Re: [Callers] Putting Out Fires

Jo wrote: It depends. Has the dance run long enough that you can just call it done and move on to the next thing? If so, good, do that. Sometimes dancers zoning out and screwing up is a sign the dance has run long enough already. Why did it break down? Is it because two couples who didn't really get it were brought together by progression and are now scrambled (in which case you just need to get them moved on to the next couples who do get it - which you probably want to do from the floor rather than over the mic, because it confuses everybody else, and also because they may not be able to process your verbal input) or because the floor really doesn't have it? If it's the whole room, you need to assess what the problem is - is there some tricky bit that isn't happening; did you call the dance wrong? - then another walkthrough may do the trick. If you've gotten the wrong sequence into their bones, then drop it and move on. If you do do another walkthrough, it's a good time to emphasize the simple recovery procedure of progressing one place and waiting for the music to come around again (unless, of course, it's one of those action-outside-the-set dances, which may be more complicated). Sometimes the first time through is really rocky, but by the second time through the floor has it - you don't win anything by stopping and doing another whole walkthrough in those cases. Alan Winston SF Bay Area -- =============================================================================== Alan Winston --- WINSTON(a)SSRL.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU Disclaimer: I speak only for myself, not SLAC or SSRL Phone: 650/926-3056 Paper mail to: SSRL -- SLAC BIN 99, 2575 Sand Hill Rd, Menlo Park CA 94025 ===============================================================================