Contra Callers

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Looking for a contra dance where dancers raise their fists and shout hey

by Kyla Wargel

Hello! I remember seeing a video of a contra dance a few years back, perhaps during some kind of workshop, where one of the moves involved dancers pumping their fists into the air and saying something. I think they were saying "hey," but I'm not completely sure. I remember that the dance seemed like it was at a typical contra dance level of difficulty and was a duple minor, not a simple family dance. Does anyone know what dance this might be? Thanks! Kyla Wargel Bloomington, IN

5 months

Feedback on dance week workshop descriptions???

by Emily Addison

Hi fellow callers :) I'm looking for feedback on summer camp workshop descriptions! *Backstory:* I'm heading into my second year as the caller for a trad music & dance camp up here in Canada. Last year I offered two daily classes -- one was a daily discussion on various subjects relating to calling. The other was a learning lab where folks could call dances and receive feedback. I'm offering those two workshops again this year and I'm adding a dancer skills session. I'm particularly excited about the skill building workshop as the dancers at this camp are SUPER enthusiastic camp but some haven't had much exposure to skills/knowledge building (e.g., there's some fun-loving younguns that really whip their partners around and execute flourishes with little/no notion of consent or safety). Anyway, I REALLLLLLLLY want to have great 'sell' on the skill-building session. It's going to be a super fun session focus on play/actually dancing. I just need to convince dancers that they want to sign up! (Note -- while this camp is a trad music & dance camp, recent camp years have been heavily focused on instrument learning workshops.) I've included draft descriptions for all three workshops below.* Might you have feedback on how I could make them more enticing????* Also - I'm wondering if it's appropriate to say 'caller curious' as a term for folks who haven't called but may be curious in trying it out. Thank you! Emily in Ottawa, ON JOIN THE CONTRA PLAYSHOP! Are you into contra dancing? Then you’ve GOT to sign up for this session!!!! We are going to spend the whole week working on building our dancing skills and knowledge in a SUPER playful and engaging way. Even very experienced dancers will find that there’s lots of surprising fun that can happen in this session as well further learning to finness your dance style. Plus… we’ll do some flourishes you’ve likely never tried before. Are you new to contra dancing? This is also a great session for you. You will learn lots of skills that make your dancing that much more fun and we’ll focus on some details that we can’t get into during an evening of dance. ARE YOU A CALLER or ARE CALLER CURIOUS? This session is for anyone who wants to build their calling practice whether you are an experienced caller or haven’t even yet called your first dance. We’ll be spending a lot of time looking at repertoire and programming this year — how to choose dances for different crowds, how to craft an evening of programming, and much more. (I’ll also be sharing some of my favourite dances for different levels and contexts.) CALLER LEARNING LAB Callers of any level are invited to participate in this open mic time - it's a perfect chance to try calling for the first time OR try teaching dances new to you and receive feedback in a supportive environment. If you are interested in this session, register early and email Emily ( EmilyLAddison(a)gmail.com). Emily will work with you to identify a few dances to focus on and will help set you up for success so you get the most out of the open mic opportunity. Dancers: You are most welcome at this daily session as well! We'd love to have your participation … the more the merrier on the dance floor!

5 months, 1 week

Resources for Callers - Dance Instructions

by John Sweeney

Hi all, In response to some recent requests I have set up a page that provides links to sites that provide instructions for dances, or videos or animations. The page is http://contrafusion.co.uk/CallerResources.html. It covers all genres of English and American dances. I would love to add more resources to this page. Please let me know the Web site addresses of any recommendations that you have. Please let me know if you have a Web site with multiple dances, with full instructions. I will add as many as I can that look relevant. Thanks for your help. Happy dancing, John John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802 940 574 http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent

5 months, 2 weeks

Positional calling for American Squares

by Colin Hume

I've just had a second running of my Positional Squares workshop and I've now put up a large page of notes, so if you're interested in calling or dancing squares positionally, please browse to https://colinhume.com/dtpositional.htm and I'll be pleased to receive your feedback, good or bad! Colin Hume

5 months, 3 weeks

Cures for the Claps?

by Maia McCormick

tldr: those of you who are anti-Petronella claps (in general, not just in specific cases where they interrupt flow from the spin into the next move), I want to understand why! Clapping on Petronella turns has been the overwhelming norm ever since I started dancing, but I know that it wasn't always this way, and that some folks vehemently dislike it. Well recently I've noted the (baffling?? inexplicable??) rise of clapping after the spin on Rory O'Moore's, which makes my blood boil (it's so satisfying to catch hands in the new wave out of the spin, why would you ever NOT do that??), and it's making me think more about Petronella claps. Clapping on a Rory bugs me so much because it interrupts the momentum of spin-and-catch-hands. I'll admit that I don't understand the objection to Petronella claps, at least through that lens. Like certainly, in a specifically Cure for the Claps-type* dance (with e.g. Petronella spin into allemande left, Petronella spin into swing, etc.), clapping interrupts the momentum, and it's way more satisfying to spin directly into the next move. But given a bog standard "Petronella, Petronella, balance and swing" or similar, I don't feel like the claps interrupt the momentum or disrupt transitions, and in fact are a nice fun way to fill space. To be clear, the above isn't an argument in favor of Petronella claps, just me explaining where I'm coming from. So now we come to my question: 1. *those of you who are anti-Petronella claps, can you explain why?* I want to understand! Is it a satisfying momentum thing that I've just never experienced because I'm so used to clapping? Dedication to historical accuracy? Something else entirely? 2. *what dance(s) would you use to make your case to a contemporary contra hall, that aren't explicitly written as Cure for the Claps dances?* Petronella spin to a swing feels great, and of *course* you shouldn't clap there (although some folks inexplicably do, sigh)—but if you'd prefer that we didn't clap even in a dance like Tica Tica Timing, then a CftC dance isn't the whole story. If you had the infinite good will of a contemporary contra hall, and were able to say to the dancers "don't clap on the Petronellas in this one and just pay attention to how nice it feels to X and how satisfying it is to Y", what dance would you use, what things would you tell the dancers to clue into, etc. to make your case? (And what would you ask the band for?) Thanks as always for your expertise! Cheers, Maia * Cure for the Claps contra: a dance that discourages clapping during the Petronella turn, often by putting moves directly after the Petronella that flow nicely from a spin. May be intentional or incidental. See e.g.: The Cure for the Claps <https://www.ibiblio.org/contradance/thecallersbox/dance.php?id=10364> (Bob Isaacs), Becket in the Kitchen <https://www.ibiblio.org/contradance/thecallersbox/dance.php?id=17> (Becky Hill) -- Maia McCormick (she/her) 917.279.8194

6 months

Aurora O’More

by Joseph Erhard-Hudson

This title and concept for a dance burst into my head during the recent auroras. It ought to have shifting wavy lines, of course, and is there a way to have an orbit around a star? Ooh! A hands across star where a pair spits out and goes outward and into orbit… Anyway, I don’t have the compositional chops to develop it in a timely way, but I would love to see it exist. If my notion inspires anyone to write it, hooray. -Joseph

6 months

Re: Wanting to learn more about Becky Hill - the choreographer

by Masha Goodman Crawford

I call several of Becky's dances, they're still among my favorites. Sandy Bradley and Kate Charles were two women callers that I remember hearing & wanting to emulate back when I started calling in 1978. They mostly called squares, with a very musical, fun style. Sandy lives up in the PNW, I don't think she calls much these days. Kate we lost way too early.~ Masha Goodman Crawford ~ 209.402.1943 ~ facebook.com/oldsoles..... Amanda wrote:"...Bob Isaacs told us, during his calling workshop at CDH, that Becky paved the way for women to get into calling. Apparently there were few (or none?) women callers before her. ..."

6 months, 1 week

Wanting to learn more about Becky Hill - the choreographer

by Emily Addison

Hi folks, Over the past year, I'm realizing how many dances written by Becky Hill I absolutely adore. So, naively, I wrote to Becky Hill (this one! <https://www.rebeccahill.org/>) whom I admire thinking that it was her who wrote dances. Turns out that flatfooter and old time square dance leader Becky Hill is not the same Becky Hill who wrote the contras and square that I have in my dance box. So... I naturally became curious ... who is the other Becky Hill??? And this is all I've been able to find <https://www.heritagecremationsociety.com/obituaries/rebecca-ellen-becky-hill> . Did any of you know Becky? Any further information on her? I know that many of her dances are super popular and called by so many folk. Thanks, Emily Addison in Ottawa ON

6 months, 1 week

Re: Contra Callers Digest, Vol 118, Issue 5

by Lissa Bengtson

A secret contra/ECD dance that can't be shared. That's too bad. Maybe the author could share it? Patricia. our local dancers do "The Source" which is a dance I learned at Pourparler (when it was in Vermont before the most recent Vermont PP.) If I recall correctly it's a Navajo dance but I learned it to a Loreena McKennit rendition of the tune "The Mummer's Dance." We've done it at a couple of folk dance memorial services. Quite spiritual. A circle dance though, not a contra. Lissa Bengtson San Antonio On Thu, May 9, 2024 at 11:00 PM < contracallers-request(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > Send Contra Callers mailing list submissions to > contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via email, send a message with subject or > body 'help' to > contracallers-request(a)lists.sharedweight.net > > You can reach the person managing the list at > contracallers-owner(a)lists.sharedweight.net > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Contra Callers digest..."Today's Topics: > > 1. Re: Tony Parkes 1949-2024 (Neal Schlein) > 2. Re: Tony Parkes 1949-2024 (Tina Fields) > > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Neal Schlein <nschlein(a)gmail.com> > To: Patricia Campbell <countrydancecaller(a)gmail.com> > Cc: Claire Takemori <cht(a)mac.com>, Shared Weight Contra Callers < > contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> > Bcc: > Date: Wed, 8 May 2024 23:00:00 -0600 > Subject: [Callers] Re: Tony Parkes 1949-2024 > Actually, I don’t think I can give details. Sorry. > > I’m not the author of Empty Shoes and can’t claim I have permission to > share the full choreography widely. It was written by a musician/caller > (Rodney Barnes?) after his father died, and I first learned it from him at > one of the last Folk Fellowship dance camps. Those were invitation-only > groups and the notes were printed in the syllabus/yearbook, which is what I > refer to every time we need it. (Which I regretfully have to do soon, as we > just lost one of our longest-term dancers. I’ve only taught it five or six > times in the last 15 years.) > > While I assume it would probably be fine for me to share the details, I’ve > never seen the dance posted online anywhere and I don’t know the author > that well. I would prefer not to violate his copyrights on something that > could still be sensitive. > > However, I will say that it require a fairly large number of people, > because it is a circular contra with a definite ECD feel and rather more > intricate than the typical contra dance. If I recall correctly, it has a > setting-type balance and a 2-hand turn in it. > > Neal Schlein > Librarian, MSLIS > > > On Wed, May 8, 2024 at 4:21 PM Patricia Campbell @gmail.com> wrote: > >> Would you please describe the dance Empty Shoes? >> >> Thanks! >> >> Patricia >> >> Patricia Campbell >> southern Maine >> >> >> *Celebrating Community Through Traditional Dance and Music* >> >> >> >> On Wed, May 8, 2024 at 5:23 PM Neal Schlein via Contra Callers < >> contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: >> >>> One of the rather idiosyncratic dance groups that I belong to has a >>> specific dance that we do in memory of a recently deceased member, as well >>> as all the other dancers who came and left before. We also do it at camps >>> to remember anyone who can’t join us for whatever reason. The dance is >>> named Empty Shoes. >>> >>> At a more open dance, if it is recent and the person is locally known I >>> might post a note at the front table with a brief obituary and let the >>> volunteers know that a dance will be dedicated at some point in the night. >>> >>> From the microphone, I would make the announcement one dance ahead so >>> people have the chance to step out. Then keep it brief, basically to the >>> extent of, “Some of you may not have heard, but XYZ person passed away >>> recently. They were a valuable part of our/the national dance community >>> for many years and will be missed. The next dance is one that they >>> wrote/particularly enjoyed, and I want to share it with you in their >>> memory.” >>> >>> Neal Schlein >>> Librarian, MSLIS >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net >>> To unsubscribe send an email to >>> contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net >>> >> > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Tina Fields <tfields8(a)yahoo.com> > To: "contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net" < > contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> > Cc: > Bcc: > Date: Thu, 9 May 2024 16:48:14 +0000 (UTC) > Subject: [Callers] Re: Tony Parkes 1949-2024 > Hi everyone, > > I, too, will join in calling a dance in Tony's honor this weekend, one he > wrote or possibly a medley of them. I appreciate Neil Schlein's way of > introducing a memorial dance - thanks for that. Can you also please share > the dance Empty Shoes here? > > I only got to meet Tony once, at RPDLW, and thought his reputation well > deserved: he was one of the finest callers I'd ever heard to date, and a > truly nice person to boot. My condolences to all who loved him. Hail the > Goer! > > warmly, > Tina Fields > > _______________________________________________ > Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net >

6 months, 1 week

Re: Tony Parkes 1949-2024

by Tina Fields

Hi everyone, I, too, will join in calling a dance in Tony's honor this weekend, one he wrote or possibly a medley of them. I appreciate Neil Schlein's way of introducing a memorial dance - thanks for that. Can you also please share the dance Empty Shoes here? I only got to meet Tony once, at RPDLW, and thought his reputation well deserved: he was one of the finest callers I'd ever heard to date, and a truly nice person to boot. My condolences to all who loved him. Hail the Goer! warmly, Tina Fields

6 months, 2 weeks

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