Contra Callers

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4369 discussions

by Jeanette Mill

What a moment in history we are witnessing! I can't believe that I have done this, but I have created a folder on my computer called Zoom dances (for want of a better name). If you have composed any dances for the current times, and are happy to share, I would be very pleased to have a copy. I have made baby steps into calling dances over zoom. Another whole level of challenge, and not for the technologically shy! My unending admiration for those of you who are pioneering this new dance form. I hope you are all well. Being able to dance and witness this from the other side of the world is a little bit of a silver lining for me CheersJeanette MillCanberra, Australia

4 years, 11 months

With no apology to O'Shaughnessy

by Bob Peterson

Apropos of absolutely nothing, this stanza came to me after reading Ode by O’Shaughnessy: They are the music makers, and we the dancers of dreams, Balancing by the lone ocean waves, swinging our neighbors supreme, world-losers and world-forsakers, robins chaining to the extremes, Yet we are the movers and shakers, balancing the rings. —me, with no apology to O'Shaughnessy Inspired in a moment of madness from that famous poem... We are the music makers, And we are the dreamers of dreams, Wandering by lone sea-breakers, And sitting by desolate streams;— World-losers and world-forsakers, On whom the pale moon gleams: Yet we are the movers and shakers Of the world for ever, it seems. — Stanza 1, Ode by Arthur William Edgar O'Shaughnessy Improvements and additions welcome! \Bob Peterson Billerica, MA

4 years, 12 months

Callers workshop Sun 6/14

by Claire Takemori

Dear Callers, Hope you can come to this workshop, by Jeffrey Spero on Sun 6/14, from 2-330pm PDT(5-630pmEDT) He is a great dance musician and wonderful teacher/caller too. RSVP to Jeff. Or share with a caller who might be interested! Hey callers… ever wonder how to respond when a band asks “Would a jig work well for this dance?” Want to know what the band talks about while you’re teaching the dance? Interested in learning how to communicate better with the other people you share the stage with? Then this is the workshop for you! Led by caller/musician Jeffrey Spero (Syncopaths, Rhythm Raptors), we’ll delve into how the music effects the dance through time signatures (reels and jigs) and modes (major, minor, modal). We’ll talk extensively about on-stage communication - ways the caller and band can work more closely together to enhance the enjoyment for dancers, musicians and callers. Join us on Zoom on Sunday, June 14th at 5p ET / 2p PT for this informative and fun workshop! Cost for the 90 minute workshop is only $25, and space is limited. For more information or to register, contact Jeff at mail(a)jeffreyspero.com <mailto:mail@jeffreyspero.com>. https://www.facebook.com/events/1395246570678796/ <https://www.facebook.com/events/1395246570678796/> Claire Takemori Dance Caller (408) 874-6840 <tel:(408)%20874-6840> (VM) clairedancecaller(a)gmail.com <mailto:clairedancecaller@gmail.com> https://www.facebook.com/ClaireTakemoriDanceCaller/ <https://www.facebook.com/ClaireTakemoriDanceCaller/> bacds.org/teen <http://bacds.org/teen>

5 years

Caller workshop w/ Jeffrey Spero (Syncopaths, Rhythm Raptors, Offbeats etc)

by Claire Takemori

Hey callers… ever wonder how to respond when a band asks “Would a jig work well for this dance?” Want to know what the band talks about while you’re teaching the dance? Interested in learning how to communicate better with the other people you share the stage with? Then this is the workshop for you! Led by caller/musician Jeffrey Spero (Syncopaths, Rhythm Raptors), we’ll delve into how the music effects the dance through time signatures (reels and jigs) and modes (major, minor, modal). We’ll talk extensively about on-stage communication - ways the caller and band can work more closely together to enhance the enjoyment for dancers, musicians and callers. Join us on Zoom on Sunday, June 14th at 5p ET / 2p PT for this informative and fun workshop! Cost for the 90 minute workshop is only $25, and space is limited. For more information or to register, contact Jeff at mail(a)jeffreyspero.com. https://www.facebook.com/events/1395246570678796/ <https://www.facebook.com/events/1395246570678796/> (Zoom sponsored by BACDS in CA) Email Jeff directly please ! Claire (BACDS)

5 years

Virtual Contra Dancing - Guide to Security

by Drew Delaware

Hello all, As many of you know, I've been working on putting together a guide to Zoom security based on our experiences with the Toronto dances, and with input from other organizers/communities. The security guide is now published - you can find it here: http://drewdelaware.com/virtual-contra-dance-security-guide/ Feedback and suggestions are very warmly welcomed - you can reach me at drew(a)delaware.ca or via the Facebook Messenger integration on my website. I'm also available to volunteer with one or two communities over the next month if you are starting a Zoom dance and would like support for your first event. Happy to help where I can. Many thanks, Drew

5 years

Free event from EFDSS open to North American educators

by Emily Addison

Hi fellow Contra Callers :) You might be interested in the event below if you work with kids or families! The English Folk Dance and Song Society is holding a free online event for Folk Educators and it's open to those of us in North America. Details and registration info is below. I asked the organizer whether it would be relevant to those of us across the pond. Kerry said *There will be some practical sessions, as well as presentations, on the day. And although it will be focused on projects in the North West and Yorkshire, I should think it would be appealing to folk educators from all over. It's about the rationale, approach to the material and the positive impact on the participants/communities, and often the educators too, that is usually the most interesting. * Maybe see you at the event?! :) Emily in Ottawa ******************************************* *Invitation to the next EFDSS ONLINE: Folk Education Development Day* Our Folk Educators Group <https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.efdss.org%2flearnin…> national network will be holding its first ever online informal conference day. *Friday 19 June 2020,* 10:30am-4:30pm (10.30am-11am Arrivals in the Zoom Room) You are warmly welcomed to attend this free informal conference and CPD event, organised by EFDSS’ Folk Educators Group. Folk Education Development Days are typically attended by 30 – 40 people: a mixture of people working in folk arts education and related sectors such as music, dance, arts, heritage and education. As ever, this will be an action-packed day of presentations, practical sessions and discussions, designed to be thought-provoking, informative and enjoyable, and to encourage knowledge-sharing, discussion and networking. The theme for the day is: Celebrating folk education in the North West We’ll be focusing on folk education initiatives in the Greater Manchester area and will be presenting the day in partnership with our friends at English Folk Expo who are based in Rochdale, as well as other friends and partners in the North West and Yorkshire. *More details and to book a free place* <https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.efdss.org%2fwhats-o…> Read on for more details… *Outline of the Day* The theme for the day: Celebrating folk education in the North West Join us for an action-packed day of presentations, practical sessions and discussions. The day will be thought provoking, informative and enjoyable, and will encourage knowledge-sharing, discussion and networking. *Speakers include:* · Rachel Elliott, Education Director and Sarah Jones, Programme Manager, National Youth Folk Ensemble - an update from the EFDSS Education Department on current work and future plans. · Tom Besford, Chief Executive, English Folk Expo - a presentation about EFEx, covering their response during COVID 19, an overview of their Artist Development Programme and their Promoter Training Programme, including Rochdale Folk Festival. · Georgia Woodhead, clog dance teacher with Oakenhoof Folk Arts – an overview of their work, including a practical session. · Kath Becker and Sorrel Harty, Bolton Music Service - setting up and running the Greater Manchester Folk Ensemble, and more widely about Bolton Music Service and the Greater Manchester Music Hub. · Rebecca Denniff, Flash Company Arts - a presentation of their Plough Stots project in Yorkshire, including a practical session. · Bella Hardy, Learning Programme Manager*, *Band on the Wall – an overview of their work, including a practical session. Having been enthused by the speakers' presentations, there will be the opportunity for discussion and sharing of ideas in breakout rooms. The agenda will be available soon and you can *book your free place here now!* <https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.efdss.org%2fwhats-o…> ***************************************** *Here's a bit more information about EFDSS' Folk Educators Group...* The Folk Educators Group <https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.efdss.org%2flearnin…> is a national networking group of folk arts educators from across England and beyond, run by the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS). Our membership encompasses all forms of the folk arts and we currently have over 360 members. Established in March 2011 the Group has become a rapidly growing network committed to promoting high quality folk arts education and supporting the practitioners who deliver it. It exists to provide peer information and support, and to encourage dialogue with the wider worlds of culture, learning and participation. The Folk Educators Group also offers other organisations a platform through which to consult, or inform, a committed group of folk arts educators.

5 years

Re: [Callers] Festival Applications

by robertgolder＠comcast.net

I can only speak with reference to calling at NEFFA, as I have never applied to DownEast. As some of you may know that Linda Leslie is NEFFA's program chair, I will note that the program chair does not select performers for contra sessions. Regarding NEFFA 2007, the following notice is now posted at http://neffa.org/perf_app.html - The Program Committee is not prepared to take your application at this time, since it is too late to apply for this year's NEFFA Festival. Please note that the application to perform is always available during the month of September, with a deadline in October. If you'd like to get an e-mail notice of application availability, send a blank e-mail to NEFFA_Performers-subscribe(a)yahoogroups.com So you can note on your calendar that September is a good time to check the NEFFA web site, and also arrange for a notice to pop up in your e-mail. The NEFFA application invites you to come up with a briefly-described theme for your session, with a title of 20 characters or less. IMO, use your own judgment as to how important the theme is. If you are offering a concept that's really meaningful to you, don't be afraid to describe it. If what you really want to do is just call some hot contras, then IMO I wouldn't go overboard on the theme. Unlike Northwest Folklife, callers and bands apply SEPARATELY to the New England Folk Festival. And I believe that this is a very good thing for beginning callers who hope to have a chance at getting onstage. This mix-and-match policy gives a fresh perspective for experienced performers, and can be an eye-opening experience for newcomers who may get to work with seasoned veterans. I will never forget calling at NEFFA with Northern Spy, a band that has worked with caller David Millstone for 25 years. And where was David during this session? Out on the floor, happily dancing to the music of his own band. NEFFA's selection process made that wonderful hour possible for me. For what it's worth, the first year I successfully applied I asked for a "Festival Orchestra" slot, which means that instead of calling a themed, hour-long session I called two dances in the Main Hall with the assembled orchestra and then got off the stage as the next Festival Orchestra caller had a turn. IMO, the key here (as well as in submitting a session proposal) is to choose dances that you know by heart, can teach well, fully believe in, and love to share with a crowd. You don't want to have second thoughts as you approach the microphone. If you're wondering why performer applications are required so far in advance of a festival, note that NEFFA may have 1700 performers, many of whom perform in multiple sessions (perhaps performing alone, and with a participatory dance group, and also with a concert performance group!). You can't doublebook a performer (or larger groups to which she may belong), you have to give her time to move from one venue to another, plus a bunch of other scheduling etceteras that would drive me loony to contemplate further. How scheduling was done in the days before computers is beyond me. -- Robert Jon Golder 164 Maxfield St New Bedford, MA 02740 (508) 999-2486

5 years

Re: Virtual (Zoom) Contra Dance this Saturday!

by Claire Takemori

Yes Bob Hofkin, they did a medley and the caller in me was delighted for the added variety. Bev Birnbaum also called a square which I LOVED. Eric Black told me this about Mt Airy contra’s sound tech: "video conferencing app called source connect now. The Mount airy Contra in Philadelphia used it last Thursday, and the sound quality on zoom was excellent. It’s broadcast quality low latency zero loss compression for audio up to 256K on an adequate Internet link, and it also has video into and much like zoom or Google meet.” Here’s the software they are using to send band music to caller who sends calling over music to zoom. now.source-elements.com/ <http://now.source-elements.com/> BACDS will be trying that for a future contra. We will have ours monthly on 4th Sundays 4pm PDT/ 7pm EDT. Live band and caller. Email me (claire(a)bacds.org <mailto:claire@bacds.org>) to get on my zoom event email list. Also Wed Waltz & Sun Dance concerts every week. Claire Takemori Dance Caller (408) 874-6840 <tel:(408)%20874-6840> (VM) clairedancecaller(a)gmail.com <mailto:clairedancecaller@gmail.com> https://www.facebook.com/ClaireTakemoriDanceCaller/ <https://www.facebook.com/ClaireTakemoriDanceCaller/> bacds.org/teen <http://bacds.org/teen> > On May 23, 2020, at 10:00 PM, contracallers-request(a)lists.sharedweight.net wrote: > > Date: Sat, 23 May 2020 12:25:26 -0400 > From: Bob Hofkin <bhofkin(a)middleJ.com <mailto:bhofkin@middleJ.com>> > Subject: [Callers] Re: Virtual (Zoom) Contra Dance this Saturday! > To: Bob Isaacs <isaacsbob(a)hotmail.com <mailto:isaacsbob@hotmail.com>>, Shared Weight callers list > <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net <mailto:callers@lists.sharedweight.net>>, Becky Liddle <beckyliddle(a)bell.net <mailto:beckyliddle@bell.net>> > Message-ID: <285af40b-a2f9-5735-00de-ee985013bbcb(a)middleJ.com <mailto:285af40b-a2f9-5735-00de-ee985013bbcb@middleJ.com>> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed > > Perhaps no walk-thru medleys would work. > > On 5/23/2020 11:29, Bob Isaacs via Contra Callers wrote: >> Hi All: >> >> Thanks to Toronto for holding these dances, and for expanding their license to welcome us all. Hope to see you there tonight. >> >> Perhaps these dances will proliferate until regular dances resume. If so, what makes a good Zoom dance? I've "been" to a couple held by Philadelphia, and here a some observations. >> >> The audience is likely all contra-deprived regulars, so the usual beginner-friendly programming at the start of the night isn't necessary. >> >> Just about everyone was dancing by themselves or as couples. As a result, the dances should focus on partner action and avoid multiple neighbors. If the dance doesn't progress, no problem! >> >> There's no need to run these the usual length - maybe half length is best. The bands should adjust their tune sets accordingly. Since we're not worried about getting everyone active, this might be time to dust off those older 1s active, 2s watch contras. >> >> It's hard to swing by yourself, so minimizing swings helps. This past Thursday Sue Gola called the no-swing chestnut Petronella to good effect. >> >> Folks can find "partners" by pinning someone, and if they agree you'll only see each other. It's a bit strange at first, but a chance to dance with someone from far away you don't normally see. >> >> Given that the audience is experienced, one walkthrough should do - and let them know up front that's the way it's going to be. If everyone but the caller is muted, no need to worry about people talking during the walkthrough. >> >> It's best to call all the way through, but minimize the calls after the first few rounds. Some folks will tune in just to hear the live music they've come to love. >> >> Encourage hand-waving after each dance so the band hears that virtual applause. >> >> Your thoughts? >> >> Good health and happiness to you all - >> >> Bob

5 years

Virtual (Zoom) Contra Dance this Saturday!

by Becky Liddle

Hello Fellow Callers! This post has 2 purposes: to invite you all to the dance, and also to drum up interested callers who might want to donate their calling to future dances (which will be the 2nd & 4th Saturday of each month at 7:30PM Eastern time in North America). Our first attempt at a Zoom contra early in May went great, and we’ve decided to do this twice a month for the duration! Our first (minimally publicized) dance hit our 100 participant Zoom limit (and 67 were still dancing at the end, so they must have been having fun!). This time we have a 500 participant limit and we’re publicizing it far and wide. More info and the link to join appears in announcement below. This week’s callers will be Bev Bernbaum, Drew Delaware, and me (Becky Liddle). Hope to see you there! Becky > Dancing in Isolation - A Virtual Contra Dance by Zoom, Saturday May 23, 2020, at 7:30PM Eastern > > Contra dance alone or with other dancers in your household, along with dancers across the continent! We'll be dancing to recorded music (due to tech limitations) and live calling. Dancing with imaginary people ("ghosts") is challenging, so we are assuming everyone is a reasonably experienced contra dancer. There will be no beginners’ lesson. But the good news is that when you dance alone in your living room, the contra line is exactly where you imagine it, and unexpected moves become glorious new choreography! Everyone is welcome to join! > > https://zoom.us/j/99530765467?pwd=YUEyZms5ZnlZbDlqa0tvREp1QkZyZz09 <https://zoom.us/j/99530765467?pwd=YUEyZms5ZnlZbDlqa0tvREp1QkZyZz09> > Meeting ID: 995 3076 5467 > Password: 007 > > Join the Zoom meeting any time between 7:00 and 7:30PM Eastern on Saturday, but try to join by 7:20 if possible. There will be an introduction to the dance at 7:25 and dancing will begin promptly at 7:30 Eastern. > > We hope to have these dances every 2nd and 4th Saturday evening until we can dance in person again. You can keep track of scheduled dances here or on the Toronto Contra Dance Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TorontoContraDance <https://www.facebook.com/TorontoContraDance> . At our first dance we hit our 100 participant limit, but this time we can have up to 500 participants, so tell your contra dancing friends, and feel free to repost this announcement to your local contra dance websites! > > Participation is free, but if you enjoy the dance, we ask that you make a donation (in an amount you are comfortable with) to benefit freelance artists in our music & dance community who are struggling with the loss of income due to COVID-19 shutting down all our in-person events. > > CDSS has a donation page here: https://www.cdss.org/community/covid19/send-love-to-freelancers <https://www.cdss.org/community/covid19/send-love-to-freelancers> > where you can donate to a freelance musician or caller. You are welcome to choose an artist of your choice, but the list loads in random order, so you can also simply donate to whoever is top on the list when you load the page, knowing that others will be donating to someone else, and everybody ends up getting a little help in a difficult time. Or, if you like the specific music we play at the dance, we encourage you to donate to (or buy music from) the musicians whose music we use. We will post a list of those artists to the Toronto Contra Dance Facebook page after each dance. Please come to the dance, and afterwards decide what it was worth to you, and give generously to keep the music going until we can all meet in joy on the other side of this pandemic. > > The dance is organized by Becky Liddle, ably assisted by Drew Delaware, with a great deal of help from other Toronto area folks. Becky happens to be president of Toronto Contra Dance, but this dance is only loosely associated with TCD. So if you have any complaints, please blame Becky or Drew, not TCD! :-)

5 years

Re: Virtual Room Contra Dance

by Liz Burkhart

I'm surprised more musicians are not taking advantage of Jamulus. This open-source software, when I looked into it, had already been used by people who want to jam across a distance. The pandemic may have added significant traffic, but I think it's still good. I tried it out with a friend, and depending on your own internet connection (helped by using Ethernet cables), you can almost completely eliminate the lag. There's an online community on Facebook which has some helpful info about getting started (the software itself is not super intuitive). FB group is called Jamulus Online Musicians/Singers Jamming (apologies for no link). Someone will need to set up a server that all musicians (and caller) then join. Almost as good as the real thing. Somehow it is possible to line up video as well through a different platform, though I'm not sure how that's done. Don't ask me for more details because I only tried it out a couple times! And do check to see if it's been overloaded with users since I looked at it a month and a half ago.

5 years

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Contra Callers