17 Apr
2016
17 Apr
'16
2:18 p.m.
That would be medley of tunes during the course of a single dance.
Some bands do this all the time, some occasionally and some never. I
think what is being discussed here is a medley of dances (the figures),
which may or may not include a change of tunes. Typically the caller
will select a small set of dances, say 3, and call each of them a few
times before switching to the next dance. If you coordinate with the
band you can have them change tunes at the same time you change to a
different dance. Sometimes you will return to the initial dance at the
end to finish out the medley.
As has been mentioned this means that the dancers need to be
listening because the dance will change and they can't zone out as is
sometimes the case. So if the caller can't be heard clearly this can be
a problem.
Jonathan
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Jonathan Sivier
Caller of Contra, Square, English and Early American Dances
jsivier AT illinois DOT edu
Dance Page: http://www.sivier.me/dance_leader.html
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Q: How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?
A: It depends on what dance you call!
On 4/17/2016 1:08 PM, Rod and Chris Krehbiel via Callers wrote:
I am assuming that a 'medley' in contra
dancing means that the band will
play a series of different songs--usually 3--in immediate succession
with no noticeable break between them, but that the dancers will
continue to dance the same figure that they began with the walk-thru.
And that once the dancers have 'mastered' that figure, they eventually
will not need any further verbal cues from the caller, even though the
music changes. Is that correct, or do some have a different definition
of "medley"?