[Callers] Blind dancers

--- You wrote: Has anyone else had experience with blind dancers? --- end of quote --- Yes, I know several, one of whom was not particularly skilled as a dancer and others who move quite comfortably. I once had the opportunity to call for a program run by the "Ski for Light" organization. This group pairs blind individuals with sighted partners, and they spend their days skiing, either cross-country or downhill, depending on the interests and skills of the folks involved. One night, they had a dance as their evening activity. The organizer, a friend and a dancer herself, told me what I could expect on the dance floor: 1/2 partials ("partial" meant folks who were partially blind, which she explained meant that they could see light and dark, but not much more), 1/4 totals, and 1/4 seeing but clueless (clueless about dancing, that is, not about skiing.) We had a lot of fun! I spoke to a blind dancing friend and asked for help. She suggested that I call dances with physical contact-- stars, long lines, four in line, allemande rather than do-si-do, for example-- to make it easier for people to stay in touch with each other. She also suggested that I place the PA speakers in one place, at the center of the hall rather than our more common speakers off to two different sides of the stage. She said that this would make it easier for folks to hear one consistent sound to identify the top of the hall to use as a reference point. With the consent of the organizers of the Ski for Light group, we announced their dance at our regular evening and attracted half a dozen or so dance helpers to come. They spread themselves out on the floor and helped out a lot. Good times! David Millstone