Re: [Callers] Announcing Dance Names (Was: "Lost in Interstellar Haze")

Michael Barraclough wrote: I want to take this opportunity to present another view. I think there are some good reasons not to announce the name of a dance at all. This has become my own practice. One reason comes from the idea that the caller will earn the attention of the dancers by eliminating as much non-essential information as possible from their comments. This is not easy. It involves careful construction of the calls and precise walk-through instructions. It also involves recruiting others to make announcements and eliminating anciallary comments at the microphone. The effect is to train the dancers that your voice always carries essential information. (The most essential information is an instruction to physically move.) In contrast, any non-essential information offers the dancers an opportunity to "tune out" the caller's voice and engage in social interaction. I consider the name and author of the dance to be non-essential information. The caller has a limited amount of "currency" in holding the dancer's attention. All non-essential information draws down the caller's account. That does not mean one cannot tell anecdotes or tell the name of a dance. It just means that callers need to be careful how they use what currency they have. If you find that you have difficulty earning or holding the attention of the dancer's you might want to replay your tape of the evening and pay attention to how much non-essential information you are giving out. You might have over-drawn your account. A contra dance caller needs to intersperse an evening of social intercourse with times when the dancers need to pay careful attention to the caller's voice. Making a courteous and seamless transition between these two activities--without relying upon a loud PA system--is the mark of an excellent contra dance caller. Another reason not to tell the name of a dance is because it carries the implied message that the name is important. Most newcomers are likely to assume that this means that others in the hall already know the dance. Some dancers may feel that they are less prepared because they haven't learned this particular dance previously. This could create unnecessary anxiety among some of the dancers in the hall. Anxiety lowers self-confidence and will make the caller's job more difficult. Not announcing the name puts everyone on more of an equal status. Perhaps we should consider alternatives to announcing the name and author of every dance. One is to only announce the names of dances if the name is meaningful or entertaining. A caller could also make a list of the evening's program, with the names of the dance authors, available to interested participants and announce this early in the evening. I would be interested in what others think of this idea. Regards, Greg McKenzie