Contra Callers

contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net

7 participants
4382 discussions

by Dugan Murphy

I accidentally shared this to the Organizers list on Shared Weight. I meant to share it here, so sorry to anyone who is seeing this twice now. Offering online caller classes on Zoom while sheltering in place has been going pretty well. So far I've offered 6 different classes 20 times and 62 people have registered 124 times. I have scheduled a new round of classes between May 2 and May 17, including 2 new topics ("Applause-Worthy Beginner Lessons" and "Walk-Through Techniques for Mixed Crowds") that I haven't offered before, as well as an intro class for dancers with no calling experience. Unlike most caller workshops at dance weekends, these are highly structured sessions with interactive activities and visuals. I've received lots of great feedback so far, some of which I've incorporated into improvements for classes I'm repeating. They are all listed together on a calendar here: http://portlandintowncontradance.com/workshops Here are the individual topics: Walk-Through Techniques for Mixed Crowds (May 3 & May 13): Please experienced dancers with brief walk-throughs that get newer dancers up to speed quickly http://portlandintowncontradance.com/workshops-info/caller-class-walk-throu… Applause-Worthy Beginner Lessons (May 2 & May 12): Get newer dancers feeling capable and included quickly in smaller or larger crowds http://portlandintowncontradance.com/workshops-info/online-caller-class-beg… Picking Good Dances (May 4 & May 16): Advanced skills in recognizing bad contra choreography and honing in on collecting good dances for your repertoire http://portlandintowncontradance.com/workshops-info/caller-class-good-dance… Utilizing Variety (May 5 & May 16): Learn how to design an experiential journey for contra dancers through choreographic and musical variety http://portlandintowncontradance.com/workshops-info/caller-class-variety-on… Challenging Dancers Just Enough (May 3 & May 15): Learn exactly what makes a dance too complex or just right for your crowd http://portlandintowncontradance.com/workshops-info/caller-class-complexity… Programming and Reading Dancers (May 6 & May 17): Build a great program of dances in advance and recognize signals on the fly to help you choose the right dances in the moment http://portlandintowncontradance.com/workshops-info/caller-class-programmin… Leading Great Community Dances (May 7 & May 17): Succeed at calling gigs with very few or no participants who regularly attend contra dance events, such as community dances, weddings, and family dances http://portlandintowncontradance.com/workshops-info/online-caller-class-com… Calling 101 (May 2 and May 11): An intro to calling for contra dancers with zero experience as callers: http://portlandintowncontradance.com/workshops-info/calling-101-online Are there topics not listed here that folks would be interested in seeing in the future? Please share with others who may be interested. I hope to see some of you online soon! Dugan Murphy (he/him) Portland, Maine dugan at duganmurphy.com www.DuganMurphy.com <http://www.duganmurphy.com/> www.PortlandIntownContraDance.com <http://www.portlandintowncontradance.com/>

5 years, 3 months

Country Dance Music Radio on the air

by Bob Peterson

The Country Dance Music Radio station has its first modern artist. I am happy to welcome Chimney Swift! Currently their tracks play at these hours: (BST/EDT/PST) 10 AM / 5 AM / 3 AM—Chimney Swift 3 PM / 10 AM / 7 AM—Chimney Swift 5 PM / 2 PM / 11 AM—Chimney Swift 11 PM / 6 PM / 3 PM—Chimney Swift 3 AM / 10 PM / 7 PM—Chimney Swift Please listen and support the musicians by buying their music or making donations to them. The station link is: https://radio.contracorner.com/ <https://radio.contracorner.com/>You can listen several ways: in your browser in your streaming music player on a mobile device on Twitch (with live text chat too) in Second Life (at the virtual dance hall) I would also appreciate if you can spread the word within your social networks, email lists, and whatever word of mouth you can! Drop me a line to let me know if you’re listening. Stay upbeat. Stay connected. Missing you all... \Bob Peterson (978) 496-6731 bob(a)contracorner.com

5 years, 3 months

Re: Folk Alliance International - Webinar this Friday on Livestreaming

by Bob Peterson

I’m listening now. Their focus is live streaming. There’s been some good advice already. I’ve already launched a similar effort to stream recordings provided by community dance musicians. It’s been slow trying to get musicians so for now I’m streaming public domain recordings of community dance music, with loads of traditional international, waltz, contra, and more. You can find out more, listen, and even chat (on Twitch and Second Life), here: https://contracorner.com/radio <https://contracorner.com/radio> I hope you’ll listen during the day. And encourage musicians to provide fresh, modern music! \Bob Peterson Billerica, Massachusetts, USA bob(a)contracorner.com (978) 496-6731 > On Apr 14, 2020, at 10:31, Emily Addison via Contra Callers <contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > > Hi fellow contra callers, > > You might be interested in the following webinar that Folk Alliance International is offering THIS FRIDAY on livestreaming. The webinar is primarily for professional musicians but I know some folks are running caller collective gatherings or workshops online and I think there likely will be lots of helpful information. > > I know some of the panelists and they are top notch (e.g., Someone from Canada's national arts centre is on the list. They are working with artists across all of Canada to make high quality livestreams from their homes.) > > The webinar is free. > More info below :) > > Emily Addison > Writing from Ottawa, ON > > FB Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/214039146704193 <https://www.facebook.com/events/214039146704193> > > <https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/8984945545523426574?source=facebo…> > Webinar registration: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/8984945545523426574?source=facebo… <https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/8984945545523426574?source=facebo…> > > > "CommUNITY Online Episode 2 - Live Streaming: Earning a Living and Reaching Fans". > During this webinar, viewers will learn from experienced panelists what options are available for presenting livestreamed concerts, how to promote effectively and connect with fans, what options live music venues have for presenting artists online, how to effectively set up to present an online concert, and how to generate income from livestreaming. > > Panelists: > > Crys Matthews and Heather Mae, artists and online presenters of Apart Together > Dan Mangan, artist, co-founder of SideDoor Access > Heather Gibson, Executive Producer, National Arts Centre (Canada) > Jonathan Byrd, artist, creator of Shake Sugaree Residency > > _______________________________________________ > Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net

5 years, 3 months

Folk Alliance International - Webinar this Friday on Livestreaming

by Emily Addison

Hi fellow contra callers, You might be interested in the following webinar that Folk Alliance International is offering THIS FRIDAY on livestreaming. The webinar is primarily for professional musicians but I know some folks are running caller collective gatherings or workshops online and I think there likely will be lots of helpful information. I know some of the panelists and they are top notch (e.g., Someone from Canada's national arts centre is on the list. They are working with artists across all of Canada to make high quality livestreams from their homes.) The webinar is free. More info below :) Emily Addison Writing from Ottawa, ON FB Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/214039146704193 <https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/8984945545523426574?source=facebo…> Webinar registration: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/8984945545523426574?source=facebo… "CommUNITY Online Episode 2 - Live Streaming: Earning a Living and Reaching Fans". During this webinar, viewers will learn from experienced panelists what options are available for presenting livestreamed concerts, how to promote effectively and connect with fans, what options live music venues have for presenting artists online, how to effectively set up to present an online concert, and how to generate income from livestreaming. Panelists: Crys Matthews and Heather Mae, artists and online presenters of Apart Together Dan Mangan, artist, co-founder of SideDoor Access Heather Gibson, Executive Producer, National Arts Centre (Canada) Jonathan Byrd, artist, creator of Shake Sugaree Residency

5 years, 3 months

UK folk Sales

by Colin Hume

Forwarded by Colin Hume Hi all, You may recall, late last year, an announcement was made regarding a change of management at FolkSales UK. Derek Appling has now handed the reins over to us and we are finally in a position to recommence the services that they have provided for so many years. We currently have a Facebook page which we intend to act as a form of communication around publications and festival venues that we hope to attend. You can find this using the link below, we would love to have you follow this page... https://www.facebook.com/Folk-Sales-UK-111488120439353/ We can also be contacted at the following email address; JandDGrainger(a)folksales.co.uk Please feel free to contact us via email or Facebook to discuss wants/needs/requirements/future publications and we will do our best to respond promptly but, given these current difficult times there may be delays in processing requests. We look forward to continuing the great work that Ann and Derek began. Kind regards, Genni and Darren

5 years, 4 months

Re: New Topics: Online Caller Classes

by Winston, Alan P.

I'm writing as a happy attendee of several of Dugan's classes. I really enjoyed the classes I took - Dugan had organized them so they work really well over Zoom, and they work well for mixed levels of experience - and even as a pretty experienced caller I felt that I learned something and was exposed to things I hadn’t thought of before. Dugan has introduced a couple of new classes and I’ve eagerly signed up for them. It’s also just fun to get to geek out with other callers and see their faces / hear their voices. Heartily recommend. -- Alan ________________________________ From: Dugan Murphy via Contra Callers <contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> Sent: Thursday, April 2, 2020 10:16 AM To: contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net <contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> Subject: [Callers] New Topics: Online Caller Classes A couple weeks ago I announced on here that I decided to offer some online caller classes. Then 29 people registered 54 times for 4 different classes scheduled 8 times over 9 days. I'm calling that a success! So I developed two new classes ("Leading Great Community Dances" and "Programming and Reading Dancers") and scheduled them along with the classes I've already done. Each of the 6 classes is scheduled twice between April 8 and April 21. - Calling 101: An introduction to contra dance calling for experienced contra dancers with zero calling experience http://portlandintowncontradance.com/workshops-info/calling-101-online - Picking Good Dances: Advanced skills in recognizing bad contra choreography and honing in on collecting good dances for your repertoire http://portlandintowncontradance.com/workshops-info/caller-class-good-dance… - Utilizing Variety: Learn how to design an experiential journey for contra dancers through choreographic and musical variety http://portlandintowncontradance.com/workshops-info/caller-class-variety-on… - Challenging Dancers Just Enough: Learn exactly what makes a dance too complex or just right for your crowd http://portlandintowncontradance.com/workshops-info/caller-class-complexity… - Programming and Reading Dancers: Build a great program of dances in advance and recognize signals on the fly to help you choose the right dances in the moment http://portlandintowncontradance.com/workshops-info/caller-class-programmin… - Leading Great Community Dances: Succeed at calling gigs with very few or no participants who regularly attend contra dance events, such as community dances, weddings, and family dances http://portlandintowncontradance.com/workshops-info/online-caller-class-com… They are listed together here: http://portlandintowncontradance.com/workshops At the links above you can find descriptions of each online class and online registration for each one. Let me know if you have any questions about the classes. I hope to see your face online soon! Dugan Murphy Portland, Maine (he/him) dugan at duganmurphy.com<http://duganmurphy.com/> www.DuganMurphy.com<http://www.duganmurphy.com/> www.PortlandIntownContraDance.com<http://www.portlandintowncontradance.com/>

5 years, 4 months

New Topics: Online Caller Classes

by Dugan Murphy

A couple weeks ago I announced on here that I decided to offer some online caller classes. Then 29 people registered 54 times for 4 different classes scheduled 8 times over 9 days. I'm calling that a success! So I developed two new classes ("Leading Great Community Dances" and "Programming and Reading Dancers") and scheduled them along with the classes I've already done. Each of the 6 classes is scheduled twice between April 8 and April 21. - Calling 101: An introduction to contra dance calling for experienced contra dancers with zero calling experience http://portlandintowncontradance.com/workshops-info/calling-101-online - Picking Good Dances: Advanced skills in recognizing bad contra choreography and honing in on collecting good dances for your repertoire http://portlandintowncontradance.com/workshops-info/caller-class-good-dance… - Utilizing Variety: Learn how to design an experiential journey for contra dancers through choreographic and musical variety http://portlandintowncontradance.com/workshops-info/caller-class-variety-on… - Challenging Dancers Just Enough: Learn exactly what makes a dance too complex or just right for your crowd http://portlandintowncontradance.com/workshops-info/caller-class-complexity… - Programming and Reading Dancers: Build a great program of dances in advance and recognize signals on the fly to help you choose the right dances in the moment http://portlandintowncontradance.com/workshops-info/caller-class-programmin… - Leading Great Community Dances: Succeed at calling gigs with very few or no participants who regularly attend contra dance events, such as community dances, weddings, and family dances http://portlandintowncontradance.com/workshops-info/online-caller-class-com… They are listed together here: http://portlandintowncontradance.com/workshops At the links above you can find descriptions of each online class and online registration for each one. Let me know if you have any questions about the classes. I hope to see your face online soon! Dugan Murphy Portland, Maine (he/him) dugan at duganmurphy.com www.DuganMurphy.com <http://www.duganmurphy.com/> www.PortlandIntownContraDance.com <http://www.portlandintowncontradance.com/>

5 years, 4 months

new(?) dance

by Luke Donforth

Hello all, Pete's Posse is running a Kickstarter to help launch a new album (and, you know, offset the $7K+ in gigs they've lost...): https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/petesposse/petes-posse-project-support… independent of the rest of this thread, you should check it out! (My kickstarter wraps up successfully tomorrow, so I'm flogging other people's now :-) They've asked me to provide calling along with a track; and so I wrote what I think is a new dance. Anyone got a prior? Anyone have opinions? Karen's Posse Becket A1 ----------- (6) Circle Left 3/4 (10) Swing neighbor End facing down the hall A2 ----------- (8) Down the hall, four in line (turn as couples) (8) Return and Bend the line B1 ----------- (16) Hey, larks/gents passing left shoulders last time, robins/ladies ricochet back to partner B2 ----------- (16) Partner gyre/right shoulder round and swing The closest I found on Callers Box was Dance High by Don Flaherty https://www.ibiblio.org/contradance/thecallersbox/dance.php?id=15270 or Norcross by Rick Mohr https://www.ibiblio.org/contradance/thecallersbox/dance.php?id=11951 Thanks all. We will dance again!

5 years, 4 months

Photo of dance halls

by Bob Peterson

I’m researching photos of contra dance halls, preferably empty so I can see clear, high-res images of the walls, floors, ceiling, stage, etc. All angles. During my down time I want to make 3D models of some generic halls, not of any particular hall. Your photos will I hope help me see the architectures, colors, decorations and materials used. I can get a number from web image searches, but sometimes they are limited to what people thought would be worth posting. If you have shots you’re willing to share under a free use or Creative Commons license, please send them along to me directly. Don’t include this list in the reply or we’ll overwhelm the server. (Also, I want the original photos, not links to already-posted and size-compressed pictures.) Thanks! \Bob Peterson bob(a)contracorner.com <mailto:bob@contracorner.com>

5 years, 4 months

Online Caller Workshops by Dugan

by Dugan Murphy

With all my gigs canceled for however long, I've decided to start offering online caller classes at the introductory and intermediate levels over the next couple weeks. Perhaps some of you would like to take this virus-mandated downtime to do some professional development! Would this interest you or someone you know? Here are the offerings: - Calling 101: An introduction for contra dancers with no calling experience (http://portlandintowncontradance.com/workshops/calling101-online ) - Challenging Dancers Just Enough: A class for active callers about complexity in contra choreography ( http://portlandintowncontradance.com/workshops/caller-class-complexity-onli… ) - Utilizing Variety: A class for active callers about using variety in choreography and musical moods to take dancers on an experiential journey ( http://portlandintowncontradance.com/workshops/caller-class-variety-online) - Picking Good Dances: A class for active callers about identifying good dances and avoiding bad ones ( http://portlandintowncontradance.com/workshops/caller-class-good-dances-onl… ) They are listed together here: http://portlandintowncontradance.com/workshops At the links above you can find descriptions of each online class and online registration for each one. I hope to see some of you there! Dugan Murphy Portland, Maine (he/him) dugan at duganmurphy.com www.DuganMurphy.com www.PortlandIntownContraDance.com

5 years, 4 months

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