4 Jul
2023
4 Jul
'23
8:16 a.m.
I’ve had very good luck at weddings calling a Virginia Reel early on when there’s a lot of
enthusiasm for participating (that tends to wane as the evening progresses). Virginia
Reels seem to be in the American bloodstream. I have collected quite a few variants over
the years but it doesn’t much matter which one I happen to pick. Good luck!
- Jon
Sent from my iPhone
On Jul 3, 2023, at 3:53 PM, Joe Harrington via Contra
Callers <contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Any advice for calling weddings? I've been asked to call my first one and I don't
see a lot of wedding-specific advice online. What do you ask them in advance, how do you
approach it, what are good dances to call?
I'm assuming that a workshop is impractical, so it's barn dances and maybe
working up to a contra by the end? Try to teach a swing? Some advice I've gotten so
far:
Band - can they play contras, am I DJing instead, if so what kind of music, trad or pop?
Floor - make sure it's big enough, get length, width, and surface
Sound system - what is it and is there a sound tech?
Duration - how long they'll want to dance
Dancers - how many, any experienced guests?
Special dances - first, parents, bouquet, last?
Will the bride and groom dance? (If not, nobody will)
Will there be alcohol? (one person suggested doubling the fee if there is)
Will many women be in high heels?
I welcome any advice! My main goal in taking wedding gigs is recruiting new dancers to
our local scene, if that matters.
Thanks,
--jh--
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