Come to think of it, there's one very good time a night to change the ending (a tip
learned long ago from David Kirchner); the first dance of the evening.  This acts like an
auxiliary sound check - if many dancers don't swing or look confused, especially in
the far corners of the hall, you're not being heard well over the band. - Bob
 
  Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2012 18:00:44 -0800
 From: winston(a)slac.stanford.edu
 To: callers(a)sharedweight.net
 Subject: [Callers] Changing on the last round for a partner swing
 
 Callers --
 
 Looking for opinions.
 
 As a caller, I will usually alter (if necessary), the last dance of a medley,
 the last dance of the first half, or the last dance of evening to end with a
 partner swing if it doesn't work that way in the choreography. (You know, that
 "This time, circle half and swing your partner" or "This time, just keep
on
 swinging!" thing.)
 
 I'll usually leave the other dances alone. They end how they end; the band
 gets to crescendo and I don't have to be heard, and the dancers get something
 other than utter predictability.
 
 (As a dancer I don't like utter predictability; I begin to get a teeny bit
 bored if the callers changes every dance to end with a partner swing.)
 
 But I mentioned this to my date, and she *loves* it when the caller changes the
 dance to make it a partner swing so that it feels like you're finishing with
 the partner who asked you, and feels disappointed if the caller doesn't make
 those changes. I mentioned the issue of stepping on the band's hot ending; as
 a dancer, that meant nothing to her.
 
 So what do y'all think? What do you do? How you do think people like it?
 
 (Nobody's ever complained to me that I didn't alter endings enough, and I
 doubt that's the kind of thing anybody complains to anybody about, but it
 probably has some impact on dancers enjoyment of the evening.)
 
 Thanks!
 
 -- Alan
 
 -- 
 ===============================================================================
 Alan Winston --- WINSTON(a)SSRL.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU
 Disclaimer: I speak only for myself, not SLAC or SSRL Phone: 650/926-3056
 Paper mail to: SSRL -- SLAC BIN 99, 2575 Sand Hill Rd, Menlo Park CA 94025
 ===============================================================================
 
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