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
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
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!"
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 fee if 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 more and 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 posted there 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.
###
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
Hi.... I've posted 4 videos of Lisa Greenleaf, Ron
Buchanon, and Becky Hill calling, A Pirates Life for
Me, The 24th of June, Are you 'most done, and one
unknown dance. All this is on the caller's corner
page of contrausa.com.
Can anyone look at these and let me know some of the
dance names, the author's data and any other
comments on the calling and dances?
By the way, the dancing and music is great also...
and you may see your friends in there :)
best wishes ...
Richie Katz
Tampa
The unknown dance appears to be "Jurassic Redheads" by Carol Ormand.
Cis Hinkle
Hi Everyone,
I must apologize for the few old emails that came out today! The
mailing list manager had a bug in it, and I just found out about it
today. It caused a few emails (and a lot of spam) to be held up in a
deferred queue. I patched the system this morning and released the queue.
It shouldn't happen any more, but if your emails don't make it through
the list in the future, please write to me and Chris!
-Seth
Hi all,
Michael Barraclough posted the following "weird contra dances"
I sure would appreciate some help with the timing and track in B2. The best
I have managed to do is actives pull by (4) and box the gnat with 1st
corners (4), I then have 4 beats to pull by with this corner, pass my
partner right shoulder to get to 2nd corner for swat the flea (4). A few
managed (just) to do it with going straight across from 1st corner to 2nd
corner (ie passing left shoulder) but in the end we gave up.
Any help would be appreciated.
I am certainly NOT offended by the dance being called "weird" though I'm
not sure it's as strange is Michael is interpreting it. I have called this
dance several time successfully. You have the same amount of time (16
beats) to do B2 as you do with a "normal" contra corners.
Michael, you're description appears to leave out 4 beats after the first
corner box the gnat. You actually have 8 beats to pull by your first
corner, pass your partner, and swat the flea with your second corner. Using
your description below, it's:
(4) actives pull by
(4) box the gnat with 1st corners
(4) Pull by with 1st corner, (should be able to get back to your partner by
the 4th beat and start the right shoulder pass)
(4) Pass partner by right shoulder and 2nd corner swat the flea.
Here is the full dance.
Rosie the Welder
Composed: Mark Hillegonds, May 22, 2007
Formation: Contra, duple minor, improper
A1 (16) Actives balance and swing
A2 (8) Circle left
(8) Neighbor do si do
B1 (8) Take right hands with neighbor, balance and box the gnat
(8) Take left hands with partner, balance and swat the flea
B2 (8) Actives pull by and box the gnat with first corner
(8) Pull by with that 1st corner, actives pass by the right shoulder swat
the flea with 2nd corner.
(Pull by 2nd corner to start the dance with the partner balance and
swing.)
Notes:
B2 Explain to the dancers that this is just a contra corners with corner
twirls instead of allemandes.
Mark Hillegonds
Phone: 734-747-7148
Cell: 734-756-8441
Email: mhillegonds(a)comcast.net
> --- April wrote:
Does anyone have a suggestion for a tune that has a different B2????
--- end of quote ---
Gallopede is an AABC tune (available at The Session in abc and gif).
Stacy Rose
Southe Coast (Oregon) Folk Society
--- Joe wrote:
I have always felt the majority of the dancers don't care who wrote the dance.
--- end of quote ---
Agreed. And stretching the point to make a point, 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...
I believe that being a caller is more than picking a card from a file and timing
the calls properly. 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... And yes, announcing
the name of a dance and the author, out of respect if for no other reason, is
worth doing. Heck, I usually announce titles (and sometimes authors) of the
tunes, too. Goes right over the heads of most people on the floor, but I can't
tell you how many times someone-- a dancer who is also a musician, typically--
has come up to thank me for dong that.
David Millstone
Lebanon, NH
