15 Feb
2012
15 Feb
'12
11:40 p.m.
Tavi wrote:
-* heys *can be a surprisingly easy move. I recently
had a
conversation
with another caller who shares the opinion that heys are actually
easier
for newbs to properly execute than are ladies chains. The biggest
problem
i've noticed with heys is that many experienced dancers seem to
think of
them as somehow challenging, and when a caller says they'll be
teaching a
hey, experienced dancers will often give some body language or
comment that
raises the newbies' affective filter. Our trick as callers is
figuring out
how to keep that affective filter down, and deliver the instructions
for a
hey as simply as possible.
I agree with Tavi that heys don't have to be perceived as a difficult
move. I use them all the time with newer dancers, using the following
guidelines:
A full hey which occurs anywhere but in the B2 is easier, since the
dancers do not have to progress out of the hey
A hey which ends up with a B & S, or gypsy and S (either P or N) will
smooth over any tendency to get a bit lost. Great dances that are
perfect examples are:
The Carousel by Tom Hinds
Flirtation Reel by Tony Parkes
There are many others!
Sometimes using a dance that introduces a half hey is a great way to
get folks ready for a full hey later on in the evening.
These dances add variety.
One other quick point that I thought about when Emily first posted,
but did not share at the time: I use four in line down the hall quite
a bit with new dancers. I have never found that it caused confusion
about location in space/the dance. Quite the contrary, it gives folks
encouragement to move to the music in a quite natural way, and is
another move that adds variety. I can understand avoiding these dances
because of space constraints. However, four in line down the hall to a
great march makes for wonderful dancing.
Cheers! Linda