21 Mar
2006
21 Mar
'06
11:35 p.m.
David Millstone wrote:
I'd suggest
that any caller interested in investigating breaks would do well to purchase a
copy of Ted Sannella's "Calling Traditional New England Squares," which is
full
of general comments and theory, scores of breaks that Ted used, and a CD of Ted
callign squares. The cuts on the CD were chosen in part to illustrate many
different breaks. Two other items that may be helpful are Tom Hinds's recent
publication with a similar title, "Calling New England Squares" and Tom's
earlier "Give Me a Break!" All of these materials are available from the sales
office at Country Dance and Song Society, http://www.cdss.org/sales/index.html
I would like to throw in my own endorsement for Tom Hinds' "Calling New England
Squares" and "Give Me a Break!" I have found both to be very fine resources
as I seek to call fun and satisfying squares. I've been reading and rereading these as
I've been traveling lately.
One of the wisest nuggets is the lesson that squares I find fun to dance may not be
suitable for me to call because callers are generally more experienced dancers. So Tom
offers several ways to analyze squares for suitability to a particular crowd.
I know that some contra dancers think squares aren't fun. It's my judgement that
when callers are very well prepared and the figures are well-matched to the crowd's
ability, I don't hear from those "squares aren't fun" dancers. In fact,
I even hear "that was a fun square!" It's especially satisfying to get a
smile from a grump.
Contrawise, if I am not well prepared on a square, I will hear it.
Jerome Grisanti