Thanks for putting this out there.

A couple thoughts from someone who only occasionally puts a square in a program.

I often wonder about pairing breaks with figures. So some quick index system of this figure goes well with these breaks, avoid these breaks, etc. There are some things I think about, like not using a grand right and left in both or such; but I'm sure there are deeper considerations that I'm ignorant of (visiting breaks for keeper figures and vice versa? etc). So there's some meta-level stuff I'd like to hear unpacked.

Another meta-level thing; which squares do you want to stay square to phrasing (besides singing), and when does it not matter?

A break-out of expected teaching and time it takes: i.e. this is a figure you'll have to walk once, versus this should be walked for heads & sides or everyone. Some of that comes with experience, just calling more squares would make it easier to judge. But I'm personally leery of giving contra dancers a bad square experience, with many groups pre-disposed to grumbling about the time spent teaching (too much time teaching or not enough and it crashes; and sometimes there's not actually a happy middle). A category of "these squares won't take longer than a contra to teach (but are still engaging)"

Looking forward to the book.

On Wed, Oct 26, 2016 at 3:02 PM, Tony Parkes via Callers <callers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:

[Posted to Shared Weight callers’ list and trad-dance-callers list, simultaneously but separately so replies won’t go to both lists]

This message is for those of you who call squares, or have thought you might like to call squares. The rest of you may allow your attention to wander.

I’m writing a book on calling squares in what I think of as neo-traditional style (the style, borrowing from many regional traditions but compatible with contra handholds and timing, that callers tend to use on the contra circuit). It will be at least as long as my contra calling text (300 pages), but will include more repertoire than the contra book, as it seems to me that squares in general, and good squares in particular, are harder to find these days than contras and good contras.

I’ve reached a stage where I know pretty well what I want to cover, but I want to make sure I haven’t overlooked anything. So…

What would you like to see in such a book (assuming you’d buy and/or read it)? What aspects of calling squares are you particularly interested / excited / terrified about?

Public and private replies are welcome. Thanks for your interest and your feedback.

Tony Parkes

Billerica, Mass.

www.hands4.com

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