15 Jan
2013
15 Jan
'13
2:22 a.m.
The caller is responsible not only to the band but to the dancers on the floor and to the
dance organizers. Typically the caller "performs" best when least visibly
performing. However, in order to facilitate the total experience of music and dance, the
caller exercises judgment. Sometimes it's best for the caller to be silent, but
sometimes the caller will call as the dance finishes. This is the responsibility of the
caller, who is hired to look after the total social experience in the hall, and to
exercise sound judgment in order to get the best result for the participants. The dance
organizers get to decide whether a caller is taking responsibility or showboating, and
they are also the ones who make a similar assessment of the musicians.
On Jan 14, 2013, at 11:31 PM, Dave Casserly <david.j.casserly(a)gmail.com> wrote:
I'm with Bob on this one. When I'm in the
band, I do not like it at all
when a caller insists on talking into the microphone during the last couple
times through the dance, whether to end the dance with a partner swing or
otherwise. That is the time for the band to make an exciting ending. I
don't mind a "last time" at the top to warn the dancers, but anything more
than that, I find pretty intrusive. I know this isn't necessarily the same
view most musicians have, and I've certainly have callers be unhappy with
my views on the matter.
If you want the dance to end with a partner swing, call a dance that ends
with a partner swing. Or the "last time" note can lead astute dancers to
find a way themselves to swing their partner at the end. But I'm not a fan
of callers saying anything into the mic after dancers have already mastered
the dance.
-Dave
On Mon, Jan 14, 2013 at 10:07 PM, Bob Isaacs <isaacsbob(a)hotmail.com> wrote:
--
David Casserly
(cell) 781 258-2761
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As a musician and a caller, I have mixed feelings on callers jumping
back in for the last time through. Changing the dance to end with a
partner swing ("this time, long lines, swing your partner") can be
nice, but mostly I don't think bringing the calls back in adds very
little and detracts from the music.
No mixed feelings here - I feel a caller who calls the last time thru for
calls the dancers have already mastered is just flat out ego-tripping. In
effect, they're saying "Remember me, I'm still here - don't forget to
applaud for me too." The main reason bands want 2 or 3 to go out is to
build to a satisfying finish. Most modern bands have learned how to do
that so dancers can feel it coming, and calling over that is at best
distracting and at worst disrespectful for what the band has been working
towards all along.
I do change some dances to finish with a partner swing, especially when
the dance has a lot of partner action. But even then, just call the last
B2, not the whole dance. A simple "THIS TIME, go forward and back, and
swing" reunites partners at the end without getting in the band's way. For
slots that are primarily band showcases, such as the last dance of the
first half or the last dance of the night, I'll favor Becket dances that
end with a partner swing so that isn't needed.
If you want to be calling at the end of a dance, call a square.
Otherwise, let the band have the undivided attention of the dancers -
Bob
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