I enjoy teaching dances I have memorized, certainly!  However all the ones I have memorized are folk dances where the tune is always the same, such as Levi Jackson Rag, several Scottish Country Dances and ECD and dozens of international folk dances.  Modern Contras elude me because of the lack of a name tune.  
    One of the most discouraging comments I ever received during a contra callers workshop was “if you can’t memorize 12 dances for an evening, you have no business calling contras.” (Robert Cromartie).  But I’ve had lots of fun since then, ignoring that advice. 
    My cards were stolen in 2006, but I reconstructed them with the help of Chuck Roth and Rich Goss and many other callers. So now I scan my favorite dances so I never lose them, but I still prefer cards when calling dances. I get enough computer time!  Makes it easier for someone to copy (or photo) a dance they like, also.

Lissa Bengtson
San Antonio



On Wed, Jul 28, 2021 at 12:46 PM Bill Olson via Contra Callers <contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Hi Susan, This addresses #2, a potential BACKUP PLAN..... and also "paperless calling" in general, though not in the way you were thinking...

Maybe 25-30 (sheesh maybe more!) years ago I had been calling for several years and also played in a couple dance bands and also did sound at the North Whitefield, Maine 4th Friday dance (this was Ted Sannella's dance for many years). One time the caller didn't show up and I was asked if I could call the dance. I had no cards with me but said OK and had to do it from memory. I got through the dance (barely) without having to repeat any dances (hah hah) but found the experience  very "freeing" not having to look down at a card. (yeah there were a few tense moments there).. Anyway since that time I resolved never to be tied down to paper (or recently to a computer or the internet) and have always called from memory. This makes it easier to interact with the band and more importantly to be aware of what is happening with the dancers out on the floor. Before each dance I make a plan (which is rarely fully adhered to) with dances and "spares".. I go through them in my head on the way to the dance.. There have been several times, though not that many, when I had a brain fart and couldn't remember the dance and had to bail but quickly called a no-brainer one walk-thru dance.. . Before the pandemic (i.e. not calling for a year and a half) I had about 100 dances in the memory bank. Of course to keep things fresh, I would call new ones which I would study for a while before the dance. Some times they got added to the 100 some times not..

OK I understand not everyone trusts their memory like this.. BUT it's not a bad idea to have an evening's program worth of dances that you can recall from memory (or even two or three) just in case you forget your cards at a dance where there is no internet access!!.. Rick Mohr used to have (maybe still does) a business card sized card in his wallet. He developed a shorthand for annotating a dance and claimed he had 100 dances on that card (the printing was very small!).. !! Larry Unger used to carry a set of dance cards in his guitar case.. He wasn't a caller but would give them to the caller in case "something happened", so the show would go on. I.e. it's probably good to have a set of "emergency" dance cards in your wallet or car glove compartment or heck on your smart phone. But I still like being to call from memory.. Good exercise for my brain I guess..

my $.02 worth..

bill olson in Maine

From: Susan English via Contra Callers <contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net>
Sent: Wednesday, July 28, 2021 4:45 PM
To: contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net <contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net>
Subject: [Callers] Paperless Calling
 
As I begin to travel again, I want to leave my dance cards home and access all my material virtually.  I have 2 questions:

1. Which virtual method (or app) do you prefer for accessing your dance instructions and notes?
2. What is your back-up plan at a dance if you can't get on the internet?

Susan  🎶 ☺
330-347-8155 



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