Hear, hear! This puts me in mind of my first callers' workshop more than 20 years ago at Ashokan, when Steve Zakon-Anderson said something like, "If something goes wrong, it's not the dancers' fault, and it's not the musicians' fault; it's your fault." His point was that we're there to ensure that everyone has the best time possible, given the skill and ability of those present. It's our job to program and teach appropriately for the circumstances, and if a dance fails, it's because we've failed to do our job well. I was impressed with the humility expressed in this idea, and all these years later I'm still guided by it as I'm navigating through an evening. We're not hired to dazzle the hottest dancers with the complexity of our choreography; we're there to make sure that the dancers succeed, that we build community, and that everyone leaves smiling. --Katy Heine -----Original Message----- From: callers-bounces(a)sharedweight.net [mailto:callers-bounces@sharedweight.net] On Behalf Of Greg McKenzie Sent: Monday, April 12, 2010 9:18 PM To: Caller's discussion list Subject: Re: [Callers] Putting Out Fires There are never fires in the hall--only in your own mind. If there is trouble anywhere in the hall it is because you have screwed up...somewhere. Whether it be programming, teaching, or calling the fault is your own. The caller should take full responsibility for the gaff. I point this out because the question assumes that there is trouble in one of the lines. This assumption will not help and will only lead to even more trouble. When I see confused dancers anywhere in the hall the best tactic I have ever used, or seen used, is to begin calling clearly, precisely, and with enthusiasm to the entire hall. Call in perfect time with the music, enunciate clearly, and use effective word order. I try to avoid even looking in the direction of the confused dancers. It is better to look at dancers who are dancing well and use your peripheral vision to monitor the rest of the hall. (If you are lucky the confused dancers will assume that others in the hall are also confused and this will help to put them at ease.) Never direct any instruction or call to a specific group or area. Any emphasis or punctuation should be directed to the entire hall. This will avoid confusion and make you look more professional. If more than a few dancers are confused it is sometimes possible to hold the entire hall at the starting position and start them dancing again when the music comes around. If this does not work, end the dance and apologize. This will give the impression that you know what went wrong and encourage confidence. Don't use too many words. (Please don't explain!) You might also compliment all of the dancers for adapting well in spite of your gaff. Give clear instructions, (such as whether to keep the same partner, to form new sets, or to go back to your starting position.) This is the way I prefer callers behave when they screw up. Just a thought, Greg McKenzie ************ Jo wrote: _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)sharedweight.net http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers

When I'm doing the newcomers instruction, or instruction at the first dance of the evening, and it's obvious that there are more than the usual number of novice dancers in the crowd, I'll tell them this: You know how, when you're doing couples dancing, like a waltz or swing, and something goes wrong or your timing is off, it's always the guy's fault? Even when it's not really the guy's fault, it's still his fault. Well, contra is community dancing, so when something goes wrong it's always the /caller's/ fault. Even when it's not my fault, it's still "my fault". This usually gets a laugh and makes the newcomers a little less self-conscious about making mistakes. On those rare occasions when things get so out of hand that I have to stop the music and start over, I apologize to the dancers for having chosen a dance that didn't work for them, and pull out a back-up dance that I've called successfully many times before. A few weeks ago I tried calling, for the first time, a double-progression becket with petronella twirls, and one of the lines totally fell apart. Fortunately I had another dance in reserve, also a becket with petronella twirls, that I'd called many times to this group, and it worked fine. Because I often have lots of inexperienced dancers to contend with, I always hold a few simple backup dances in my pocket. I like to challenge myself by calling new and interesting dances, but I find that it's most satisfying when all the dancers are having a great time and are genuinely engaged in the dance, even if all you're calling are dances like Broken Sixpence. -Lewis Land