)
>
> -- Alan
>
>
> --
>
>
====================================================================
===========
> Alan Winston --- WINSTON(a)SSRL.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU
> Disclaimer: I speak only for myself, not SLAC or SSRL Phone:
> 650/926-3056
> Paper mail to: SSRL -- SLAC BIN 99, 2575 Sand Hill Rd, Menlo Park
CA
> 94025
>
>
====================================================================
===========
>
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>
--
For the good are always the merry,
Save by an evil chance,
And the merry love the fiddle
And the merry love to dance. ~ William Butler Yeats
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Hi,
This is a last moment appeal for seasonal, holiday dancers that beginners
can do - set dances, contras, mixers or Sicilian Circles.
Thanks for your help.
Rickey Holt,
Fremont, NH
I've been trying unsuccessfully to locate a website where someone had posted Celtic knot-type patterns that represent various dance moves (left hand star into butterfly whirl, hey for four, etc). I lost the link in a hard drive update. Does anyone have a link to it? Thanks.
Gretchen Caldwell
Charlotte NC
Dear Deb,
It is such fun to be on the list, and every now and again see a post
such as yours!
I am happy to send the dance to you.....which is based on Al Olson's
Devil's Duty. How did you hear about it? Hope you have fun calling/
using it!
warmly, Linda
Devil's Dervish
by Linda Leslie orig. Al Olson
Four Face Four/Improper
A1 Lines of four Forward and Back
Opposite allemande right once and three-quarters
Pull by this opposite to start:
A2 Half hey for eight!
B1 Same Opposite Balance and Swing (face across)
B2 Ring Balance*
Circle left one-half
Partner Swing
* If preferred, you can leave out the ring balance, for a longer
partner swing. However, I rather like the Balance.
> I am looking for a dance, "Devil's Dervish" by Linda Leslie. Can
> anyone
> help me out? Thanks!
> --
> Deb Comly
> 928-774-5936
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
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> Callers(a)sharedweight.net
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>
>
> End of Callers Digest, Vol 63, Issue 10
> ***************************************
***************************************************
Hatton Greer
The internet, that's the thing with e-mail, right?
****************************************************
> I've been using the Zoom H4 for some time for recording
> dances as well as a
> number of other situations, and am extremely pleased with
> it. The H4 costs
> more than the H2, but the H4 has the advantage of having
> two input jacks
> that accept both XLR and 1/4" phone plug connections. I
> regularly use this
> ability to record from the "Tape/CD Out" jacks on the sound
> board. When
> that's not possible the Zoom devices (either one) do a
> fabulous job with
> their external mikes.
Will,
This might be a stupid question, but can you both use input jacks and the built in mike?
