Re: [Callers] What makes a caller a great caller?

Keith wrote: I want to clarify the cognitive frame I am using here. I see these different venues as having very different purposes and the caller has a very different role in each one. The "level" of calling ability, in my framing, would not correlate with the "level" of dancing experience of the participants. On the contrary, I see calling at dance enthusiast gatherings to require the lowest level of calling expertise. Calling for dance enthusiasts is an easy gig. Calling at a venue that attracts almost entirely dance enthusiasts has its own challenges, but the real challenge of contra dance calling is at the open, public contra dance event where first-timers are welcomed without separate instruction. My measure of a great contra dance caller is how well they handle an open event with 15% first-timers in attendance. These events are the heart and soul of contra dance, and they define the tradition. In this public venue the caller’s first priority should be to integrate the newcomers into the community. A great caller is one who can integrate newcomers seamlessly—with short walk-throughs and smooth transitions into dancing to live music. When a great caller is calling at an open public contra dance all first-timers are immediately partnered with more experienced dancers and the regulars look forward to dancing with newcomers because they recognize that the caller knows how to make that experience exciting, easy, and fun for everyone. The great caller will give the regulars an important and satisfying role to play in partnering with newcomers and guiding them through the moves—without verbal teaching. Instead, the great caller will allow the regulars to “show” the newcomers all of the details they need to know. The great caller will integrate the music into the teaching so that the first-timers will be amazed at how quickly they are able to begin dancing to exciting live music. The regulars will take delight in seeing the excitement and discovery in the faces of the first-timers. When a great caller calls an open public contra dance there will never be a “center line syndrome.” The atmosphere will be cordial, welcoming, generous, and joyful. In fact, a “center line syndrome” is, by this framing, a clear symptom of poor calling. Calling at a “one night stand” or at an exclusive event for dance enthusiasts are both challenging gigs in their own right. The important thing is to recognize that there is a big difference in the skill set required for calling at each kind of event as well as the frame the caller should be using at the event. A full discussion of the skills, strategies, and framings required to manifest the above vision would be very helpful. --Greg McKenzie ******** On Mon, Apr 11, 2011 at 8:27 AM, Greg McKenzie <grekenzie(a)gmail.com> wrote: