[Callers] Re: Gentlespoons/Ladles (from Rompin' Stompin')

Hi, Allison! Spitball suggestion about courtesy turns for your group in particular (not that I’d do it in a regular beginner workshop). Teach them the courtesy turn hold as a promenade hold (left in left in front, right in right behind), then do a super-simple mixer (partners promenade in that hold, still in that hold, forward and back to the center, turn as a couple with the lark backing and robin going forward, promenade the other direction, turn as a couple enough to be facing in, forward and back to the center, face original promenade direction, robins peel off to the lark behind them and take left in left, right behind, wheeling all the way round to face promenade direction. (I’m not counting beats - work through and modify this as needed for the music you’ve got). I think that gets to a possibly fun-nish dance that teaches the courtesy turn divorced from right and left through or chain, and has more elastic timing than a regular contra.. (I don’t have a swing or anything because I’m really trying to get them used to that courtesy turn hold but only have to figure it out once per partner. Once they’re used to the hold and the scoop I think that then teaching chain or r&l thru should be a piece of cake. You can even turn this into a scatter mixer where you promenade around and find another couple, r&l t over and back, chain one way, keep the new partner and scatter around.) I hope this is helpful. I am just pulling this out of nowhere right now and haven’t tried it at all, but it seems like it might help in your particular circumstances and if you think so too, give it a try, modify as needed. — Alan ________________________________________ From: Allison Jonjak via Contra Callers &lt;contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net&gt; Sent: Tuesday, February 7, 2023 11:40 AM To: John Sweeney Cc: contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net Subject: [Callers] Re: Gentlespoons/Ladles (from Rompin' Stompin') On gentlespoons/ladles, that's the "default" nomenclature set up for contradb.com--EXPLICITLY BECAUSE it's so ridiculous that it "forces" a user to change their dialect to the terms being called at their dance series. (Larks/robins, ladies/gents, a couple other defaults I don't recall off the cuff, and any custom term set is supported). We just didn't want to drive off users by "looking like" we were prescribing one term set or another. The downside is if you take a screenshot of a dance when you're not logged in, it gives ladles/gentlespoons... sorry! I was one who "last heard" that the terms were larks/ravens pre-pandemic, and have now switched to larks/robins in my local dance series. I'm nervous about teaching courtesy turns to a group where 0 dancers have experience, but that's only my hangup to address as a caller. (And I'm just circumventing it until i gain confidence, which I'm sure I'll work up soon.) I've had no pushback from my dancers. (The only feedback I've gotten at a break once was "is larks/ravens so you don't have to call us men and women?" I nodded. "That's smart!" was the reply.) On Tue, Feb 7, 2023 at 1:28 PM John Sweeney via Contra Callers <contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net<mailto:contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net>> wrote: I still have great trouble reading dances written with Larks/Ravens – for me the L means Ladies means the ones on the right. I have to think twice to understand the notation. When I am using gendered terms (which many of my groups/customers still prefer) I would rather use Men than Gents. It has a much clearer sound. Happy dancing, John John Sweeney, Dancer, England john@modernjive.com<mailto:john@modernjive.com> 01233 625 362 & 07802 940 574 http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent _______________________________________________ Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net<mailto:contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net> To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-leave@lists.sharedweight.net<mailto:contracallers-leave@lists.sharedweight.net> -- Pardon brevity; sent by smartphone.