Re: [Callers] Not always the caller's fault!

Sorry, folks, but this conversation is pushing a personal button about not using words like "always" and "never" unless it's truly so. I completely agree with Greg, Martha, and others that in general, the caller does and should bear responsibility for problems on the dance floor. But I can't agree that this is always the case. Consider these two scenarios, among others: 1) In a large dance hall at a festival with 500 dancers, one of ten contra lines begins to break down when pairs of less experienced dancers happen to meet simultaneously in three different minor sets and become confused. The rest of the hall is fine. The caller can't intervene personally by, for example, running out on the floor. 2) During the 12:15 am - 2:00 am set at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, again with hundreds of dancers, the caller calls a relatively easy dance requiring little thought. Some dancers, who are in a range of mental states from alcohol, etc., have trouble staying oriented and coordinated, causing recurring problems in their sets. I'd argue that in these contexts, though the dance floor itself is experiencing a breakdown, the caller hasn't done anything wrong, nor does s/he have the responsibility of fixing the problem. In the first scenario, the caller must select dances for and call to the broadest possible swath of dancers among those present, recognizing that some minor problems are inevitable. In the second scenario, the inebriated dancers are entitled to participate in the dance at that venue, and there's little the caller can do to improve their mental coordination. So I'd say the caller almost always has responsibility for problems that occur in the hall, but in certain scenarios does not, or at least has limited responsibility relative to most situations. --Jeremy _________________________________________________________________ The New Busy is not the old busy. Search, chat and e-mail from your inbox. http://www.windowslive.com/campaign/thenewbusy?ocid=PID28326::T:WLMTAGL:ON:…