Hi Joe,

Like Diane, I categorize my cards based on the signature move. Also, to some extent, difficulty, although that is a moving target based on the type of venue, the crowd, and other unforeseen situations.

FWIW, here's what I use:

Easy contras
Basic Improper - 1
Basic Improper - 2
(where 1 = solid main contras, 2 = slightly more advanced)
Becket -1
Becket -2
w/heys (these are full heys, duple minor sets)
w/petronella
w/box circulate
w/mad robin
w/bicycle chain
w/contra corners
Multiple progressions (2x, 3x, etc).
4x4 dances
Advanced contras (truly advanced, dance camp level)
Novelty contras (mixer contras, etc.)
Triplets
Odd formations
Circle dances
Mixers
Very, Very easy dances (e.g., for ONS and wedding gigs)
Reserve contras (i.e., "back pocket" dances to use when something fails, like "Roll In The Hey")

Also, I put a colored marker on cards for dances that lend themselves to No-Walk-Thru situations (these can be in any of 5 or 6 different categories). Sometimes I need to identify these quickly, on-the-fly during a gig.

If a dance falls into two or more categories, I sometimes put a piece of paper in one category with a cross-reference to that dance. Frankly, I don't like to do this -- it's too complicated, especially as so many dances today that contain two or more signature moves.

Frankly, I don't want to get too detailed in my classifications (e.g. bouncy, mesmerizing, etc.) because those characteristics can be so fluid -- based on the band, the music, the crowd, the time of night, etc. And sometimes selecting a dance against the grain can be the highlight of an evening. That's part of the artistry as a caller. With experience, gut feeling and instinct are essential to the creative process of selecting dances.

Woody
--
Woody Lane
Caller, Percussive Dancer
Roseburg, Oregon
http://www.woodylanecaller.com
cell: 541-556-0054

On 1/11/2023 2:16 AM, Diane Silver via Contra Callers wrote:

This might be one of the 100 replies you were trying to avoid, rather than the summary you are looking for, but here's what I do:

I categorize my dances by "signature move" -- hey for four dances, down-the-halls, petronella dances, stars, roll-aways, wavy lines (subdivided into short waves, long waves, rory o'mores, & box-circulates), alemandes-&-pull-bys, contra corners, etc., plus sections for squares, 4x4s, triplets, chestnuts, and novelty dances. I also have a section for "just basics", which in my mind have no signature move -- i.e., glossary dances. For me, the point is that I don't want to do too many hey (or petronella, or down-the-hall, or, whatever) dances in an evening, and I don't want to do two in a row. But basic moves are in every dance, so I'm not worried about that, so I don't have a category for moves like chains, long lines forward & back, or circles. I do have a section for alemandes and pull-bys, but I don't include every single dance that has an alemande in it. Good lord. It only includes dances in which those are the signature of a dance - e.g., a series of alemandes, such as a swing-through in the A and then again in the B. (This is why I group them with pull-bys, such as square-throughs or grand-right-&-lefts -- similar feel for which I wouldn't want to do 2 in a row, or too many in an evening). If a dance has 2 signature moves (e.g., a down-the-hall, and then a hey), I file it in one section only, and then I have a "see-also" card in the other section that lists additional dances with that move and where to find them.

Then, on each card, I make notes about the feel (flowy or bouncy; linear or circular), and about the mood (sweet, romantic, lilting, driving, playful, goofy, restful, super-high-energy, etc.), and when I'm programming I make sure I have good variety for those criteria. I also check that I don't have too many in a row with the same starting move or ending move (i.e., avoid for the 5th time in a row, balance and swing your neighbor). I also try to vary Becket vs. improper formation, and depending on the crowd, contras vs squares or triplets or 4-face-4s. But I don't categorize according to all those criteria because for me, they are secondary. As I'm putting together the program, FIRST I'm considering the signature move, so that's how I want to search.

I once tried doing a database with these various criteria so I could search, e.g., for a hey dance that was also Becket and also goofy, but I never used it. I really just preferred to pull out the cards for the signature move I wanted and then just peruse them to narrow it down and pick one.

Hope this helps.
Diane
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Diane Silver
828 298-7084
diane@diane-silver.com