23 Feb
2010
23 Feb
'10
1:12 p.m.
Ruth,
This sounds like a creative solution to the challenge of a "theme
dance." I would love to hear more about how this tactic worked in
practice. How was the idea of inserting poetry into the evening's
program received?
Another approach to "themes" is more bold but, perhaps, less
intrusive. That is the technique used by the musicians who insert
parts of recognizable songs or tunes into their medleys. This can
often encounter some of the same difficulties of imposing a "theme"
on the dance names--because the "theme" tune may not work as well
with the dance. But I see this as less risky than restricting
yourself to a small subset of your dance collection simply because
the names of the dances fit a "theme."
Hall decorations, costume suggestions, and special activities (such
as door prizes) can all contribute to the "theme" of an
evening. These are probably preferable to restricting your dance
collection based upon the names.
*********
At 10:10 AM 2/16/2010, Ruth Pershing wrote:
Once quite a while back in order to create a
Valentine's theme for the
evening, I put together a program as I usually would, looking for good
pacing, balance of figures and interaction, appropriate to the
expected crowd, etc. Then, I wrote a series of light-hearted verses
like limericks, roses are red..., and little couplets that I read as
folks got ready for each dance. That way, I could call just what
seemed right, and create a festive atmosphere at the same time.
Now, if I could just find those verses...;-)
~Ruth
On Feb 16, 2010, at 12:00 PM, callers-request(a)sharedweight.net wrote:
From: "Barbara Groh" <barbaragroh(a)bellsouth.net>
Date: February 15, 2010 12:06:12 PM EST
To: "Caller's discussion list" <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
Subject: Re: [Callers] Valentine's theme dance - followup/aftermath
Reply-To: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
I agree, Greg....a theme should never carry more importance than the
actual programming. However, if a caller has a large enough
collection of dances to choose from, and enough experience to know
what will work and what won't, then a theme can add a little fun to
the evening. In other words, having a theme is not NECESSARILY a
recipe for disaster. But it certainly requires extra care to avoid
getting in over one's head.
~Barbara
----- Original Message ----- From: "Greg McKenzie" <gregmck(a)earthlink.net
>
To: "Caller's discussion list" <callers(a)sharedweight.net>et>;
<callers(a)sharedweight.net >
Sent: Monday, February 15, 2010 11:25 AM
Subject: Re: [Callers] Valentine's theme dance - followup/aftermath
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At 05:20 AM 2/15/2010, Andy Shore wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The program was a bit overly-ambitious for the
crowd we got, but it
was fun and we made it through. There were more "new to me" (marked
with the + above) dances than I like to present in an evening,
mostly because I was determined to stick with the theme. In
retrospect that wasn't the best idea.
Thank you Andy for this cogent and self-critical analysis. We need
more of that. It is clear that you are learning from your
experience.
I admit that I view dance program "themes" with considerable
dread...as soon as I become aware that the caller is embarking upon
one. As your analysis reflects, the selection of dances for a
"theme" evening often veers far from the course of what program would
"work" best for the crowd, the hall, and the music...all for the sake
of keeping the names of the dances in character with some
"theme." This idea is a recipe for a difficult evening of
over-teaching and long walk-throughs and "theme evenings" should be a
signal of danger to all in the hall.
I wish callers would consider any "theme" to be the developing
story-line of all of the dances considered from the perspective of a
mixed crowd of dancers looking for an enjoyable social evening. This
is how any good evening of contra dance should be programmed and the
name of the dance is seldom a useful indicator of where the dance
would best be positioned in the evening's program, or if it should be
included at all.
Just a thought.
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