[Callers] The Descent of Traditional Contra Dance (Was Glen Echo...) LONG

Kalia, My apologies. The ideas I am trying to put into words are rather unconventional among callers. The models we commonly use to frame our experience as callers sometimes do not fit. I am looking for a different paradigm. These are all good questions and they inspire me to do better. Thank you for your comments. This helps. I am addressing the calling situation at a regular, open public contra dance series where typically there is a significant portion of the hall made up of regular attendees as well as a significant segment of dancers attending for the first time who have no exposure to the tradition of contra dance. One night stands, camps, most festivals, and other events not designed for or promoted to the general public are a different situation and I see the caller's job as significantly different in those circumstances. Kalia asked: No. I have never done that. For me that would be too heavy-handed. One "rule" I use to keep myself focused is: "Never indicate by word, deed, or implication that anyone in the hall might be behaving poorly or that anyone in the hall is not capable of dancing well." To intervene in the partnering process would be an expression of my lack of confidence in the partnering decisions of some individuals on the floor. My approach is to foster and lead rather than to direct and correct. As the caller I see it as my job to make sure that dancing with first-timers is fun, easy, and exciting. Through my actions, and non-actions, I work to send clear signals that all of the regulars have the option of being part of the excitement and fun of sharing their passion for contras with first-timers. If I ever did address dancers individually on the floor it would be with an apologetic tone and, of course, off mike. The majority will pick up on the situation and my signals, but there will always be some who have other priorities. There are typically plenty of well-qualified regulars who can partner with first-timers and we don't need the full-time support of all of the regulars in every dance slot. There is plenty of room for other agendas. I can get a pretty good idea of how well the first-timers are integrated into the hall by how the walk-through goes, but the regulars know exactly who needs a more experienced partner. My job is to make it clear that this will be an enjoyable role and that the I will make sure that everyone will succeed. My experience is that folks look forward to leading newcomers--if they are given all the information they need, exactly when they need it. What about the new folks who get scooped up by the not-so-experienced Anyone who has danced one night is qualified to partner with first-timers. That's the beauty of contras. After the last note of a dance slot I always ask folks to find a *new *partner. Yes. When it's fun, some regulars will dance almost exclusively with newcomers. This will be obvious to some of the other regulars and they have the option of intervening quickly and effectively--by asking a first-timer to dance. In a "wonderful dance community" the responsible regulars will want to step up and make sure the first-timers have a more balanced experience. My efforts are to project my confidence, as the caller, in the dancers--not only in their ability to dance well, but also in their ability to lead newcomers through the moves and to make those folks feel welcomed and confident. I let the dancers know that I believe in their ability to do that. How about when the experienced dancers are outnumbered by new dancers? Since anyone with one night of experience can partner with a first-timer then the above situation is unlikely at an open, public contra dance. If the "busload of chattering first-timers" arrives an hour late I would adjust my program and treat it more like a one night stand. This has not yet happened to me. But I would still conduct myself as the leader of a team rather than as a single teacher on stage. I would regard all of the regulars as leaders in their own right and use that considerable experience to address the situation, even if there are only a handful of them in the room. At what point in the evening can folks just dance with whoever they want to > dance with? Folks are free at any time to dance with whomever they want to. I never directly ask the regulars to partner with first-timers. Before the first dance I urge the first-timers to "find someone who has danced at least one night. I feel that--if I am doing a good job as caller--there will be plenty of folks who want to partner with first-timers. Some will do it out of a sense of "duty" but others realize that it will be more fun for them and everyone else if they do so. (Dancing with your favorite partner in a set that keeps breaking down is probably less fun than dancing in a working set with a happy newcomer. Contras are structured to embody the idea that "we are all in this together.") When they arrive at the hall about half of the first-time contra dancers are already dancing regularly at some other type of dance event. Others may have previous dance training. The "first-time dancer of any kind" is rare, so there is almost always considerable dance experience in the hall to help the caller. (See "Dance Habits of Contra Dance Attendees<http://santacruzdance.org/drupal/node/114>" at: <http://santacruzdance.org/drupal/node/114>) I suspect that after dancing the first two or three contras of an evening at least half of the "first-timers" will have "gotten" enough of the lingo and concepts to, potentially, partner with the remaining first-timers. Most of them may not realize this but some of them probably will. I appreciate your concept but it seems to be leaving the real world out of Well, I have not invoked the "R-word" here. Almost all of what we post here is personal opinion based upon our personal experience. That experience varies for each of us depending on a lot of factors. In short, the "reality" of what people do at our dances and what the caller's role is at these events varies with what frame is active in the brain of the person making the comment. In my own "real world" a big part of the caller's job is to be a leader. "Leadership" implies movement from one place, or state, to another (so that others can "follow.") And leadership also implies that the caller's job involves changing the "reality" of what is happening in the room. Great callers take a room full of people--many who don't know each other, and some who may not even *like *each other--and transform it into a magical, joyful, and transformational event where extraordinary connections between people are possible. To do that we need a capable group of musicians, managers, and regular attendees who are passionate about making this tradition work. It has always been a team effort, in most forms of dance. And all dance instructors use the experience of those in the room to help. It is a collaborative learning experience. I see open, public contra dances as particularly adaptable to collaborative learning and I feel that this approach could be employed much more effectively by many contra dance callers. Rather than talking about how the "real world" limits what we can accomplish as a community I would rather talk about how we, as a community, can alter that world. That is what leaders have always done. That's why I started calling contras. I'm not saying this is easy. I see the open, public contra dances as the most challenging type of gig for a caller. What works for me is to be very precise and clear in my calls and to structure the calls using the most effective word order so that all of the dancers hear the instruction precisely when they need the information. That builds the confidence of all of the dancers and makes the regulars more comfortable with partnering with first-timers. I am also very strategic in my programming and in all of my behaviors at the mike so that my nonverbal behavior is consistent with my words and goals. I think what it comes down to is that the caller needs to let the dancers know that she believes in them. That she believes not only in their ability to dance well but also in their ability to lead others and to make them feel welcomed. The caller does this, not only by modeling such behavior at the mike, but also by creating a space in which the regulars can "take the lead" and by giving the regulars all of the information that they need to succeed. The caller creates this "leadership space" to a great extent by what she does NOT do. When the caller, for example, says "Please find someone who has danced contras at least one night and form three contra dance lines," she does NOT tell the dancers how to line up. She does NOT tell them to "join at the bottom of the set with the lady on the right facing the stage." She assumes that the regulars are taking care of that situation. Instead of giving long explanations at the mike the caller simply says the *name *of the figure and allows the regulars to lead. This traditional collaborative approach is very fast, effective, and fun. It doesn't work as well at some other types of events. But when you have a base of regulars in the room it seems like a shame not to use it. Others do it very differently. And many other callers have different goals than I do. Thanks for reading. - Greg McKenzie West Coast, USA