1 Aug
2021
1 Aug
'21
9:49 p.m.
Susan,
Was this fiddler Mike Gleason by chance? He often guided me onto new paths. I am now
retired from calling, but viewed a dance as a three-legged stool. The caller, musicians,
and the dances were each legs. When the stool was “level”, all was tight with the world.
John B. Freeman, SFTPOCTJ
Disciple of Susan’s husband Bill Alkire
On Aug 1, 2021, at 9:00 AM, Susan English via Contra
Callers <contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Woody's mention of jazz brought up a deep memory for me. I was patter-calling a
square in Ann Arbor, and the fiddle player walked over to stand very close to me. He
started playing a shuffle in harmony to my patter. I got into the dance such that all my
thought processes disappeared. It was just me, the music, and the dancers. It was a
life-changing experience for me. I say my calling shifted from left brain to right brain
that evening. I wonder if this is what other callers experience when they call without
cards. I still refer to my cards for contras, especially at the beginning and end of a
dance, but the calling comes from deep inside me. Susan