Re: [Callers] Sung fiddle tunes?

Maia wrote: Good question. This is something I've thought about over the years. In general I would be very cautious about this kind of thing for several reasons. It is something that seems more appropriate for events which are gatherings of contra dance enthusiasts, rather than open public dance events. For myself, personally, I would choose simple songs with few words, possibly that folks can sing along with. The singing will preclude other activities--such as flirting and talking amongst dancers--so it has to be done in small doses. This is often done by bands during waltzes around here (San Francisco area). People seem to enjoy it. b) when do you usually stop calling and start singing? What do you do if With a simple song I would start calling and allow dancers to carry the song while I stepped in with calls. But I would probably not even try this unless I were confident that there would be no problems. A simple song, and an easy dance. I wouldn't do this to a hall with more than a few confident newcomers. I wouldn't do it more than once in an evening. And if I did it I would practice carefully with the band until we had it down pat. This is not something you want to do half way. - Greg McKenzie