Re: [Callers] Caller Leadership, (Was: Duties of the Caller Role)

Greg's response to this query makes several very interesting points, but ultimately it comes down to the fact that the caller has a leadership position in the dance and has to be willing to accept responsibility for what goes on. The musicians are essential, but they're not in a position to address most of the problems that might arise. Experienced dancers can certainly make a dance go more smoothly by making it a point to dance with newcomers, but as Greg points out, it's the caller that owns the PA system, and is in a position to see everything going on on the dance floor, and can thus identify problems before they cause a line to fall apart. Whenever I'm asked to do the newcomers instruction (and regardless of the opinions of others, that 20 - 30 minutes of instruction really is essential in venues where contra dancing is as alien to some as untethered spacewalking) I will usually observe that with couples dancing, if anything goes wrong it's always the man's fault. Even if it isn't his fault, it's still "always the guy's fault". Since contra is a community dance, when something goes wrong, it's always the caller's fault... even when it's not my fault, it's "still my fault". I always share this information with the dancers in a lighthearted manner, and it always gets me a laugh, but I make it clear that I'm serious. I don't want to sound too paternalistic about my role as a caller, but in many respects calling a contra dance is very much like parenting. Anyone who's had to escort a group of children, or even more challenging, a group of teenagers, to some public event knows that you always have to be prepared to respond quickly to any crisis that might arise. You can't expect someone else to step in and solve your problem if, for example, one of the kids in your group has decided to climb over the wall of the polar bear enclosure. Shit happens. Ultimately it's the caller who has to be in charge. Lewis Land I don’t recall the original source, and I don’t want to encourage the authoritarian leanings of this list so I won’t try to find it. For me the principle stands on its own merits. I do recall that many callers stated this principle as: “It’s always the caller’s fault.” This was to emphasize that the caller should assume that any misunderstanding is an error on the caller’s part…not the dancers. It can lower the confidence of many first-timers if they believe that *they* are the reason something went wrong, and that anxiety will make it difficult for those newcomers to follow subsequent instructions. By taking responsibility for any “mistakes” the caller defuses this anxiety reaction somewhat. I think most callers, however, assumed that this principle was an exaggeration intended as a form of humor. This is unfortunate because it is the most useful framing I know of to cultivate leadership in the dance community. Note that this maxim also applies to many other roles where the speaker uses a PA system. Any Master of Ceremonies with experience will also take full responsibility for what happens in the hall. In the case of a dance caller, this individual has the added authority vested in them by the tradition they follow to instruct those in the room regarding their precise physical movements. This is an awesome power which can only be wielded effectively when the speaker also takes responsibility for the hall. Notice that the dance caller: - is at the front of the room, usually on an elevated platform, where they can be seen by anyone in the room. - is able to see anyone in the room from that position. - is using a PA system that effectively makes them the only one in the room who can project their voice clearly to every person in the room. - is the only individual in the room who knows the requirements of the dance, the capabilities of the band, and who also has a pretty good idea of the capabilities of the dancers. (The caller knows all of this simultaneously.) The ideal situation is, of course, when everyone in the hall takes full responsibility for what happens in the hall. In fact, this is the way collective community dance works! But the person at the mike is in a unique position. Given the advantaged position described above it might be well to ask: If the caller is not willing to take responsibility, then why should anyone else? Karen D. quoted, from the list archive, the following comments on what the caller is probably NOT responsible for. Yet these are excellent examples of challenges a caller can address by personally owning the problem. Here are some of my thoughts just off the top of my head. (And these responses must come off the top of your head when any emergency presents itself.) The “wonderful dance community” frame is your best resource in an emergency: I can stop and re-start the band several times, but it's not my "full