Re: [Callers] Contra Academia?

Michael wrote: Thank you for this link Michael. I like the point that the teacher (caller) sets up a structure in which the learners teach each other. If folks think that contra dance callers have no responsibility to address the problem of center set syndrome because it is "human nature" they should listen to this segment. What I love about contras is that the customs and the dance formation itself make it intuitively obvious that "we are all in this together." If one person fails the entire set begins to unravel. Everyone has a core investment in making sure that all of those around them succeed. This makes a contra dance a perfect structure for collaborative learning. I try to avoid any kind of performance teaching when I call. The process of collaborative learning at these dances is so effective that it makes conventional teaching methods seem tediously inefficient by comparison. The best callers know how to empower the regulars to take responsibility and help to make the dance "work." Just a thought, Greg