[Callers] Fwd: Re: Re: calling weddings

oops meant to send this to all :) Jul 3, 2023 6:00:06 PM Katherine Kitching <kat(a)outdooractive.ca>ca>: I agree with Lisa - focus on what will make this event the most enjoyable for the guests and bride and groom. I've done a number of weddings. The lesson I keep (re)learning is: "keep it simple, simpler, simpler" . Every time I think I've got a great program, and pretty much every time, the guests have struggled with my 3rd or 4th dance as it was too complex.  and this is after I keep simplifying things each time :) If alcohol is involved, you definitely want to make the dances uber simple - and not plan anything that has to fit squarely to the music.  Things tend to take twice as long if people have been drinking. Also I find the bride and groom invariably overestimate how much time their guests will want to spend doing this. So many times i've been booked for 90-120 minutes, and all those times i've only ended calling for 45-60 minutes and that has been the perfect amount for that crowd. For most of the guests, they will enjoy it as a novelty, not a full-evening event. In addition to that, the whole evening of dinner, speeches, etc nearly always runs late, so that can also cut into dancing time. Here are some programming notes: I always ask the couple if they would like a "first dance" (especially if there is a live band!) and if they would like it to be "a lively hoe-down tune" or a waltz.  they usually like this idea. I invite everyone to gather in a circle around the bride and groom, and they start dancing while we move to the music in the circle .. after a minute or two, I encourage everyone to start dancing (either waltzing or just jumping around clapping and doing elbow turns if they couple chose the lively hoe-down). Next dance is the spiral dance. Always a big hit. I start in a circle, get everyone to listen to the music, clap to the music, we circle left, we circle right, we go in and back a couple times... then I just wind it up and unwind it -with the bride and groom right beside me so they end up in the centre during the wind-up. Third dance I do this very simple circle mixer: if drinking is involved, I pre-teach nothing. If minimal drinking, I pre-teach a right-hand balance and pull-by... Circle left Circle right Into the centre and stomp Into the centre raise arms and say "hey!" then they have 32 counts (or more, if drinking!) to wander around, and (if drinking) just nod and say hello to anyone they meet, or if not drinking, to find at least one person to do a right-hand balance and pull-by with, maybe 2 or 3 people if they are quick - then we reform the circle and start again. I would run this through maybe 6 or 7 times. After that, I often do a simple line dance- If not drinking, I make it a mixer - I designate one line as the robins and the other as the larks, If drinking/really easily confused, they just stick with their same partner the whole time, and I make it shorter. LLFB walk forward, pull by your partner by the right hand to switch places, turn to face partner again, double-clap. LLFB walk forward and pull your partner by the right hand again so you are back to your original spot (clap clap) Peel the banana: (I demo this first with a smaller group in the centre of a teaching circle, so everyone sees how it works) Top couple peels off down the outside, everyone follows - meet your partner at the bottom, take inside hands, and walk back up to the top (emphasize that you come back to your exact same position at the end of this figure) - then once you're back to your spot, do a two-hand turn. Mixer version- for more competent, focused crowd- Top Robin dances down the centre, to the bottom of the Robin line (emphasize they stay in their OWN line!!) while bottom Lark dances up the centre, to the top of the Lark line (you must emphasize they stay in their OWN line!) everyone re-adjust so they are facing a new partner, nod to the new partner - start the dance again (if multiple lines, get ppl to dance on the spot till all the lines are ready). Non Mixer version - get the top couple to sashay, or do a free-form silly dance, down to the bottom, everyone else slides up a spot, start the dance again. I do not even try to stay on a regular pattern with the music, for the above. ---- Then a final dance that can work is a "scatter dance" of a simple contra style.... set people up with a dance partner, and pre-teach any figures in a big teaching circle. Note I teach them "right hand turn" /"left hand turn" instead of "allemande" cause it's easier to remember... then get them to form "duples" with another couple for the dance... Could do something like: circle left circle right star left star right left hand turn your partner right hand turn your neighbour (the person standing closest to you who is not your partner) balance the ring two times everyone bow to each other wave bye bye skip around the room with your partner, find another duple, restart the dance (I will be off the music at this point, and won't care). if by chance they wanted a second scatter dance, and they seem to be doing well with learning new figures, you could do something like: circle left star left balance and petro balance and petro (note in this scatter orientation it doesn't matter where the petro takes you) do si do your partner do si do your neighbour as couples do si do and scatter to find new duples.... (with credit to Sherry Nevin!) Kat in Halifax Jul 3, 2023 5:04:59 PM Lisa Sieverts via Contra Callers <contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net>et>: