25 Feb
2014
25 Feb
'14
5:09 p.m.
I think that dancers learn to put the lady on the right faster if you use dances with the
swing followed by a promenade at the beginning of a program. After a keeper and a mixer
with a promenade, I am more successful using a circle after a swing.
I may also leave a swing out on the first dance with some variation of Circle left/right,
Fwd & Bk, with Alle Left, with own Dosido, back to corner Alle Left, back to your own
& promenade. After prompting the promenade I quickly remind dancers Men on the
inside.
Rich
________________________________
From: Maia McCormick <maia.mcc(a)gmail.com>
To: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
Sent: Tuesday, February 25, 2014 11:50 AM
Subject: Re: [Callers] Social Dance Club intro program
On busload-of-beginner nights, I inform the dancers that "the lady ends on
the right... because... [shamefacedly] the lady is always right." Then I
apologize profusely for having said anything that corny (not to mention
gendered) and I promise never to do it again, but they always remember.
(Another good one is noting that a swing has a blunt end and a pointy end,
and showing them how it'll always end up with the lady on the correct side
if you let go of the pointy end.)
On Tue, Feb 25, 2014 at 1:46 AM, Alan Winston At Slac <
winston(a)slac.stanford.edu> wrote:
We aargh at saying on the left and having to correct
it to on the right.
Sent from my iPhone
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On Feb 24, 2014, at 6:49 PM, Michael Fuerst
<mjerryfuerst(a)yahoo.com>
wrote:
Alan: Since when do we aargh on on right ?
Michael Fuerst 802 N Broadway Urbana IL 61801
217-239-5844
Links to photos of many of my drawings and
paintings are at
www.ArtComesFuerst.com
On Monday, February 24, 2014 6:35 PM, Alan Winston <
winston(a)slac.stanford.edu> wrote:
On 2/24/2014 2:48 PM, Alan Winston wrote:
partner).
If it were me I'd be inclined to do it
somewhat differently. (The
suggestions that have been made so far
are just fine, though.)
First night:
Circassian Circle Mixer
(Or some other super-easy mixer with a swing in it. Teaches listening
to the caller, doing things to the phrase, ending swings with the lady
on the left,
AARGH. on the right.
> gets them used to changing partners rather than dancing
> only with the one they came in with. Since it's not a one-night stand
> dance - that is, they're supposed to learn something - you want them
> doing a contra-dance swing; this gets the experienced contra dancers
> into the arms of as many people as possible right away. Swings are
> easier to do right once you've felt them being done right.) This is a
> dance that doesn't fail, so they'll feel successful right away. Pretty
> much immune to tune choice so long as the band is clear about phrasing.
>
> Big Circle
>
> A1: Forward and back twice
>
> A2: Women to center and back to place
> Men to center and back to woman originally on his left (not >
> B1: They swing
>
> B2: Promenade around, open to to big circle.
>
> [You might want to just have them swing their first partner and open up
> facing in, and then tell them that they're done with that person and the
> next partner is in their other hand]
>
>
> Some kind of Sicilian Circle ideally with a partner swing and a neighbor
> swing. Gets them used to improper formation but without having to deal
> with action at the ends of the set. (Although it's not totally ideal, I
> often use "Soldier's Joy", mostly because it's a Civil War era
version
> and I use it when I'm calling Civil War dances and then I don't have to
> remember something else when I'm calling contras.) Ladies chain along
> rather than across the set is unusual but not terribly difficult. I'm
> certainly open to suggestions for better sicilian circle dances for this
> purpose. This give some opportunity to discuss giving weight.
>
> SOLDIER'S JOY.
> Sicilian Circle ("As for Spanish Dance") - that means facing the other
> couple, gent on the left, lady on the right.
> 32-bar reel. The name tune is the best.
>
>
> A1: 1-4: Forward and back
> 5-8: Opposites turn two hands (no progression), open facing
partner
>
> A2: 1-8: Partners balance &swing, face other couple
>
> B1: 1-8: Ladies chain over and back (along the line).
>
> B2: 1-8: Forward and back, forward and pass through.
>
>
> Then Simplicity Swing (because they already know most of the bits and
> the bits they don't know are circle, star, and do-si-do, which are
> things many people think they know how to do even before their first
> contra dance.)
>
> SIMPLICITY SWING
> (by Becky Hill)
> Improper contra
>
> Figs: NB&S:CL3/4:PS:LLF&B:LC:LHS:NNDSD:
>
>
> A1: Neighbor Balance and Swing
>
> A2: Circle left 3/4;
> partner swing
>
> B1: Long lines forward and back;
> ladies chain
>
> B2: left hand star;
> next neighbor do si do
>
>
> And then you can do the rest of the evening with easy to intermediate
> longways dances.
>
>
> Repeat this pattern (with different mixer and different Sicilian Circle)
> the next time to get the brand new dancers swung and sweaty before they
> have to learn much.
>
> -- Alan
>
>
>
>> On 2/24/2014 8:50 AM, Ben Hornstein wrote:
>> Greetings fellow callers,
>>
>> My graduate school's social dance club is going to be having a Contra
>> night, which I will be calling. I was hoping to get some advice on how
to
>> structure the evening. Here's what
I'm expecting:
>>
>> Two 2 hour events, on March 3 and 10
>> 20-30 people, with maybe 5-8 who have danced contra before at all, 1-3
who
>> I would consider experts
>> The second week will most likely have people who did not come the
first
week
>> Minimal live band (who I have worked with
before)
>>
>> Here's what I'm thinking so far:
>> 1st dance: something simple without any swing to teach a few of the
most
>> basic moves
>> 2nd dance: teach the swing, do an easy dance
>> remaining dances: teach one new move before each dance, then do a dance
>> that incorporates that move
>>
>> 2nd week: plan a generally easy program, but review moves as they come
up
>> (for those who missed the first week)
>>
>> I'm hoping for suggestions of specific dances that I should use, and
ways
>> to teach and handle a group with very few
experienced dancers. How do I
>> prevent the whole thing from falling apart? In general, I think
they'll be
>> more tolerant towards additional teaching
time because it's billed
more as
>> a lesson than a dance. (Last month they
had a salsa lesson which went
on
>> for 2 hours before they turned on the
music.) I'm hoping that the fact
that
>> these are mostly graduate/medical
students who have done other forms of
>> social dance before will help greatly, but any and all advice is
welcome.
>
> Sincerely,
> Ben Hornstein
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