Re: [Callers] Concerns calling for total beginners in highschool

I encourage you It is not possible to communicate the basics and culture of contras to an entire room of I agree with Greg. Getting a roomful of non-dancers to learn contras is certainly possible, but it will be successful ONLY if they are REALLY there to learn contras. If they just want a traditional dance experience, mixers and simple dances like the VA. Reel are so much more appropriate...and fun. If you only have an hour, Noah, I'd stick with those and not even try a simple contra at the end. It's likely to fall apart, making you look bad and them feel frustrated. You can explain that to the organizers. The progression & timing of a contra dance is just a lot for a group of newbies to manage if there are no "ringers" to help them along. (Keep this in mind if you start getting requests to call "contra dances" at wedding receptions. It's likely that the either the bride or groom has been to one or 2 dances & think it would be great fun at their wedding. Unless at least 1/2 of their guests are experienced dancers, TALK THEM INTO MIXERS AND SIMPLE REELS. Once you add alcohol and high heels to the mix, you'll be doing good to herd those cats at all.) However, contra dancing is now the cool thing amongst many high school kids, and they may have an honest interest in it. If your school group is keen on learning a new skill & is prepared for more extensive teaching, then you could have success teaching a real contra dance. I just don't think an hour would be enough time. There are contra dance classes for elementary and high school kids these days, but in general they are a series, not just one event. If you had 90 mins. or 2 hours, maybe you could pull it off. Good luck...this sounds like a real learning opportunity for you! ~Barbara Groh