Contra Callers

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More life lessons for this caller... (really long)

by Chris Weiler

Hello everyone, I figured that I better start writing this report right away. Later I might be lazy and leave out some of the experiences from this past weekend. I suspect that this will be another of those long e-mails. Read as much or as little as you care to. For those unfamiliar or new to this list, when I started calling, I would send updates to this list detailing my successes and blunders in the hopes that it would help other new callers. Here are the latest: The beginning of this story goes back several months when I got an e-mail inviting me to be the second string caller at the Champlain Valley Folk Festival. I was offered camping, meals, a festival pass and exposure ("you can die of exposure" one caller said in a workshop). Since it's one of my favorite festivals and I planned to attend anyways, I accepted. Fast forward to the Champlain Valley Folk Festival that happened this past weekend. Due to my lack of vacation days at my relatively new job (I don't have enough to cover my time at Pinewoods later this month), I decided that I would work a half day and drive up during the afternoon. Never mind that my first calling session was 5:30pm to 7:30pm on Friday and it's a 4.5 hour trip from my work to the festival. This was my first mistake of the weekend. It made my Friday a stressful, rushed day. I also decided to give a friend a ride to the festival, which added time to the trip. Part of the trip was a stop at home to drop off my work things and pick up my camping/festival stuff. Due to the frantic rush to get back on the road, I made my second mistake: I did not pack the bag containing my dance cards and other reference materials into the car. I discovered this when we arrived at the festival at 5pm. See the above start time for my first session. Resisting the urge to panic, I went into problem solving mode. My first priority was to check in and get to the stage. The second priority was to somehow get enough dances together for a 2 hour session. I remembered that I had 3 callers phone numbers in my cell phone. I decided to sit down and write down every dance I could remember off the top of my head first. It worked out well, one dance would spark the memory of another. I would also think of a figure and it would trigger the memory of the dance that I like to use to teach that figure. In the end, I wrote down 8 dances that worked (and a couple that didn't). I decided that I could make a session out of that and that I could remember some more during the session. So I didn't need to call anyone (yet). On a side note, I was scheduled for three sessions over the course of the Festival with three bands that I had never heard of. I had expected that I would have time to meet the band members and get to know them and their capabilities at the festival. That was mistake #3 (we're not numbering chronologically here). I should have gone with my first instinct which was to hunt them down on the web and get in touch through e-mail or phone. The organizers would also probably have helped make that happen, too. Back to Friday night. The band was a long running group of French Canadian musicians who had been playing concerts for quite some time. They were fairly new to contras, however, and had learned a bunch of "square" tunes for the occasion since most of their repertoire is crooked. There were a couple of glitches during the evening. Some due to the tunes they learned (one had crooked phrases, but overall the tune was square. whoops!). Some due to bad communication. The person I was communicating with had trouble remembering how many times through before they should end. Sometimes the band would get off a part. The last dance, the person yelled to me across the stage something like "just tell us when to go out, it's just easier". So at the top of the B2 I caught her eye and waved, assuming that they would finish the tune. I turned around to face the dancers and prompt a final partner swing and the dance ended that instant. Whoops! Of the dances that I remembered, it quickly became clear that two of them were too easy for the crowd. That left me six dances to fill the session. I never did remember any more that night. So I ran the dances long. I added a waltz in the middle of the session as well as the end. A few people commented on the long dances and I heard it from the band, too. They were very tired after the session. The flute player kept rubbing her wrists. In the end, the dancers had fun. It was the first dance session of the festival and they had energy to burn. Compliments on my calling and the music came back to me afterwards, some directly, some through friends. In the end that's what I have to remind myself is what matters. I had spotted a couple of callers in the crowd during the session. Later in the evening, I sought them out and explained the situation. I asked if they had brought their cards with them. With the exception of two people, those I asked had not brought their cards. Saturday morning I went through their cards and copied about twenty dances from them. Some I knew and called before, but some I didn't. My undying gratitude goes out to Fern Bradley and Nancy Turner for their help. The second band was a group of young musicians. This group plays mostly country and old-time music. While they had all played for contras before, they hadn't played together for one with this repertoire. The guitar player apologized at the beginning for not knowing many jigs and assured me that they could play one during the session. My response was essentially "no big deal, play to your strengths". So I got a great set of hot old-time music for the session. I pulled dances that I felt would work with that kind of music out of my limited repertoire and put together a fun session. In concert, the band features two female vocalists who sing some wonderful harmonies. They were able to incorporate this into the dances wonderfully, without getting in the way of what I needed to do. One time they had an 8 bar a Capella lead into the dance that was beautiful. Later they played Golden Slippers and sang the words once the dancers had the dance down. Later that day, we had a downpour at the festival and everyone and everything got soaked. This revealed several more personal mistakes: assuming my raincoat was in the car; not bringing quite enough clothes to change into; driving my car onto a muddy field that just got more muddy. This also meant that on Sunday, only the really die-hard dancers came back to the muddy festival. My third session, on Sunday was the shortest. A blessing since I was running out of dances to call from my now limited repertoire. The band turned out to be incredible. A mix of musicians who have been playing for decades and young newcomers. Five fiddles, guitar, bass and piano. Hearing five fiddles belt out "Grumbling old man/Growling old woman" was an incredible experience. Working with them was a breeze. It was during this session, though, that my tiredness and unfamiliarity with some of the dances that I was calling came through. Mostly it showed up in awkward prompting. But with one dance (B&B Contra by Robert Cromartie) it was near disaster. During the walkthrough, I left out two moves from the teaching. I'd noticed that things had seemed a little awkward during the walkthrough, but it didn't seem to be a problem. "They'll smooth it out with the music" I told myself. I should note that the Sevens were playing on the main stage at that time, so it was the REALLY die-hard dancers who showed up to dance. They fudged and adjusted the dance to make it work. Of course, when the music started, there was all of this extra time and we seemed to be getting off the music. I checked my notebook and discovered the first missed move. I had left out the ladies chain. I Started incorporating that into the prompting. This also meant that people changed shadows (I think), changed who they were following in the star (their partner instead of their neighbor). Some were able to adjust others weren't. After another time or two through the dance I realized that I had also forgotten the final do-si-do. At least that one was a zero figure. Some people weren't able to adjust to the new figure, but had good enough recovery skills that they fixed it every time. Once the dancers were stable and succeeding (mostly) I signaled the band to go out after 2 more times through the dance. I finished the session with a couple of dead-easy dances that let the band shine. Exhausted, I left for home shortly after that. As I reflect now, even with all of the stress of the weekend (some from the weather, some from my own mistakes and poor preparation) it was a pretty incredible weekend. Friends and callers were all supportive. The ones that didn't have cards wrote down dances for me. They introduced me to other callers that I didn't know. Hugs were applied liberally at the appropriate times. And I had a wonderful time visiting with friends old and new. Swimming in the lake in the light rain on Sunday was incredibly refreshing after being muddy all day. And in the end, there were so many people that came up to me during the weekend and complimented my calling or told me how much fun they had at my sessions that I just can't hold onto the self-criticism. I've learned my lessons and I'll do it much better next time. But I can't ignore that I pulled it off and people had fun. What else needs to be said? Chris Weiler Goffstown, NH

16 years, 10 months

Re: [Callers] Thanks for a dance name, author and other data...

by Adina Gordon

Hi Richie, That's Donna Hunt. Donna, are you on this list? - Adina --------- Adina Gordon 828.230.9266 http://www.adinagordon.com/ --- On Wed, 7/30/08, callers-request(a)sharedweight.net <callers-request(a)sharedweight.net> wrote: From: "Richie K." <mightylumpy3(a)juno.com> Subject: [Callers] Thanks for a dance name, author and other data... oh and one more question besides... :) ... http://contrausa.com/user/fri2%20ron%20b4%20with%20quote.wmv ...starting just after the music gets fast, there is an inactive women coming up the line with reddish hair and and a knee brace who does a sort of stutter step before she does some of the moves... If anyone knows why she does so or even who she is so I can ask her the advantage of that it would be most appreciated :) best wishes ... Richie Katz

16 years, 10 months

Zia Formation

by Bob Isaacs

Hello All; Since we are mostly interested in contras and squares, I'd like to share with you what I've learned about a hybrid formation that combines contras and squares called zia formation (see the attached). In the past year I've started writing and calling zias, and have found they can be a fun novelty for those audiences experienced enough to appreciate them. Compared to another hybrid formation, grid squares, I have found they are harder to write but easier to dance, as they tend to stay aligned better and thus give dancers a more clearly defined path. I'd certainly be interested if anyone on this list knows of other zia dances that have been used. I hope you enjoy the discussion and the dances, and this gives you another way to bring fun to your dancers - Bob Isaacs _________________________________________________________________ Use video conversation to talk face-to-face with Windows Live Messenger. http://www.windowslive.com/messenger/connect_your_way.html?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_W…

16 years, 10 months

Re: [Callers] Announcing Dance Names

by David.Millstone＠valley.net

Thank you, Greg, for your thoughtful, well-stated, and caring responses to the points folks brought up in response to your original question. I really appreciate-- and this is something I've felt in your earlier posts-- the way that you work at bringing different points of view together, finding common ground without minimizing different opinions. As you certainly recognize, this particular question comes down to an individual caller's personal preferences and style, and there's not One Right Answer. Thank goodness! We don't aim to create a coterie of certified clones, but rather to celebrate the unique style that each caller brings to the mix. And I agree that through thoughtful discussions of issues such as this, callers from all vantage points come away with ideas to consider. I've often told folks at my callers' workshops to get copies of Larry Jennings's two books. Initially, newer callers are excited by the idea of obtaining collections of so many dances all in one volume. Useful as those dances are, I think the greater value of "Zesty Contras" and "Give-and-Take" is found in Larry's thoughtful essays. He was a man of many opinions and he wasn't bashful about sharing them. Whether or not you agreed with him wasn't the point; reading those many essays forces callers-- established and newbies alike-- to think about what they themselves value and to hone their own vision of what they want the dance to be when they're at the caller's mic. David Millstone Lebanon, NH

16 years, 10 months

Thanks for a dance name, author and other data... oh and one more que stion besides... :)

by Richie K.

Bob and Cis... Thanks for the "Jurassic Redheads"- Carol Ormand dance identification.... I'll email Carol and make sure the use of the dance in the video is OK :) THANKS !!! By the way... in the same video ... http://contrausa.com/user/fri2%20ron%20b4%20with%20quote.wmv ...starting just after the music gets fast, there is an inactive women coming up the line with reddish hair and and a knee brace who does a sort of stutter step before she does some of the moves... If anyone knows why she does so or even who she is so I can ask her the advantage of that it would be most appreciated :) best wishes ... Richie Katz ____________________________________________________________ Get life insurance quotes from top companies. Click Now. http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/Ioyw6i3m2vx7pauKY7L3KMHUHpJhCWf…

16 years, 10 months

Re: [Callers] Zia Formation

by Jerome Grisanti

Jack, I can picture three squares created by one longways contra line crossed by three "east-west" contra lines, with squares at each intersection. I can picture four squares composed of either two longways and two "east-west" contra lines, or one longways and four "east-west" contra lines. I'm presuming the "two-by-two" arrangement would create the "closed box," i.e. four squares without contra lines between (but contra lines on the outside). This is only my conjecture, however, and I await an expert opinion. --Jerome Date: Mon, 28 Jul 2008 08:58:42 -0400 > From: Jack Mitchell <jamitch3(a)mindspring.com> > Subject: Re: [Callers] Zia Formation > To: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net> > Message-ID: <E1KNSJp-00070I-DE(a)elasmtp-dupuy.atl.sa.earthlink.net> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed > > This looks really interesting....but I'm having some trouble > picturing how the multiple square arrangements would work. 2 Squares > I can picture, but I'm a little unsure about how three squares would > be laid out and even less sure what the difference between "Four > Squares" and "Four Squares -- closed box" is. Anyone care to step up > with some clarification? > > Jack > > > -- Jerome Grisanti 660-528-0858 http://www.jeromegrisanti.com

16 years, 10 months

Re: [Callers] Zia Formation

by David.Millstone＠valley.net

Thanks, Bob, for your detailed look at this formation. An earlier use of this dance formation, and the earliest one I know, is the Weston Mt. Zia, written by Daniel Clark ten years ago. Details are here: http://fam.bmi.net/zia.htm There were a series of posts discussing this dance back in January of 1999; a search on rec.folk-dancing for "Walla Walla Wunder" will bring you to the list, which included a discussion of possible English country dance antecedents of this formation, and a similar dance that came to Nick Hawes in a dream. David Millstone Lebanon, NH

16 years, 10 months

Re: [Callers] A Rollin and A Tumblin

by Tina Fields

Hi folks - I like to call this dance as well, and like David's very clear 'here are the moves to the beats' suggestion. I have actually had no problem getting folks to roll away on the way back, though, if I teach the 8 bars as one piece that way from the very beginning, explaining how it's different before they even begin moving in the LL. The funny thing is when next I teach a dance with long lines, everyone hesitates before doing it - will there be a twist? <g> So nice to see they're paying attention, eh? For dances with lots of beginners, I enjoy preceding Rollin and Tumblin with Oslo Waltz Mixer. This way, dancers get to first practice smooth, slow, graceful rolls, then later with the contra they get to rant and roar with them. I've found that a really a fun combo. Tina Fields Message: 2 Date: 09 May 2008 18:45:56 -0400 From: David.Millstone(a)valley.net (David Millstone) Subject: [Callers] A Rollin and A Tumblin To: callers(a)sharedweight.net Message-ID: <92058317(a)retriever.VALLEY.NET> Content-Type: text/plain Hi Rickey, I have the dance from Cis as Rollin' and Tumblin'. > I have been having trouble getting dancers to roll away on the way back, rather than after the forward and back. As you point out, even if folks are late on the timing of the second rollaway, the dance will work out. If you wish, you could teach the dance with counts, as in Bases Loaded: "Forward - 2 - 3 - 4; Back - 2 - and ROLL aWAY." I generally just signal the timing I want by putting in the rollaway call at just the right time. It's a fun dance that I use often, a great way to introduce rollaway early in the evening, especially if you want to use that figure later on and want folks to be already familiar with it. David Millstone Lebanon, NH Tina R. Fields, Ph.D. (707) 824-9318 "Hindsight Now!"

16 years, 10 months

Re: [Callers] Announcing Dance Names

by Greg McKenzie

Callers, Thank you to all who have posted on this thread. It is illuminating and useful to hear all of your views. I am, in particular, interested in the ideas of those new to calling. New callers often bring a fresh perspective to the art and are less bound by traditions and habits that may not always be as relevant in the context of contemporary contra dance culture. That is particularly useful in a thread such as this one where a minor but long-established tradition is being challenged and re-examined. We should keep in mind that contra dance is a living folk tradition that is not frozen in time. That is a great part of its appeal and popularity. While we need to honor the historical contributions of those who came before us it is also important to remember that each of us--regardless of how experienced we are--has a legitimate voice in how this dance tradition evolves. It is vitally important that new dancers and new callers both take courage and speak out in this kind of forum. If contra dancing is to survive as a living tradition it needs your intelligence, energy, and insight. **** David Millstone wrote: >there are many dancers-- most, at some series-- >who don't care about being on time, either. And >there are some dancers who think it's fine to >dance roughly, to yank their partner's arm >around for a gratituous and unwanted twirl, to >swing their partner off the floor, to chatter >incessantly during a walkthrough... Thank you for pointing out that this reflects directly upon the caller. The caller has far more influence than anyone else in the room. Only the caller can take responsibility for this kind of behavior. And taking responsibility is the only way to prevent it. As David also wrote: >The caller provides leadership, not just a >well-timed reminder of what figures come where. >As a leader, the caller helps dancers reach a >higher level in their dancing, builds community, >respects our traditions and keeps the music and >dancing alive for future generations... Well said! The art of achieving this goal will be a useful discussion. I think most of us would agree that it is not effective to simply tell the dancers how we think they should behave. **** Joe Micheals wrote: >I have always felt the majority of the dancers >don't care who wrote the dance. I try to do it >though out of respect for the author who >deserves credit and because the precedent has >made it part of the culture at dances. I agree that the author deserves both respect and credit. They should certainly be cited on any printed depiction of the dance and at workshops, etc.. The question here is about the tradition of announcing the author's name over the PA system each time a dance is called at open public venues. Personally, I would prefer that my own dances not be so credited to me. This is particularly true if I am present in the room. **** Gretchen Caldwell wrote: >Imagine the new dancer who realizes "Harold and >Barbara Sittin' in a Tree" was written by a >Charlotte caller for that couple sitting right over there. Obviously this would be a dance with an interesting title. I would only point out that it could be a breach of etiquette to draw the attention of the entire hall to anyone without his or her prior permission. Thankfully no one has written a dance about me. This highlights why I sincerely hope that no one ever does. **** Amy wrote: >New dancers need to know that the dance world is not -- quite-- all about >them, and about their having a peak aerobic active dance experience every >possible minute - there's reasons that the dance world is here for them >to enjoy, and those reasons (the organizers, sound folks, musicians, >callers, dancer crafters and sometimes even tune composers) all deserve >their (brief but eloquent) moment of credit. I love making introductions of the band, sound person, and dance manager. This seems highly relevant to the success and enjoyment of the evening. Since "peak" moments are, by definition, never continuous there will always be time for such announcements. My concern is that the rote reading of dance names and authors seems less than relevant to the current festivities and can be a distraction at a critical moment. **** Chris Weiler wrote: >My own technique is to announce them after the >walkthrough and before the music starts. "come >back to place and we'll dance ____ by ____". The >beginners won't think that they're being left >out because they all have been taught the dance, >and in fact may be distracted by everyone >starting to back up. The ones who are interested >and have attention to spare will hear. This also >lets the band know that we're ready for some music. This highlights another reason I don't mention dance names and authors. In many cases it serves as a way of filling the time after the walk-through and before the beginning of the music. My own preference is to eliminate this awkward and distracting break by having the band "roll in" the music during the walk-through itself. This way the dancers never end the walk-through and the music begins without stopping the dancers. If the band is willing I do this with most of the dances during the evening. Consequently the only time I have to announce the dance name and author is usually before the walk-through begins. This is a critical point where I am asking the dancers to begin listening to me and I am loath to feed them non-essential information at that critical moment. Chris also wrote: >There are many ways for a caller to gain the >attention of the dancers. Scarcity of speech is >one of them, but tone of voice and force of >personality do a lot more to making the evening >fun. If just your tone and style of speech can >convey "I'm having fun, please join me" and >command attention and obedience as well, it >really makes the evening fun for the dancers. >It's not easy, especially for someone like me >who tends to be shy, but it can be cultivated without sounding phony. There is certainly something to be said for the caller conveying her or his own excitement and love of the dance at the microphone. Personally I feel like I hear more than enough "force of personality" from callers. When calling, I see the dancers having a great deal of fun socializing in the sets before I begin teaching. I don't feel any need to invite them to "join me" in the fun I am having. With a hall full of gracious, considerate, generous, warm-hearted, and fascinating people--not to mention a spirited and talented group of musicians--it seems clear that people are there to enjoy a great evening of socializing with inspired live music. I consider it my gift of professionalism to get them dancing to the music as effectively as possible and then to get out of the way and let them have what they came for. This is what I most appreciate from great callers. **** Dan wrote: >In general, at regular open dances I announce >dance names and authors just before I begin the >walk-through. It is my acknowledgement, in lieu >of a license fee, to the person whose creativity >I am taking advantage of by calling their >dance. I tend not to announce my own name, as I >feel uncomfortable even bragging a little bit. I have some concern that announcing the dance name before the walk-through could be taken as a signal by newcomers that others in the hall have already learned the dance and this could lower the newcomer's self-confidence. (Just for your reference, Dan, I would prefer a license feeif that's what it takes to keep my name from being announced at the dance.) **** Susan Elberger wrote: >I could not disagree with you more, Greg. I've >been calling dances for 30 years, Well, actually, you probably could disagree with me moreand probably will. The value of this kind of forum is that we can discuss these ideas in an open and civil manner. If we all agreed on everything we postedthere wouldn't be much to learn here. As a caller I have found that some of my greatest contributions come from what I don't say and what I don't do. Like many endeavors calling is often a subtle art where "less is more." The more force we apply to our words and actions the less people will want to attend to them. One thing that we do agree upon is the purpose of the contra dance evening as: "a social, community-building event." That's a big one. With that common vision I hope we can have many fruitful discussions. ###

16 years, 10 months

Contra dance figures in history

by Jack Mitchell

Do you know of any figures or dances that had their roots in English County, showed up in the Civil War period and are still extant in some form in modern contra dancing? My mom is involved with a living history farm in SC and they will be doing a program that will involve all three types of dancing. They would like to be able to trace a figure or dance through all three periods, and possibly look at how the figure has changed over the years. If so, do you know details of how they had changed over the years? Thanks! Jack

16 years, 10 months

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