Hi all,
I know this is a callers list not an organizers list, but many of us do both, so I wanted to share this letter that Toronto Contra Dance has sent to all our spring season talent after cancelling our season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I hope other dance organizations are likewise trying to provide at least partial payments to talent who rely on the gig economy for their livelihoods.
If you haven’t done so already, please consider paying your talent for cancellations if your finances allow. We only announced our first dance cancellation last Thursday, and only 5 days later we have received well over $1000 in donations from concerned dancers who want our callers and musicians who rely on this money to be taken care of. So even if your current resources do not allow for paying talent for cancelled dances, you may want to consider soliciting donations from your dance community to allow that.
I have no illusions that the pittance that we pay will cover anyone’s rent. But the effort has been deeply appreciated by a number of our callers and musicians who rely entirely on gigs, since gigs are nearly all being cancelled due to the coronavirus.
You are welcome to forward this letter to organizers and feel free to cut and paste any parts of this letter that might be useful in your own situation.
I am not on the dance organizers list, but if someone would like to forward this post to that list, that would be great.
Wishing you all good health and financial security in a difficult time, and anticipating joyous dance reunions in the not-too-distant future,
Becky Liddle, Toronto
As president of Toronto Contra Dance, it is my sad duty to announce that TCD has cancelled its entire spring dance season, including our Spring Thaw weekend due to the corona virus pandemic. Most of you likely know that CDSS has recommended that all dances be cancelled through the end of April in a preliminary effort to slow the spread of the corona virus. In the (unlikely, I fear) event that COVID-19 risk has passed by May or June, we will be delighted to reschedule those events if that is still feasible when the time comes. But for now we think it is important to let you all know that we believe the most likely eventuality is that our next dance will be the Island Dance on July 11. We have heard from some talent that they need to know what to expect so that they can seek other employment, so we think it is responsible to go ahead and cancel the season now.
It is our feeling that we are all Dance Family. Dance organizations and callers and contra bands would not exist without each other, and we need to take care of each other. Having never faced a pandemic or its ilk in our 20+ years of existence, TCD has never included provisions for what will happen in case of cancellation, so we have been scrambling to figure out what is fair (and financially feasible) in these circumstances.
We know that some callers & musicians have “day jobs” that completely support them and they rely little on money from gigs, but we are also well aware that others rely somewhat or entirely on gigs to pay their living expenses. And we’re also aware that for the latter, COVID-19 is likely to have a devastating effect on their livelihoods, since TCD dances will of course not be the only gigs that will be cancelled in this pandemic. The TCD organizing committee has done a great deal of soul-searching and number-crunching over the last few days, working to balance our own financial stability with that of our beloved performers. Given our present financial circumstances we are able to offer this:
To those who rely entirely on the gig economy for their livelihood: We are offering 30% of the talent payment now (not including any travel allowance, since the travel will not happen), with the hopes that at a later date if our finances allow, we would offer a top-up of another 20% to a total of up to 50% of the original talent fee for the cancelled gig. We cannot guarantee the 2nd amount, but given that some of our members have already stepped up with special donations we are hopeful that we will be able to make the second payment/top-up happen.
To those who rely partly but not entirely on the gig economy to pay their basic living expenses: We are offering 15% payment now (not including travel allowance) with the hopes we might be able to top that up by another 10% to a total of 25% of the original gig fee.
To those who do not rely significantly on the gig economy for basic living expenses: we offer a sincere apology for the cancellation, and our deep gratitude for your intended service (but no monetary compensation).
We are asking each of you to let us know which category you fall into, and let us know whether you would like us to send you the payment(s) we are offering. You are in the best position to assess your own needs. We believe this will enable us to provide some support to those who need it most while not completely emptying our bank account, thus remaining responsible to our own local community and financial stability.
We hope that these token payments will help a little in this very difficult time.
You can simply reply to this email with your request for payment (or your indication that no payment is required) and I will forward your request to our treasurer. If you are the main contact person for a multi-person band, we ask that you forward this letter to each of your bandmates. Because various members of the same band may be in very different financial situations, we ask that each of you respond individually (based on your own circumstances) with regard to requested payment.
Wishing you all the best in a difficult time,
Becky Liddle (president, Toronto Contra Dance)
Finished dance.
Again, with thanks to John Sweeney for the buffet of tasty options for B2.
I believe I have thought through all the figures and choices (e.g. gents
passing R shoulders rather than L followed by a RH pull-by in A1) and I
think this will work well.
Again, this dance is derived from 3-33-33 by Steve Zakon-Anderson.
The intent is to give dancers an opportunity to acknowledge/thank the
others on the floor with whom they are having/have had a (hopefully) lovely
experience. It's also intended to be elegant and smooth (but, dancers will
be dancers!) and with music in the vicinity of, perhaps, 112 bpm.
Most of the interaction is with opposite role neighbours with a smidgen of
interaction with the same role.
If someone is inspired to call this, please let us know how it was
received. I won't have a chance for a while.
6-66-66. Ken Panton. Becket.
Derived from 3-33-33 Steve Zakon-Anderson
At the start of the dance, dancers have hands-4 with "previous" neighbours
A1 (4) Two gents pass R to swap places,
All face up/down away from previous neighbour
(2) New N (now current) pull by R
(as in dance 3-33-33)
(2) N (future) pull by L
(8) N +2 bal & box the gnat A2 (2) N +2 pull by R
(2) N (future) pull by L
(2) N current pull by R
(2) N (previous) pull by L
(8) N -2 Bal & box the gnat
B1 (2) N -2 pull by R
(2) N (previous) pull by L
(12) N current swing B2 (8) Gents pass L for 1/2 hey, ladies ricochet
(8) P Swing
Of course, dancers wrap-around the ends on Rs/Ls.
Many options for B2. The one that I'd particularly like to trial is go
directly from the N swing in B1, with a short circle L/unwind from N swing,
to P swing. The downside of that transition is that the ladies lose their
chance for same role acknowledgement which is the intension of the ricochet
and all that uninterrupted swinging might be dizzy.
Thanks for the input, all. I need to be more cautious with the term give
and take as it is more particular than a simple f&b idea.
Special thanks to John for the many ideas with which I will mind-dance.
Ken
In addition to this important point, for the Give-and-Take dancers take only two steps forward before one dancer is drawn back to the other dancer’s side for a swing. Larry Jennings was particularly emphatic about the footwork. The list of good ladies-side Give-and-Take dances is long. It includes "Mystery Dance #3" and "Wedding Wonderland" by Linda Leslie, and "Freighthoppin’“ by Bob Dalsemer. … Robert Golder
> On Mar 6, 2020, at 4:26 AM, Colin Hume via Contra Callers <contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>
> On Fri, 6 Mar 2020 08:49:57 +0000, Ken Panton via Contra Callers wrote:
>> One idea: give and take BUT everyone take hands in long lines going forward then ladies pull P back to her side for
>> swing.
>
> A lot of callers teach Give and Take as starting in long lines, but that's not how Larry Jennings invented it. It
> starts in a shoulder-waist hold - as you would have if you opened out after a swing - I find it much more satisfactory
> that way.
>
> There are a number of dances where the ladies pull in the Give and Take, for instance "Hemodynamic Contra"
> by Andrea Nettleton.
>
> Colin Hume
>
> Email colin(a)colinhume.com Web site http://colinhume.com
> _______________________________________________
> Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
> To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net
<<Resending with extra line breaks in the hope that it doesn't get
reformatted>>
Substitutes for Men Allemande Left 1 & 1/2:
Men Cross the Set (Pass Right Shoulders - do not weave) - gives a longer
Swing
Men start a Left Shoulder Half Hey; Ladies Ricochet - leaves everyone moving
clockwise so hopefully will give a good flow into the swing
Circle Left 1/4
Single File Circle Left 1/4, Lady turning Right into a Gypsy
Give-and-Take as defined by Larry
Allen Ortep (That's a Petronella where you spin to the Left)
Circle Right 3/4 (not a good flow...)
Men give Left or Right Hands, Balance F/B, Pull By (that one has better flow
when the ladies are doing it)
Men Swing - Double Allemande Hand Hold recommended
Ladies Pass Right Shoulder, Circle Left Half Way
Flutterwheel
Men Gypsy 1 & 1/4
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802
940 574
http://contrafusion.co.uk/KentCeilidhs.html for Live Music Ceilidhs
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
http://www.modernjive.com for Modern Jive DVDs
Substitutes for Men Allemande Left 1 & 1/2:
Men Cross the Set (Pass Right Shoulders - do not weave) - gives a longer
Swing
Men start a Left Shoulder Half Hey; Ladies Ricochet - leaves everyone moving
clockwise so hopefully will give a good flow into the swing
Circle Left 1/4
Single File Circle Left 1/4, Lady turning Right into a Gypsy
Give-and-Take as defined by Larry
Allen Ortep (That's a Petronella where you spin to the Left)
Circle Right 3/4 (not a good flow...)
Men give Left or Right Hands, Balance F/B, Pull By (that one has better flow
when the ladies are doing it)
Men Swing - Double Allemande Hand Hold recommended
Ladies Pass Right Shoulder, Circle Left Half Way
Flutterwheel
Men Gypsy 1 & 1/4
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802
940 574
http://contrafusion.co.uk/KentCeilidhs.html for Live Music Ceilidhs
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
http://www.modernjive.com for Modern Jive DVDs
On Fri, 6 Mar 2020 08:49:57 +0000, Ken Panton via Contra Callers wrote:
> One idea: give and take BUT everyone take hands in long lines going forward then ladies pull P back to her side for
> swing.
A lot of callers teach Give and Take as starting in long lines, but that's not how Larry Jennings invented it. It
starts in a shoulder-waist hold - as you would have if you opened out after a swing - I find it much more satisfactory
that way.
There are a number of dances where the ladies pull in the Give and Take, for instance "Hemodynamic Contra"
by Andrea Nettleton.
Colin Hume
Email colin(a)colinhume.com Web site http://colinhume.com
Hi folks:
Here is a new dance (I'm assuming it has not been previously written)
based on 3-33 which I've called 6-66 simply because it doubles in
length the signature move (not because it's a 'beast' of a dance!).
The music I had in mind as I was writing it, and which suggests -
along with the fact that you encounter 5 N's each time through - it
might be a lovely option for a final "Goodnight" dance, is the first
two rep's of https://youtu.be/4nH_EA2g9l4 (i.e. silky smooth and
relaxed).
At the top of the dance (becket) you are hands-4 with your "previous" neighbour.
The gents alle L in B2 works fine but I'd like to see if anyone has
suggestions for alternatives which serve two purposes: 1) gents change
sides 2) P swing.
Cheers
Ken Panton
Name: 6-66 AUTHOR: Ken Panton BECKET
A1 (4) Gents swap places and all face up/down away from previous neighbour
(2) New N (now current) pull by R (as in dance 3-33)
(2) N 2 pull by L
(8) N 3 bal & box the gnat
A2 (2)N 3 pull by R
(2) N 2 pull by L
(2) N current pull by R
(2) N (previous) pull by L
(8) N-2 Bal & box the gnat
B1 (2) N-2 pull by R
(2) N (previous) pull by L
(12) N current swing
B2 (8) Gents alle L 1+1/2
(8) P Swing
This is incredibly well written. Thanks for sharing!
On 3/5/2020 1:30 PM, Jesse W via Contra Callers wrote:
> A fellow dancing friend of mine in Seattle recently wrote up these
> thoughts on the Covid-19 outbreak, and attending (or hosting) dances.
> They seemed really thoughtful and on-point, so I wanted to pass them
> along to the list. The friend said, regarding credit and passing this
> on further, it's "more important the info spreads than that I get
> credit" -- so if there are others in the community you think would
> benefit from hearing this, please pass it on.
>
> Jesse
>
> (tried to send earlier, but it didn't seem to make it thru -- pardon
> the duplication if both go thru)
>
> ---------
>
> Seattle folk: data from both the Covid-19 outbreak in China and also
> studies of the Spanish Flu of 1918 [* see below for links] indicate
> that the social distancing measures are most effective at reducing
> community disease spread when started /as early as possible/ after an
> outbreak is identified. That’s why the county recommended avoided
> gathering in large groups and cancelling events /now/ - because the
> earlier we start reducing exponential spread, the less people all get
> sick at once, and the less hospitals are overwhelmed and the less that
> 20% of people who need hospitalization for respiratory support die due
> to an overtaxed
> hospital system.
>
> Please keep in mind that at a social dance, especially contra, a viral
> disease that is contagious through exhaled droplets like Covid-19 is
> /far/ more likely to be transmitted than other group settings: you
> touch 40+ people in less than ten minutes, breathe heavily in close
> proximity to their faces, wipe sweat off your face or out of your eyes
> regularly, and generally don’t stop to wash your hands between every
> dance or when you get a drink.
>
> Also, remember that this is an infection that can have asymptomatic
> spread and has an average of 5 day onset (and can be contagious before
> symptoms). It’s not like norovirus, where you’re absolutely going to
> know really quickly - you could totally be exposed to someone and not
> know it, or be pre-symptomatic and still feel fine enough to dance.
>
> I’m not going to make a lot of noise about if I agree with continuing
> to hold contra dances in Seattle this week, but if you want to go,
> please think about this first:
>
> Empathy is hard. Empathy for those you don’t know and can’t see is
> known scientifically to be one of the hardest things to engender in
> people. When it’s our close contacts at risk of injury or illness or
> death, we’re far more emotionally driven to act in ways that protect
> them; when it’s an amorphous group of unspecified strangers who might
> be impacted we’re far, far more likely to not care because we have no
> emotional attachment to them driving our behavior. And when you’re
> asked to weigh the abstract choice of protecting people you don’t know
> in the future over doing something you really love today, well...
> there’s lots of research that tells us what behavioral choice tends to
> win out. But we’re facing a genuine pandemic that threatens to very
> quickly overwhelm our medical system, and so we have to force ourselves
> to think a little more critically about the implications of our
> potential actions.
>
> So in that vein, I want to ask you to consider the ethics of action
> during a disease spread when you live in a densely packed urban area
> like we do. If we know we can save the lives of people around us by
> avoiding gathering in groups where transmission is probably, do we have
> a responsibility to make that choice?
>
> Another thing to think about: we willingly burden ourselves with the
> responsibility of getting flu shots to protect the vulnerable around us
> by preventing the spread of a disease we understand well and have
> established and supported treatment protocols for. Does the extent to
> which we’re willing to be inconvenienced to protect those same
> vulnerable people scale with the possible severity and amount of
> unknowns around a new disease? Should it?
>
> Also, who bears the responsibility for the people who die or are
> disabled from a severe illness in situations like this, if the data
> clearly shows that one type of action will save lives long-term and yet
> large groups make the opposite choice?
>
> You don’t have to tell me your answers. What’s important to me is that
> you’ve thought them through.
>
> Like I think is true for everyone reading this, I have quite a number
> of important people in my life who are high-risk: they’re older or
> chronically ill or immunosuppressed. My highest priority is to do my
> part in limiting disease spread even this early, before it seems “bad
> enough” to need to avoid groups of people, because I want to give those
> high-risk people I know - and also all the other strangers in the
> country who are facing similar challenges - the best shot of surviving
> this. In pursuit of that goal, I think it’s important to already change
> my behavior even if it’s inconvenient and less fun: I won’t be going to
> be dancing for a while.
>
> I’m not going to criticize you for making a different choice at this
> point, if you’ve truly thought the risks and impact of that through,
> but I also probably won’t be seeing you for a while because I’m not
> willing to take that risk on behalf of the folk whose health I’m
> prioritizing.
>
> [* Here’s that source on how crucial early social distancing was at
> preventing the even more rapid overwhelming spread of Spanish Flu. It
> was bad, but it could have been far worse in cities without social
> distancing measures being implemented early: https://jamanetwork.com/jo
> urnals/jama/fullarticle/208354
>
> And here's the study from China: https://www.worldpop.org/events/COVID_
> NPI ]
> _______________________________________________
> Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
> To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net
A fellow dancing friend of mine in Seattle recently wrote up these
thoughts on the Covid-19 outbreak, and attending (or hosting) dances.
They seemed really thoughtful and on-point, so I wanted to pass them
along to the list. The friend said, regarding credit and passing this
on further, it's "more important the info spreads than that I get
credit" -- so if there are others in the community you think would
benefit from hearing this, please pass it on.
Jesse
(tried to send earlier, but it didn't seem to make it thru -- pardon
the duplication if both go thru)
---------
Seattle folk: data from both the Covid-19 outbreak in China and also
studies of the Spanish Flu of 1918 [* see below for links] indicate
that the social distancing measures are most effective at reducing
community disease spread when started /as early as possible/ after an
outbreak is identified. That’s why the county recommended avoided
gathering in large groups and cancelling events /now/ - because the
earlier we start reducing exponential spread, the less people all get
sick at once, and the less hospitals are overwhelmed and the less that
20% of people who need hospitalization for respiratory support die due
to an overtaxed
hospital system.
Please keep in mind that at a social dance, especially contra, a viral
disease that is contagious through exhaled droplets like Covid-19 is
/far/ more likely to be transmitted than other group settings: you
touch 40+ people in less than ten minutes, breathe heavily in close
proximity to their faces, wipe sweat off your face or out of your eyes
regularly, and generally don’t stop to wash your hands between every
dance or when you get a drink.
Also, remember that this is an infection that can have asymptomatic
spread and has an average of 5 day onset (and can be contagious before
symptoms). It’s not like norovirus, where you’re absolutely going to
know really quickly - you could totally be exposed to someone and not
know it, or be pre-symptomatic and still feel fine enough to dance.
I’m not going to make a lot of noise about if I agree with continuing
to hold contra dances in Seattle this week, but if you want to go,
please think about this first:
Empathy is hard. Empathy for those you don’t know and can’t see is
known scientifically to be one of the hardest things to engender in
people. When it’s our close contacts at risk of injury or illness or
death, we’re far more emotionally driven to act in ways that protect
them; when it’s an amorphous group of unspecified strangers who might
be impacted we’re far, far more likely to not care because we have no
emotional attachment to them driving our behavior. And when you’re
asked to weigh the abstract choice of protecting people you don’t know
in the future over doing something you really love today, well...
there’s lots of research that tells us what behavioral choice tends to
win out. But we’re facing a genuine pandemic that threatens to very
quickly overwhelm our medical system, and so we have to force ourselves
to think a little more critically about the implications of our
potential actions.
So in that vein, I want to ask you to consider the ethics of action
during a disease spread when you live in a densely packed urban area
like we do. If we know we can save the lives of people around us by
avoiding gathering in groups where transmission is probably, do we have
a responsibility to make that choice?
Another thing to think about: we willingly burden ourselves with the
responsibility of getting flu shots to protect the vulnerable around us
by preventing the spread of a disease we understand well and have
established and supported treatment protocols for. Does the extent to
which we’re willing to be inconvenienced to protect those same
vulnerable people scale with the possible severity and amount of
unknowns around a new disease? Should it?
Also, who bears the responsibility for the people who die or are
disabled from a severe illness in situations like this, if the data
clearly shows that one type of action will save lives long-term and yet
large groups make the opposite choice?
You don’t have to tell me your answers. What’s important to me is that
you’ve thought them through.
Like I think is true for everyone reading this, I have quite a number
of important people in my life who are high-risk: they’re older or
chronically ill or immunosuppressed. My highest priority is to do my
part in limiting disease spread even this early, before it seems “bad
enough” to need to avoid groups of people, because I want to give those
high-risk people I know - and also all the other strangers in the
country who are facing similar challenges - the best shot of surviving
this. In pursuit of that goal, I think it’s important to already change
my behavior even if it’s inconvenient and less fun: I won’t be going to
be dancing for a while.
I’m not going to criticize you for making a different choice at this
point, if you’ve truly thought the risks and impact of that through,
but I also probably won’t be seeing you for a while because I’m not
willing to take that risk on behalf of the folk whose health I’m
prioritizing.
[* Here’s that source on how crucial early social distancing was at
preventing the even more rapid overwhelming spread of Spanish Flu. It
was bad, but it could have been far worse in cities without social
distancing measures being implemented early: https://jamanetwork.com/jo
urnals/jama/fullarticle/208354
And here's the study from China: https://www.worldpop.org/events/COVID_
NPI ]
