Re: [Callers] Trouble Getting Gigs (very long)

Hi Tina, It's great to hear from you. It's been too long since we were at Pinewoods together. As others have said: Wow! Great topic. In the past, I have attended workshops/discussions about "Getting to the Next Level". Lisa Greenleaf has run them before. It's a difficult question. First, the commiseration. About a year and a half ago, I was in the position you are now. I was working the smaller dance venues and driving hours to get gigs. Getting good reviews wherever I called, but not breaking into the bigger venues. It's a tough place to be in. Feeling like you're good enough to get on that stage and try, but not sure how to get there. What has happened since is a series of small but significant steps that have brought me closer to that goal. A fellow caller asked me to substitute for her at a gig in central Maine which was fairly large. They kept inviting me back. An organizer (and fellow newbie caller) heard me play one of the smaller venues and asked me to play for the larger one on a less popular evening. Occasionally I would get paired with "top tier" bands who would enjoy working with me and recommend me to organizers. The major breakthrough for me was the Thursday night dance at the Scout House. I consider it my "home" dance and a lot of my friends dance there. The committee had a rule, however. One committee member has to have heard a caller call at least a half evening before they can be booked. Unfortunately, most of them did not attend the smaller venues I was calling regularly. It was turning out to be quite a barrier. Finally, I decided to send an e-mail to the committee members to invite them to my next local area gig. While they didn't come to that dance, one of the members came to another dance I called a couple of weeks later. That got me in the door and I was booked for the next quarter to call the dance. The evening went well (my butterflies went away about half way through the first dance) and the committee agreed that I was ready to be part of the rotation. More recently, I discovered that I was not getting booked for the Monday night Yankee Ingenuity dance. The job booking callers had changed hands and the new person did not know me. So at one of the dances, during the break, I went up to him on stage (he's a musician) and asked him how I could get on the schedule. He stammered a bit and then (to my surprise and delight) the caller that evening and the two guest musicians all vouched for me. I was asked to call during the next round of bookings. So, Tina, the biggest piece of advice that I can give is to have patience. It takes time to build a reputation with organizers, musicians, callers and most importantly the dancers. If you have fans on the floor, they will ask for you to be booked at their favorite venues. That can carry a lot of weight with an organizer, especially if it happens more than once. One more thought I wanted to share: Calling for the larger venues with the more experienced dancers does require a different skill set than calling the community dances. The community dances are harder as Greg said, and require a different language and repertoire. As I call for the larger dances, I find that my repertoire isn't adequate. I'm learning harder dances that are more difficult to call. I'm collecting dances more often and combing through the dance exchanges from camps and festivals to expand my repertoire. You need to learn how to pare back the teaching language the right amount so that the beginners in the hall are being served without boring the experienced dancers. I'm still learning how to incorporate style tips into those evenings in a way that isn't preachy or intrusive to those who think they are beyond such information. I don't know the answer to Greg's suggestions about getting the good callers to call to smaller venues and the beginners at the larger ones. But I do know that part of the reason has to do with the quality of the experience for the dancers. The larger venues got large by providing a fun experience with a great environment, great calling and great music. Having seen it here in the Boston area, a great series can be hurt when it gets a less than stellar reputation. So hang in there! Patience and persistence are your greatest tools. Keep calling and improving. Keep in mind it's about the dancers. You have something special to share with them. With all of that and a little networking, that next level will find you! Chris Weiler Goffstown, NH P.S. When I was running my own dance series, I brought in some new callers for guest slots and bands that didn't have much experience. It has been such a pleasure to see a lot of them grow since then. Maybe we should start a discussion on the organizers list about the balance between nurturing new talent vs. the vision of the dance experience. Tina Fields wrote: