Re: [Callers] Planning for Medleys

Here goes: First off, keep your band and dancers happy -- don't call a medley as the last dance. The dancer are brain dead by that point, and the band wants to be able to place knock-em-dead tunes (which no one will hear if the caller has to call for the whole dance. Otherwise, here are my guidelines for medleys: 1) Know your dances!! Know where folks should be, who they should be with and where they should be going. You may need to toss additional information into your calls if you see a particular problem. You need to be able to do that concisely and without thinking about it. (This is also another vote for simple dances for medleys) 2) Figure out the dances that you are going to use for the medley and (unless you are at a dance weekend or otherwise somewhere that everyone is experienced) make sure that you've done a dance that includes each of the moves that you plan to use in the medley. If you want to use petronellas in the medley, make sure you've called a dance with 'em at least once earlier in the evening. Even so, it's still good to stick to nice, simple (but good) brainless dances that don't make the dancers try to think. (Unless you're Robert Cromartie at a dance weekend, where he once called Contra Corners in the 2nd dance of a 3 dance medley -- don't try this at home, he's a professional ;-) ) 3) Unless you're very careful and *very good* don't have two of the dances have the same (or similar sounding) first calls. (ie. First dance starts with Balance and Swing, 2nd dance with Do Si Do, third with B&S). Also be wary of dances that have the same series of three figures -- it's easy for dancers to revert to the previous dance if they're too similar and not thinking on their feet -- had that happen recently at an advance dance. Two dances had the same set of figures in the middle, and people kept wanting to follow them with the figure from the first dance rather than the one we were on. 4) Communicate with the band. Is the band going to change tunes with you? If so, work out the communication from the start. What sort of signal does the band want? Remember, that you want to change dances when the couple at the head of the set is going back IN, not when they're coming OUT -- that way everyone gets to dance the first time through the new dance. That means that you signal the band for 1 more time as a couple is coming OUT at the top of the hall. Also, you're going to do the first two dances an odd number of times, and the last dance an even number of times (to get the couple at the top back in for the last time through the dance). ie. 1st and 2nd dances 5 times, 3rd dance 6 times. 5) As you're choosing your calls and dances look out for things that you wouldn't normally have to call, but you have to call -- and even emphacize -- in a medley. Have you change neighbors? Then the call needs to be "NEW NEIGHBORS circle left" or "WITH THE NEXT balance and swing" Is it unclear whether you have changed neighbors? Ambiguity is NOT your friend. If it's ambiguous, find a way to make it clear. Say it's two stars in a row -- are you progressing or not? The difference between: Left hands in for a left hand star Right hands in for a right hand star Left hands in for a left hand star SAME FOUR right hand star and Left hands in for a left hand star WITH THE NEXT right hand star Is really important!! So....that's a little more longwinded than I meant to be, but I think it's said most of what I wanted to say. Almost all of the above rules have resulted from (mainly) me screwing up and realizing -- "Hey that didn't work so well -- I should do that differently!! -- or (less frequently) from seeing something happen to another caller. I hope that they help. Feedback from other experienced callers would be welcome!! Jack Mitchell Durham, NC At 09:26 PM 1/30/2007, you wrote: