Contra Callers

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4298 discussions

Re: Is there an on-line simulator to visualize/observe contra dance moves/interactions?

by Jeff Kaufman

When I was learning to call I read about diagramming dances (I completely forget where). For an equal turn dance you write the dancers as "l" and "r" for the ones and "-" for the twos. The top of the hall is the top of the page. You mark these down at each step through the dance: r l - - A1 (16) Neighbor balance and Swing - - r l A2 (8) Ravens chain - r - l A2 (8) Promenade across l - r - etc. I usually find I can keep things clear enough that I can track what a given call will do to the dancers, and having all the stages written down is helpful for looking back. Jeff On Sun, Feb 9, 2020 at 3:21 PM Alan J Rosenthal via Contra Callers < contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > I use chess pieces. It's not all that different to what you are doing with > magnets except that I think it meets the objectives you state in your > message. > > Partners are same pieces of a different colour (e.g. a pawn's partner is > a pawn, etc, and you only use one pair of pawns). You can use black to > represent Larks etc (or the other way around obviously). Couples are > arranged in some meaningful order to you, such as by the value of the > chess piece or by height. > > Then after you move them all around for a while, you can still tell who's > who. > > Actually I bought four different colours of chess pieces from > https://www.chesshouse.com (five years ago, so things there might have > changed). I've never used them to play chess. (I had in mind to make a > youtube video about how some dance progressions work, which I may or may > not manage to do some day. But I've used them to work out dances a lot.) > > regards, > ajr, dancing in and near Toronto, Canada > _______________________________________________ > Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net >

4 years, 9 months

Re: Is there an on-line simulator to visualize/observe contra dance moves/interactions?

by Alan J Rosenthal

I use chess pieces. It's not all that different to what you are doing with magnets except that I think it meets the objectives you state in your message. Partners are same pieces of a different colour (e.g. a pawn's partner is a pawn, etc, and you only use one pair of pawns). You can use black to represent Larks etc (or the other way around obviously). Couples are arranged in some meaningful order to you, such as by the value of the chess piece or by height. Then after you move them all around for a while, you can still tell who's who. Actually I bought four different colours of chess pieces from https://www.chesshouse.com (five years ago, so things there might have changed). I've never used them to play chess. (I had in mind to make a youtube video about how some dance progressions work, which I may or may not manage to do some day. But I've used them to work out dances a lot.) regards, ajr, dancing in and near Toronto, Canada

4 years, 9 months

Digest

by Andrea Nettleton

I know there was a post about it, but I missed it/deleted it. I very much need to be in digest format for all my shared weight accounts. How do I do that?? Andrea Sent from my iPhone

4 years, 9 months

Re: Is there an on-line simulator to visualize/observe contra dance moves/interactions?

by Maia McCormick

Haven't actually played with it much, but you could check out Cary Ravitz's Micro Robot Dance: https://www.dance.ravitz.us/mrd.php On Sun, Feb 9, 2020 at 2:02 PM Becky Liddle via Contra Callers < contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > I doubt this exists, but thought I’d ask: > I have seen on-line apps that demonstrate just one particular move (a > ravens chain or whatever) showing how each dancer moves in that single > call/move. > But has anyone yet programmed something that allows you to put in all the > moves of a full contra dance, so you can see how all the dancers in a > contra line interact? > I’m trying to figure out movements and end effects using a magnetic > whiteboard, moving magnets around, but it is both painstakingly slow and I > keep screwing it up. > > I know the ideal way to figure out end effects and make sure a dance works > before calling it is to get a few friends together to walk it thru, but > short of getting that many contra dancers in a room (I have one friend who > offers them pie as incentive, but I’m no pastry chef!), has anyone figured > out a better system for visualizing dancer interactions and end effects > other than magnets on a whiteboard? > > Assuming an on-line simulator doesn’t exist, I’m about to go that > magnet/whiteboard route, so if anyone cares to suggest the least > mind-boggling way to set that up (Lark 1A, Raven 1A, Lark 2A, Raven 2A, > etc?) do chime in! I need some way to label each dancer so that when they > leave their minor set, and then, say, do a left diagonal ravens chain back > to their partner I can tell if it really IS their own partner or if I’ve > screwed up again. :-( > > I find online videos can sometimes help me visualize the interactions in > the middle of the line (if the videographer will hold still long enough for > me to see a whole run-thru of the dance with one minor set), but I can > almost never see end effects in those. > > Thanks for any suggestions! > Becky Liddle, Toronto > _______________________________________________ > Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net >

4 years, 9 months

Re: Is there an on-line simulator to visualize/observe contra dance moves/interactions?

by Colin Hume

On Sun, 9 Feb 2020 19:09:08 +0000, Amy Cann via Contra Callers wrote: > Betting that Colin Hume has the definitive answer to this... There's a Contra Dance Designer at http://www.seattledance.org/misc/contra.design/index.htm which I've never tried. And there's an excellent simulator at http://dancekaleidoscope.org.au/dance.html where the author says you can download the application and run it yourself, but again I haven't. Colin Hume

4 years, 9 months

Re: Is there an on-line simulator to visualize/observe contra dance moves/interactions?

by john＠modernjive.com

Hi Becky, See if http://www.dancekaleidoscope.org.au/dance.html helps. At the bottom of the page is the link to make your own. Happy dancing, John John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802 940 574 http://www.modernjive.com for Modern Jive Events & DVDs http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent

4 years, 9 months

Re: Is there an on-line simulator to visualize/observe contra dance moves/interactions?

by Amy Cann

Betting that Colin Hume has the definitive answer to this... (There's some really cool old ones for square dancing, lemme see if I can dig a few up) On 2/9/20, Becky Liddle via Contra Callers <contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > I doubt this exists, but thought I’d ask: > I have seen on-line apps that demonstrate just one particular move (a ravens > chain or whatever) showing how each dancer moves in that single call/move. > But has anyone yet programmed something that allows you to put in all the > moves of a full contra dance, so you can see how all the dancers in a contra > line interact? > I’m trying to figure out movements and end effects using a magnetic > whiteboard, moving magnets around, but it is both painstakingly slow and I > keep screwing it up. > > I know the ideal way to figure out end effects and make sure a dance works > before calling it is to get a few friends together to walk it thru, but > short of getting that many contra dancers in a room (I have one friend who > offers them pie as incentive, but I’m no pastry chef!), has anyone figured > out a better system for visualizing dancer interactions and end effects > other than magnets on a whiteboard? > > Assuming an on-line simulator doesn’t exist, I’m about to go that > magnet/whiteboard route, so if anyone cares to suggest the least > mind-boggling way to set that up (Lark 1A, Raven 1A, Lark 2A, Raven 2A, > etc?) do chime in! I need some way to label each dancer so that when they > leave their minor set, and then, say, do a left diagonal ravens chain back > to their partner I can tell if it really IS their own partner or if I’ve > screwed up again. :-( > > I find online videos can sometimes help me visualize the interactions in the > middle of the line (if the videographer will hold still long enough for me > to see a whole run-thru of the dance with one minor set), but I can almost > never see end effects in those. > > Thanks for any suggestions! > Becky Liddle, Toronto > _______________________________________________ > Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net >

4 years, 9 months

Is there an on-line simulator to visualize/observe contra dance moves/interactions?

by Becky Liddle

I doubt this exists, but thought I’d ask: I have seen on-line apps that demonstrate just one particular move (a ravens chain or whatever) showing how each dancer moves in that single call/move. But has anyone yet programmed something that allows you to put in all the moves of a full contra dance, so you can see how all the dancers in a contra line interact? I’m trying to figure out movements and end effects using a magnetic whiteboard, moving magnets around, but it is both painstakingly slow and I keep screwing it up. I know the ideal way to figure out end effects and make sure a dance works before calling it is to get a few friends together to walk it thru, but short of getting that many contra dancers in a room (I have one friend who offers them pie as incentive, but I’m no pastry chef!), has anyone figured out a better system for visualizing dancer interactions and end effects other than magnets on a whiteboard? Assuming an on-line simulator doesn’t exist, I’m about to go that magnet/whiteboard route, so if anyone cares to suggest the least mind-boggling way to set that up (Lark 1A, Raven 1A, Lark 2A, Raven 2A, etc?) do chime in! I need some way to label each dancer so that when they leave their minor set, and then, say, do a left diagonal ravens chain back to their partner I can tell if it really IS their own partner or if I’ve screwed up again. :-( I find online videos can sometimes help me visualize the interactions in the middle of the line (if the videographer will hold still long enough for me to see a whole run-thru of the dance with one minor set), but I can almost never see end effects in those. Thanks for any suggestions! Becky Liddle, Toronto

4 years, 9 months

Re: Roger Auman

by Jack Mitchell

I'm so sorry to hear that Roger passed away. I only met Roger twice, separated by something like 6-7 years, and both when I was in Harrisburg calling the dance before going to Pinewoods. I didn't get a lot of time to talk to Roger either time, but we talked long enough for him to give me a dance (which I still have on an index card in his handwriting) and for me to have a lasting impression of what a delightful gentleman he was. I don't see it in Bob's collection, so I thought I would share it as well. Jack *Chain Against the Grain* – Roger Auman *Becket* CW/L *A1* Circle Left ¾ N Sw *A2* w/N Promenade across, shift right after crossing the set, loop out to the right one place to face new couple Circle RIGHT *1x* *B1* L Diagonal Ladies Chain to partner Straight across, ½ Hey ladies start by R Shoulder *B2* P B&S On Fri, Jan 31, 2020 at 7:28 PM Bob Isaacs via Contra Callers < contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > Hi All: > > Most of you probably didn't know Roger Auman, who passed away earlier this > week. Roger was a longtime avid contra dancer, a fine caller, an inventive > choreographer, and most of all, as nice a person as you could ever hope to > meet. We would cross paths at dances in Princeton, Philly, Bethlehem, and > many other places, and for several years we had this routine; I would come > up to him at the break, and ask "What do you have today?" and he would show > me a new dance* every time*. It was fun to watch him progress from > first-timer efforts to good to outright winners. Attached are some of the > gifts he left us. > > Roger hailed from Reading, PA, and if you happen to be at the nearby > Birdsboro contra dance tomorrow, we will dance several of his to remember > him. For those of us in the Mid-Atlantic region who knew him well, he will > be truly missed - > > Bob > _______________________________________________ > Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net >

4 years, 9 months

Re: Roger Auman

by Amy Cann

I'd love to dance a bunch of these at Ralph Page next year. I wonder if the committee would be willing to extend the border of New England over to PA? My mother was born and raised in Reading, I know a fair amount of the city's history and current struggles. It's good to know it was the home of someone like Roger. Thanks for sharing. On 2/1/20, Diane Silver via Contra Callers <contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > Thanks Bob. I'm sorry for your loss, and I wish I had had a chance to > know Roger. > Thanks for sharing the dances. That's a nice way to remember him. > > Diane > > On 1/31/2020 7:27 PM, Bob Isaacs via Contra Callers wrote: >> Hi All: >> >> Most of you probably didn't know Roger Auman, who passed away earlier >> this week. Roger was a longtime avid contra dancer, a fine caller, an >> inventive choreographer, and most of all, as nice a person as you >> could ever hope to meet. We would cross paths at dances in Princeton, >> Philly, Bethlehem, and many other places, and for several years we had >> this routine; I would come up to him at the break, and ask "What do >> you have today?" and he would show me a new dance*every time*. It was >> fun to watch him progress from first-timer efforts to good to outright >> winners. Attached are some of the gifts he left us. >> >> Roger hailed from Reading, PA, and if you happen to be at the nearby >> Birdsboro contra dance tomorrow, we will dance several of his to >> remember him. For those of us in the Mid-Atlantic region who knew him >> well, he will be truly missed - >> >> Bob >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net >> To unsubscribe send an email to >> contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net > >

4 years, 9 months

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