1 Aug
2017
1 Aug
'17
8:16 p.m.
Hi Amy,
Would you be willing to share your program set list for the Cows/Chickens dance?
I’m curious what kind of dances went so well.
Thanks !
Claire Takemori (Campbell CA)
On Mon, Jul 31, 2017 at 12:59 PM, Amy Wimmer via
Callers
<callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net <mailto:callers@lists.sharedweight.net>>
wrote:
Hi All,
I recently had the opportunity to call a contra to a group of rank
beginners
in a difficult situation: outdoors, on sloping
concrete, without
amplification for either myself or the band, to people not expecting a
dance, with a band mostly unfamiliar with either contra or fiddle tunes,
who
had no opportunity to practice or choose tunes.
It was a staff party
with a
barnyard theme. Granted, this particular good of
people is accustomed to
being spontaneous and silly at times, most are in their 20's, and it's a
liberal, accepting group.
The organizers wanted to use the terms "cows" and "chickens" instead
of
any
other usual terms for dancers. When they arrived
at the party each person
chose a name tag with either a cow or a chicken on it. They didn't know
it,
but this determined which role they'd play in
the dance. I arbitrarily
chose
to "put the chicken on the right, because
the chicken is always right."
(I
keep chickens, and they ARE always right)
There was not time for much of a lesson, either. It'd have been much
easier
if everyone had joined the dance at the
beginning. All said, just about
everyone had a really great time, myself included. The band was hyped up
to
try another dance evening later in the week,
though that never
materialized.
>
> I never mentioned gender in any way. That part just seemed to not matter.
> They were dancing with their friends. It didn't matter that they weren't
> experts or even very good.
>
> I was heartened and encouraged to try something like this again, perhaps
> with more widely used dancer terms.
>
> -Amy