Contra Callers

contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net

12 participants
4232 discussions

by Seth Tepfer

People book ahead at our local dance. I despise the practice, but I understand where it comes from, and have been prone to it myself (can I have a witness?). It is a problem that is rife at our dance weekends and our local dance. I do not want to get into a religious discussion about whether booking ahead is good or bad. Save that discussion for another time. I would like to hear creative ideas for avoiding/sideswiping/eliminating the booking ahead issue. Here's what is in my [mostly ineffective] toybox: * after a circle mixer (square, etc), have people take that last partner (corner in square, last neighbor, etc) to be their partner for the next contra * ask that everyone dancing ask someone who was sitting out last time to dance * do a scatter mixer * model good behavior [especially after Lisa called me out at SnowBall, 2004!] * wear my 'I don't book ahead" button What other creative ideas are there out in the dance ethos? Thanks seth PS I really really really want to cross-post this to the trad-callers listserv, because I know they'd have ideas there too. But I'm trying to be good and not cross-post. Okay, climbing off martyr soapbox now. :-) ========================================================================= Seth Tepfer: Director of Administrative Computing & Innovative Technology Oxford College of Emory University - 770-784-8487 - labst(a)emory.edu For fast and easy computer help, try... <http://help.emory.edu>http://help.emory.edu Jex Raven Eidson Tepfer - Born 6/5/05 00:52! Say hi at: http://www.jexRaven.com/ ========================================================================= "A facility for quotation covers the absence of original thought." -Dorothy L. Sayers

17 years, 11 months

an agnostic discussion

by melissa weisshaus

hi all, Richard said, > Instead it may help to focus on the new people, the first time > dancers in the room. Remind people to be inclusive and to ask > someone they don't know or a new dancer to dance. New dancers > need to do that all the time and it is a good idea to remind > the regulars about that. i'm responding to these comments, which i especially *loved*. i specifically try to go out of my way to dance with at least one new dancer in an evening. the way this usually happens for me is i'll encounter someone in line and ascertain that it's their first (or second, or third...) time dancing. i'll smile, and tell them they did great, and then seek them out later in the evening and ask them to dance. they're usually dumbfounded -- but i smile (a lot) and teach them the two main things that matter to me about dancing, those being giving weight and smiling (you may have noticed that there's a theme here...). and then we'll dance, and i'll give lots and lots of positive feedback (more smiling and positive words), and ask them to come dancing again (and again). and if i see them at another dance, i'll make a point of trying to dance with them again. imho this should be a general practice among experienced dancers. as a newbie in the early 90s, i summoned up all my anti-shyness and boldly asked very experienced dancers to dance with me (i'm still not sure where i got the chutzpah for that!). as an experienced dancer now, i believe that dancing with others like me is one of the best ways for someone to fast-track through what can be the painful early stages of learning. and as a lover of dance and community, i want my dance community to thrive; and so i try to bring new dancers into the fold. > I find that the best dances are those where the new comers are > accepted and drawn into the dance. Someone who comes to a dance > and spends the whole night sitting on the side is probably not > going to return. i think that asking experienced folks to do something along these lines is essential to the survival of dance. this describes how i came to love english country dance in philly; i couldn't have sat out a dance if i had wanted to... cheers, melissa __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

17 years, 11 months

Re: [Callers] Feet in Flight

by J L Korr

Thanks, Chrissy and Peter, for identifying the mystery dance. My version of "Feet in Flight" matches this "official" version from Dale Rempert and from the 2002 Ralph Page syllabus: http://blake.prohosting.com/austinbd/dances/ftflight.shtml So the version that Peter and Chrissy have seems to be a folk-processed version, possibly by Dale himself! I'm happy to keep both versions in my collection. Best, Jeremy

17 years, 11 months

Re: [Callers] dance title & author mystery

by Chris Weiler

Hi Peter, Thank you for identifying the dance! We had a great time dancing it at Chrissy's "Woman's Prerogative" session at NEFFA this year. To get an idea of how busy the SharedWeight list is, you can visit the website and view the public archives there. http://www.sharedweight.net/ There is also a couple of paragraphs talking about the focus of the list and how it got started. Thanks again! Chris Weiler Goffstown, NH Peter Amidon wrote: > Hi Chrissy, > > I learned that dance in Austin TX and I originally thought it was > a Gene Hubert composition but did not have the name. I always > announced this when I called the dance. Someone finally recognized > it and let me know that it is a Dale Rempert dance called > 'Feet in Flight'. > > The instructions are just as I transcribed it and taught it > EXCEPT for B1. Here is the way I transcribed and the way I > call B1: > > B1: Pass R & L through > Circle L X1 > > Obviously both ways work. > > How busy is the Callers discussion list? > > Best, > > Peter > > >> Hi Peter and Mary Alice, >> >> I'm writing to see if I can get the title of a dance which I *may* >> have collected from Peter at the Flurry some years ago (or maybe at a >> Greenfield dance more recently?) >> >> Here it is, below. Look familiar? Any idea if it's one in your >> box? If so, can you help with title and author? My scribbles >> indicated that I thought it was a Gene Hubert dance, but no one I >> know has been able to find it in his books or on the internet. >> >> If you have the data, great. If not, I'd also love to know that you >> *don't* know. :-) And happy late spring to you both! >> >> Cheers, >> Chrissy Fowler >> >>> >[Insert name here] >>> >>>> duple improper >>>> >>>> A1: Ring balance; women roll neigbor gent away with a half sashay >>>> Ladies chain >>>> >>>> A2: Women gypsy >>>> Swing P >>>> >>>> B1: Circle L x3/4 >>>> Ring balance, Petronella twirl >>>> >>>> B2: Ring balance, Petronella twirl >>> >>> >Ring balance, California twirl >> >> >> >> >

17 years, 11 months

Dance title mystery continues...

by Chrissy Fowler

Okay, I don't know the name of it either. I may have gotten it from Peter Amidon at the Flurry some years ago. (at least that's what's scribbled on the card, deciphered from the scrap of paper I came across recently when I thought, "Hey, that's a cool dance," and wrote it on an actual card.) So, really, what I ought to do is email Peter. Which I will do next. I'll call some frequent emailer if I get an answer. Cheers to all! (and SUCH fun to meet some of you for the first time at NEFFA... and when I had my turn in the tent with the hip young dancers it was pretty fun too.) :-) Chrissy Oh, and the "0+ sthg." on the card was my own code for titling it, so that I would have something to call it in my program notes for dances at which I called it. No connection to reality. ** IMPORTANT FYI ** My email use is sporadic. If time-sensitive, please call: home 207-338-0979 cell 603-498-3506 thanks!! :-) chf >From: callers-request(a)sharedweight.net >Reply-To: callers(a)sharedweight.net >To: callers(a)sharedweight.net >Subject: Callers Digest, Vol 21, Issue 4 >Date: Mon, 08 May 2006 12:00:01 -0400 >------------------------------ > >Message: 4 >Date: Mon, 08 May 2006 06:57:49 -0400 >From: Chris Weiler <chris.weiler(a)weirdtable.org> >Subject: Re: [Callers] Dance identification needed >To: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net> >Message-ID: <445F242D.8060905(a)weirdtable.org> >Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed > >This is one of the dances that Chrissy posted here and I forwarded to >trad-dance-callers. Unfortunately, no one has responded from either >group with an answer. > >Chris > >Karen Fontana wrote: > > >Hi Jeremy, > > > > I have the same dance written down with the same question! I also >looked through Gene Hubert's dances. What she wrote on the card is "Woman >(the symbol for woman, so could be Ladies... Sthing" Gene Hubert.... > > > > I've copied Chrissy.... HI CHRISSY! no more "lurking"... we need your >input here! .... > > > > I danced this one in the tent in the lower hall with the young-uns when >she called this one. It was rockin'! > > > > Looking forward to getting the name of the dance as well. It's a great >dance. > > > > Karen > > > >J L Korr <jeremykorr(a)hotmail.com> wrote: > > Hi all, > > > >In her splendid NEFFA session, Chrissy Fowler called the following dance. > >She had it listed as probably by Gene Hubert, but with no name. I haven't > >been able to find it in my first look thru Gene's dances. Can anyone help >me > >with the name and composer, so I can credit it properly when I call it >this > >weekend? > > > >[Insert name here] > >duple improper > > > >A1: Ring balance; women roll neigbor gent away with a half sashay > >Ladies chain > > > >A2: Women gypsy > >Swing P > > > >B1: Circle L x3/4 > >Ring balance, Petronella twirl > > > >B2: Ring balance, Petronella twirl > >Ring balance, California twirl > > > >Thanks! > >Jeremy Korr > > > > > > > > > >------------------------------ > >Message: 5 >Date: 08 May 2006 08:15:52 EDT >From: David.Millstone(a)VALLEY.NET (David Millstone) >Subject: Re: [Callers] Dance identification needed >To: callers(a)sharedweight.net >Message-ID: <11247382(a)retriever.VALLEY.NET> >Content-Type: text/plain > >Chrissy checks e-mail less frequently than do many of us on this list. I'm >sure >she'll weigh in with an answer to share when she catches up with her mail. > >David > > >------------------------------ > >_______________________________________________ >Callers mailing list >Callers(a)sharedweight.net >http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers > > >End of Callers Digest, Vol 21, Issue 4 >**************************************

17 years, 11 months

Re: [Callers] Dance identification needed

by David.Millstone＠VALLEY.NET

Chrissy checks e-mail less frequently than do many of us on this list. I'm sure she'll weigh in with an answer to share when she catches up with her mail. David

17 years, 11 months

Dance identification needed

by J L Korr

Hi all, In her splendid NEFFA session, Chrissy Fowler called the following dance. She had it listed as probably by Gene Hubert, but with no name. I haven't been able to find it in my first look thru Gene's dances. Can anyone help me with the name and composer, so I can credit it properly when I call it this weekend? [Insert name here] duple improper A1: Ring balance; women roll neigbor gent away with a half sashay Ladies chain A2: Women gypsy Swing P B1: Circle L x3/4 Ring balance, Petronella twirl B2: Ring balance, Petronella twirl Ring balance, California twirl Thanks! Jeremy Korr

17 years, 11 months

Re: [Callers] Petronella and Green Mountain Petronella

by David.Millstone＠valley.net

--- Rickey wrote: As I recall the dances Petronella and Green Mountain Petronella differ in the order of the balances and the turns: Petronella: "Around to your right and you balance", while Green Mountain Petronella is "first you balance then you turn". If this is so then how can the tunes for these dances be played together as I have seen suggested. --- end of quote --- Well, you don't have to change the dance with the tune change, but it's fun to do so if your dancers are up for it. You can alert them that they'll be doing the balance/turn in different order and the givem them a heads-up and call once or twice as the tune changes. When we do that, we usually go from Petronella into GMP. The association of these tunes with the dances is a relatively recent phenomenon. Ralph Page cites alternate tunes as ones commonly played in the past for the dance. And remember, too, that the dance as it used to be done, until the early 1970s, was with just the active couple doing the balance and turn, a show-off moment when everyone would strut their stuff and demonstrate their highly individualistic balance steps. Still fun to do it that way. If your dancers are flexible enough to try that, you can encourage folks to try out different styles of balance steps. You'll find an interesting article titled "50 Variations of the Balance" in Northern Junket, Vol. 5, #1, pp. 13-19, located online starting at this URL: http://www.izaak.unh.edu/dlp/NorthernJunket/pages/NJv05/NJv05-01/NJv.05.01.… tm David Millstone

17 years, 11 months

Petronella and Green Mountain Petronella

by Rickey

Hi Callers, As I recall the dances Petronella and Green Mountain Petronella differ in the order of the balances and the turns: Petronella: "Around to your right and you balance", while Green Mountain Petronella is "first you balance then you turn". If this is so then how can the tunes for these dances be played together as I have seen suggested. Thanks for your help. Rickey Holt.

17 years, 11 months

ONS and canned music suggestions

by peter＠ccrwest.org

There have been terrific suggestions regarding beginner party contra dances (eg, David Kaynor's booklet - http://www.davidkaynor.com/booklet.html - which I recently received and have enjoyed very much). However, most of the gigs that I have done have not included live music. As a beginnning contra dance caller (I mostly call square dances), I would find very helpful suggestions to specific "purchasable" recordings (and cuts within the CDs) that people have enjoyed using for specific contra dances - especially contra dances appropriate for beginner parties. As a made-up example (since I don't have the CD in front of me), "for a teenage crowd I really like to use The Privy Tippers - cut 2 - The Curvy Line for Haymakers Jig - except that the music starts at A1 with no pickup, and at 4:15 it is a somewhat short". I'm especially interested in high energy and good quality recordings that could project nicely through a decent sound system. Any suggestions - or places to look for this kind of info? (I'm aware of Dudley Laufman's collections and of the New England Dancing Masters.) Thanks very much. And apologies in advance if this is an old question that is being re-asked for the n-th time. (So many topics do seem to be unintentionally revisited yearly on mailing lists. :) Peter Ostapenko (San Diego, CA) http://www.pirkadat.org/caller

17 years, 11 months

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Contra Callers