Contra Callers

contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net

28 participants
4298 discussions

Re: [Callers] newbie caller with question about Caught in the Act

by crunchymama＠juno.com

Chris, Oh awesome! I get it now- she goes *all the way around* he goes 1/2 way and cuts through back to where he started, then they reverse roles. Makes sense! Thank you so much for explaining it! Alison Murpy Memphis TN -- "Chris Page" <chriscpage(a)gmail.com> wrote: I think the confusion here is understanding the "lady around two and the gent cuts through." The net effect of this sequence is the ones trade places with their partner. Since it's done twice, they go nowheresville. And since it ends with a balance and swing, even if they get lost in the B1, you just need to remind them to end where they started -- with their partner. (The lady around two and the gent cuts through means woman #1 goes outside around man #2, around woman #2, and into where her partner started. Man #1 follows his partner to her starting spot, around man #2, and then goes between the twos into his partner's staring spot. Think of the whole B1 as a chase sequence, where you trade off roles between the chaser and the chasee.) <snip> Cheers, -Chris Page San Diego

17 years, 11 months

Re: [Callers] newbie caller with question about a dance

by David.Millstone＠VALLEY.NET

The "lady round two and the gent cut through" figure appears in Appalachian square dancing. Ted Sannella was the first choreographer, to my knowledge, to bring that figure into a contra dance with his New Friendship Reel, published in his "Swing the Next" collection, which I highly recommend, along with his "Balance and Swing," to anyone interested in developing their repertoire of dances. Both were published by and available from Country Dance and Song Society. David Millstone Lebanon, NH

17 years, 11 months

Re: [Callers] newbie caller with question about "Caught in the Act"

by Chris Page

Re: "Chasing Fire" Searching http://www.ibiblio.org/contradance/index/index.html gives a web source of http://www.grantgoodyear.org/dance/dances.html I have yet to dance/call this one, so any recommendation is conditional. I'm thinking of changing the order of men and women crossing in the A2, as men are going forward out of the swing, but haven't made up my mind yet. -Chris Page San Diego

17 years, 11 months

Re: [Callers] newbie caller with question about Caught in the Act

by Chris Page

I think the confusion here is understanding the "lady around two and the gent cuts through." The net effect of this sequence is the ones trade places with their partner. Since it's done twice, they go nowheresville. And since it ends with a balance and swing, even if they get lost in the B1, you just need to remind them to end where they started -- with their partner. (The lady around two and the gent cuts through means woman #1 goes outside around man #2, around woman #2, and into where her partner started. Man #1 follows his partner to her starting spot, around man #2, and then goes between the twos into his partner's staring spot. Think of the whole B1 as a chase sequence, where you trade off roles between the chaser and the chasee.) Also, the gypsy in A2 is with your original neighbor. It's a fun dance to ham up with a strong storyline. Either this or "Chasing Fire" by Grant Goodyear's on my program for next week. Cheers, -Chris Page San Diego

17 years, 11 months

newbie caller with question about a dance

by crunchymama＠juno.com

Hi! I'm a fledgling caller in Memphis, Tennessee, and I'm looking for dances to add to my repertoire. I found this one online- "Caught in the Act" by Donna McAllister/Calhoun, but I'm not sure of the progression. http://www.io.com/contradance/sequences/caught-in-the-act.html The webmaster's email and the link to the author's email are defunct, I found a couple other sources for the dance, but no contact information. A1: Circle left Allemande right neighbor 1-1/2 A2: Allemande left next neighbor once or 2x Gypsy 1x Ending gypsy below original neighbor, women facing out and men facing in B1: Chase "lady round two and the gent cut through; gent around two and the lady cut through" Active woman walks in a clockwise direction around the inactive couple above while the active man follows her until he can (and does!) cut through the inactive couple. The man now walks clockwise around the couple above, while the woman follows until she can and does cut through the couple. B2 Actives balance & swing, end facing down I tried diagramming it and it seems like a backward progression? At the end of A2 it has progressed, but during the chase it goes backwards 2x so you end up with 1's/actives out at the top and 2's/inactives out at the bottom. Has anyone danced and or called this dance- is it supposed to be a backward progression? If I change it minutely, having the #1/active man in the chase sequence go around the same couple he just split- in other words moving him around the couple below rather than the next couple above- then it seems to work out as a single progression. If I called it with this change, does etiquette demand that I announce the change? So grateful to have found this list- I was looking at another dance http://blake.prohosting.com/austinbd/dances/chocolate_swirls.shtml wondering how to do a "come back cozy" into a cloverleaf and had given up finding the info- until I found this list with the Squeaking Wheel thread! Thanks! Thanks in advance! Alison Murphy Memphis TN

17 years, 11 months

Re: [Callers] Hot Squares weekend

by aawoodall＠verizon.net

Hi Seth, If the magic number of 20 has not been hit, I'd like to add my name to the list. I can also offer a dancer in Bob if you would like more dancers. Thanks. I have wanted to learn how to call squares! Andrea >From: "Tepfer, Seth" <LABST(a)emory.edu> >Date: 2006/11/27 Mon PM 04:33:13 CST >To: trad-dance-callers(a)yahoogroups.com, ChattahoocheeCountryDancers(a)egroups.com, callers(a)sharedweight.net >Cc: "<Steve Pike" <swpike(a)facstaff.wisc.edu>, Duncan Cottrell <duncancottrell(a)yahoo.com>, diane(a)diane-silver.com, Rob Harper <rah(a)mindspring.com>, barry(a)afn.org, trravelbug(a)yahoo.com, carole.bennett(a)isye.gatech.edu, joeyboey007(a)yahoo.com, cwharvey1(a)yahoo.com, "Shepherd, Janet" <Janet.Shepherd(a)galileo.com>, sprince2(a)tampabay.rr.com, mekirk(a)emory.edu, seth.tepfer(a)emory.edu, SStanczyk@EssilorUSA.comcontrasue@juno.com, carissa.craven(a)gmail.com, bmolaro(a)earthlink.net, maureen.kilroy(a)grad.gatech.edu, Larry & Maureen <le_mk(a)yahoo.com>, clau(a)olin.com, leslybowers(a)hotmail.com, bobbiejo44(a)earthlink.net, "Goldring, Marti (USAGAN)" <Marti.Goldring(a)usdoj.gov>, chinkle(a)mindspring.com, surudder1(a)earthlink.net, mebanec(a)gao.gov, kimberly.hagen(a)emory.edu, Christin Whittington <cwhittington(a)mindspring.com> >Subject: [Callers] Hot Squares weekend >Save the date: 5th Hot Squares weekend! > > > >When: July 6-8, 2007 > >Where: Private home; Atlanta, GA > >Who: Dan Sahlstrom, calller > >Cost: TBD > >Limited to 20 people > >What: > > > >This weekend is devoted to exploring Modern Western (Club) squares in an >intensive but fun environment. Unlike previous years we will not focus >on completing Plus or Mainstream levels (though we will probably do most >of Mainstream). Instead, Dan will pick fun and interesting calls from >all lists (Basic - Challenge). Also unlike previous years, we will have >more than the exact number of people, so not all will be required to >dance every tip. > > > >2007 will mark the 5th Hot Squares event. We are holding Hot Squares >2007 in a homey atmosphere with room for two squares. Genders will not >be balanced. Meals will be home cooked. Fellowship and Camaraderie will >be plentiful. > > > >Official registration is not open, but email now to hold your space. > >_______________________________________________ >Callers mailing list >Callers(a)sharedweight.net >http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers

17 years, 11 months

by Tara Bolker

Thank you to everyone who sent thoughtful responses to my one-question survey, "Under what circumstances is it appropriate for a band to put out a hat (case, jar, etc. for tips) at a contra dance?" My reason for asking was to gather information from the greater contra community that our local committee may find useful in coming to a policy decision about this issue. Besides putting the question out to this list, I emailed individual organizers, callers and musicians from my current dance community in Gainesville, FL and from my original one in Princeton, NJ. I only specifically asked those who had been involved in the contra dance scene longer than the ten years that I have. I've had 28 serious replies all together; here are the results: I rated people's answers 1-4, with 1 being never or almost never, 2 being only if they are not being paid otherwise or have some extraordinary circumstance like being robbed on the way to the dance, 3 being it is or could be okay at a regular dance, and 4 being it's a fine idea. There was also the reply "Only if they're the ones playing", which I suspect is actually a 3. There were eleven 1s, ten 2s, six 3s, and one 4. There's really not enough info to be sure, but it does appear that the closer one is to either dancing 25 years ago or to dancing in the northeast the less likely to reply with a 3-rated answer. My own opinion would rate a 2. Thanks again, Tara

17 years, 11 months

Tipping the musicians

by J L Korr

>From: Tara Bolker <tara(a)p2c2e.net> > Under what circumstances is it appropriate for a band to put out a > hat (case, jar, etc., for tips) at a contra dance? > Here in southern California, the gas prices are exceptionally high, the pay for musicians and callers is usually low, and driving distances can be far. When the band comes in from outside the local dance community, the series producer or band sometimes puts out a hat for tips to help cover the travel expenses. Dancers often contribute appreciatively. Jeremy Korr, east of Los Angeles _________________________________________________________________ MSN Shopping has everything on your holiday list. Get expert picks by style, age, and price. Try it! http://shopping.msn.com/content/shp/?ctId=8000,ptnrid=176,ptnrdata=200601&t…

17 years, 12 months

[Fwd: contra dance related question]

by Tara Bolker

The following is somewhat off-topic, but the people on this list represent such range of contra experience that I thought it should be worth a try... -------- Original Message -------- Subject: contra dance related question Date: Mon, 27 Nov 2006 11:05:32 -0500 From: Tara Bolker <tara(a)p2c2e.net> Hello musicians, callers and organizers, I'm taking a one-question survey from people who have been around the contra scene for a while--I hope you can take a moment to give me your opinion. Under what circumstances is it appropriate for a band to put out a hat (case, jar, etc., for tips) at a contra dance? Thanks, Tara

17 years, 12 months

Re: [Callers] Collecting Tips at dances

by Dan Pearl

I have never seen this. Some dances have a fiddle case open collecting admissions, and sometimes as informal as "$X dollars in cash or barter". Some dances are "bought out" by sponsors, and an optional donation is solicited to help defray expenses. I have seen optional collections for the "Floor refinishing fund" or whatever. But (happily) I have never, ever, seen a collection for tips. Dan ____________________________________________________________________________________ Cheap talk? Check out Yahoo! Messenger's low PC-to-Phone call rates. http://voice.yahoo.com

17 years, 12 months

Jump to page:

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

Contra Callers