Hi Seth,

              Linda Game (English Contra Dance Band) ran a session for the Irish musicians who were going to play for the first contra dance that we ran in Paris.  I have put a copy of her notes at https://contrafusion.co.uk/documents/LindaGameMusicianWorkshop.jpg - I hope Linda won’t mind.

              One interesting exercise that she did was to get four dancers to do some Rory O’Mores to a Reel, then the same sequence to a Jig so that the band could see the effect on the dancers.

              This is meant for callers: https://contrafusion.co.uk/CallersandMusic.html but you might find some useful points there.

              I have danced (ceilidh, but same challenge) to a band who seemed to think that they were playing for a concert.  They put in extra beats and ran improvisations across  the phrases.  They went so wild that you couldn’t hear the phrasing.  It was fantastic to listen to, but a nightmare to try to dance to!

              It is crucial that the band understand that the dancers are listening to the beat and the phrasing.  They especially want to hear the beginning of A1 and B1 clearly and unambiguously.

              Good luck!

            Happy dancing,

                   John                      

John Sweeney, Dancer, England   john@modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802 940 574

http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent