Re: [Callers] Putting Out Fires

When I'm doing the newcomers instruction, or instruction at the first dance of the evening, and it's obvious that there are more than the usual number of novice dancers in the crowd, I'll tell them this: You know how, when you're doing couples dancing, like a waltz or swing, and something goes wrong or your timing is off, it's always the guy's fault? Even when it's not really the guy's fault, it's still his fault. Well, contra is community dancing, so when something goes wrong it's always the /caller's/ fault. Even when it's not my fault, it's still "my fault". This usually gets a laugh and makes the newcomers a little less self-conscious about making mistakes. On those rare occasions when things get so out of hand that I have to stop the music and start over, I apologize to the dancers for having chosen a dance that didn't work for them, and pull out a back-up dance that I've called successfully many times before. A few weeks ago I tried calling, for the first time, a double-progression becket with petronella twirls, and one of the lines totally fell apart. Fortunately I had another dance in reserve, also a becket with petronella twirls, that I'd called many times to this group, and it worked fine. Because I often have lots of inexperienced dancers to contend with, I always hold a few simple backup dances in my pocket. I like to challenge myself by calling new and interesting dances, but I find that it's most satisfying when all the dancers are having a great time and are genuinely engaged in the dance, even if all you're calling are dances like Broken Sixpence. -Lewis Land