20 Feb
2012
20 Feb
'12
5:39 p.m.
And some of those dances that flow so well, flow because they keep going in one
direction (usually clockwise) almost the whole time, resulting in very nauseous
dancers. It has happened to me many times (mostly as a dancer). Please watch out
for this when choosing a very flowy dance. Count the number of bars in a dance
spent moving clockwise (circle L, gypsy, swing, allemande R, orbit...).
----- Original Message ----
From: tavi merrill <melodiouswoodchuck(a)gmail.com>
To: callers(a)sharedweight.net
Sent: Sun, February 19, 2012 10:58:17 AM
Subject: Re: [Callers] heys for new dancers
Yeah Beth! I couldn't agree more... the courtesy turn is so underestimated
in how much coordination dancers must have to do it gracefully, and the
regional variation in R&L through can be befuddling... but heys are so
wonderfully innocuous, provided the ratio of experience levels is
appropriate.
It's interesting how organizers' and dancers' experience with the
overcomplicated ways some callers teach specific moves biases them against
the move rather than against a caller's overcomplicated teaching method :
/ As a developing caller i'm finding that the best way to learn is
listening to dancers talk about what teaching methods they've seen work
well versus badly. Listening to dancers has radically improved my teaching
all around.
When it comes to dances with good "flow", i'm learning they (can) be a
double edged sword. I love how Bob put it that in Flirtation Reel "the body
WANTS to go in the right direction, and the soul follows". However, a
fellow caller pointed out to me recently that some dances which "flow"
beautifully also have high piece count. In his opinion, sometimes dances
which have a moment to pause between moves (eg. ladies' chain to circle L)
are good because they give newbies a moment to think/digest the motion.
Still figuring out how i feel about that idea on a dance-by-dance basis.
Either way, it strikes me how often we humans can take a good rule-of-thumb
and make it a terrible ironclad principle.
On Feb 18, 2012, at 2:43 PM, beth(a)hands4.com wrote:
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LOL, I once had a caller berate me for using
Flirtation Reel as a
dance to teach beginners (this was a beginner's workshop at NEFFA,
they really were beginning something.) He rather emphatically said
"how could you use a non-standard hey as a teaching tool?" Until
then I hadn't realized there was a standard vs. a non-standard hey.
Actually I still don't think there is.
I don't remember who the caller was, but I do remember the comment
<G>.
I also once had a dance organizer inform me "Do not teach a hey in
the first half of the evening." There are so many other moves that
people think are easy that are actually quite difficult for new
folks: right and left through for example. Banning a hey seems a bit
arbitrary, but I assume the dance had a bad experience at some time.
Beth
-----Original Message-----
From: Linda Leslie
Sent: Friday, February 17, 2012 11:24 PM
To: Caller's discussion list
Subject: Re: [Callers] Heys for new dancers
On Feb 17, 2012, at 7:55 AM, barb kirchner wrote:
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Sun, 19 Feb 2012 02:28:28 +0000
From: barb kirchner <barbkirchner(a)hotmail.com>
To: <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
Subject: Re: [Callers] Heys for new dancers
Message-ID: <SNT134-W46A809C54F37FB35C10B0FDE610(a)phx.gbl>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
any dance that has good "flow" is going to be easier for dancers, old and
new. when you find them, you keep them - because they work.
Message: 4
Date: Sun, 19 Feb 2012 00:45:49 -0500
From: Robert Golder <robertgolder(a)comcast.net>
To: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
Subject: Re: [Callers] Heys for new dancers
Message-ID: <3B2F5DAD-8814-44D8-977A-549C88738630(a)comcast.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
If there is a "standard" in hey dances, then Flirtation Reel is the gold
standard. It is a perfect blend of aesthetics and ergonomics. It works
because the body WANTS to go in the right direction, and the soul follows.
I have just returned from calling a little community dance of 1/3
experienced dancers and 2/3 beginners, much as Linda described. Of course
we danced Flirtation Reel. Committed to memory for use at a moment's
notice, Flirtation Reel is at the top of my list of dances that are
accessible to newcomers, but reward my experienced folks on the floor for
hanging in there. ... Bob
i like teaching "the ladies' pattern". ladies walk the same path
(turn left, end on right) for a promenade, right and left through,
ladies chain, and hey. they're kinda used to looping out a little,
because in the first three figures, they're actually walking around a
person - easy enough to get the concept of walking around a ghost
from
there.
Certainly useful techinique, if heys you will be using for the
evening are right in the center, left shoulder at the ends.
Flirtation Reel is a good example of Left shoulder in the center,
right shoulder at the ends. Most dancers don't have trouble with
this difference, but I have occasionally had dancers be a bit
surprised that heys can and do vary.
Linda