3 Dec
2011
3 Dec
'11
1:15 p.m.
Don,
Congratulations! I'm sure you will do well. Remember that all of the
dancers want, very much, for you to succeed and will help in any way they
can. The first tip is to work on getting all of the first-timers matched
up with the regulars. This will allow them to help you more effectively.
If you can integrate the hall in this way you will eliminate most of the
problems that could crop up.
Call to the entire hall and watch the entire hall.
If there is "trouble" in some part of the hall you will see it out of the
corner of your eye. It is important to *not *look directly at the confused
dancers! There is seldom anything you can learn from them and it is likely
to throw you off if you watch them carefully. (It can also throw them off
because it may make them nervous if they see the caller watching them.)
Regardless of what the confused dancers are doing the solution is almost
always the same: Call clearly, succinctly, in time with the music, and use
effective word order in forming your calls.
Most set breakdowns are the result of the caller watching and desperately
trying to "help" the confused dancers. I know there is real trouble when I
hear the caller say something like: "No! Swing the *other *one, the one on
your RIGHT!!" That kind of targeted instruction-from-the-mike comes from
watching the confused dancers carefully. It always ends badly.
Also, let the dancers know that you are impressed with how well they are
doing. Just a simple word like "Good!" during the walk-through will put
many dancers at ease. If the dancers believe you are pleased with them
they will listen to you more carefully.
Good luck!
Greg McKenzie
****************
On Thu, Dec 1, 2011 at 10:20 PM, Don Veino <sharedweight_net(a)veino.com>wrote;wrote:
Hi Folks,
Brand new to the list. I'm one of the organizers for the MondayContras
series at the Concord, MA Scout House and have been an avid dancer for just
over 4 years now. Hi to those I already know and to those of you I'll get
to know from here!
I've been an occasional caller for dances on shared evening programs and
camper nights, etc. but have my first full evening coming up later this
month, which I'm excited about. This is for a smaller regional dance that
attracts a mixed crowd of mostly periodic dancers. I've done some basic
"how to call" workshops at festivals, etc. but have not taken a formal
caller's course.
I'm planning to tailor my dance selection to the expected crowd and build
in some flexibility to address variability. I'm pretty confident in my
dance selection skills but I'm definitely still counting my way through the
music to call. So one concern is with making sure I stay firmly anchored to
the music, without depending upon the crowd for cues. I craft my calls to
fit the phrasing and rehearse with music to get confident but dance
breakdowns are a fear. I've come close a couple of times early on but have
been able to set things right somehow on the fly... however, I was not very
confident doing so at the time.
So with that concern, a couple of related questions:
- Do you have practiced recovery routines (more than just "get home and
swing your partner")? Is that common? Or do most callers just make it up on
the spot?
- In working with the musicians, are there any customary "I've lost track,
where are we in the music?" signals?
I look forward to learning from the shared wisdom of the group here and am
open to any other tips you may have.
Thanks,
Don
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