30 Nov
2016
30 Nov
'16
3:55 a.m.
Any rising star callers out there ready for a chance to get out on the
national circuit? Catapult is built to help you along the way.
A stage.
A mic.
A fantastic collection of breakout bands.
A hall full of dancers and organizers excited to find the best
ready-to-be-discovered contra talent.
A spotlight.
Memorial Day 2017.
For all the details check out www.catapultshowcase.com.
ciao,
rah
--
Rob Harper
thatrobharper(a)gmail.com
(404) 307-3444
14 Dec
14 Dec
3:44 p.m.
Following up on original post in case anyone is applying or knows of others
who are. The caller (and band) applications deadline has been extended to
December 29, 2016.
Please spread the word to your caller, musician, dancer and organizer
friends. Thanks.
Happy holidays all!
ciao,
rah
On Tue, Nov 29, 2016 at 10:55 PM, Rob Harper <thatrobharper(a)gmail.com>
wrote:
Any rising star callers out there ready for a chance
to get out on the
national circuit? Catapult is built to help you along the way.
A stage.
A mic.
A fantastic collection of breakout bands.
A hall full of dancers and organizers excited to find the best
ready-to-be-discovered contra talent.
A spotlight.
Memorial Day 2017.
For all the details check out www.catapultshowcase.com.
ciao,
rah
--
Rob Harper
thatrobharper(a)gmail.com
(404) 307-3444
--
Rob Harper
thatrobharper(a)gmail.com
(404) 307-3444
15 Dec
15 Dec
12:09 a.m.
On 12/14/2016 7:44 AM, Rob Harper via Callers wrote:
Following up on original post in case anyone is
applying or knows of
others who are. The caller (and band) applications deadline has been
extended to December 29, 2016.
Please spread the word to your caller, musician, dancer and organizer
friends. Thanks.
Happy holidays all!
ciao,
rah
How many of you out there have participated in this? What did you think
of it? I'm curious, but not sure whether I'm what they're looking for,
or vice versa. And it's a long way to travel for a short gig.
Kalia
3:10 a.m.
I'm a little biased, so I'll let others chime in on their experience. If you want
to reach out to specific folks you know, the list of callers is available on the website.
http://catapultshowcase.com/history.html
You'll also find details on what we're looking for, but in summary we want callers
(and bands) ready to call for festivals but haven't broken on to the scene yet.
If you or anyone you know fits the bill, I suggest giving Catapult a shot. (Again, I'm
a little biased.)
In terms of travel, it's held in Atlanta but it's a national festival drawing
callers, musicians, dancers and organizers from across the country. (37 states and New
Zealand so far.) Each caller or musician selected gets a travel allowance that will get
them to Atlanta and back.
Hope that answers some of your questions.
Happy holidays all!
ciao,
rah
Rob Harper
(404) 307-3444
On Dec 14, 2016, at 19:09, Kalia Kliban via Callers
<callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
On 12/14/2016 7:44 AM, Rob Harper via Callers
wrote:
Following up on original post in case anyone is applying or knows of
others who are. The caller (and band) applications deadline has been
extended to December 29, 2016.
Please spread the word to your caller, musician, dancer and organizer
friends. Thanks.
Happy holidays all!
ciao,
rah
How many of you out there have participated in this? What did you think of it? I'm
curious, but not sure whether I'm what they're looking for, or vice versa. And
it's a long way to travel for a short gig.
Kalia
_______________________________________________
Callers mailing list
Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net
1:43 p.m.
Rob Harper wrote:
Each caller or musician selected gets a travel
allowance that will get them to Atlanta and back.
Let me unstintingly applaud this aspect of Catapult. Too many showcases ask performers to
pay for the privilege of appearing, whether or not there’s a credible vetting process. I
once paid a substantial amount to be in a showcase for schools, libraries, and recreation
departments, with very little return. And of course there’s the National Square Dance
Convention: Every one of the hundreds of callers must pay the same as a dancer to get in
($60 next year) after paying for travel, lodging, and meals for 3 to 5 days. No one even
gets a schedule grid unless they buy a $10 program book. (Admittedly the organizers have
high expenses; the event is held in a big city convention center. They used to be able to
spread the cost over 20,000 attenders or more; lately they’ve been getting closer to
4,000.)
Tony Parkes
Billerica, Mass.
www.hands4.com<http://www.hands4.com>
7:59 p.m.
How many of you out there have participated in
this? What did you think
of it? I'm curious, but not sure whether I'm
what they're looking for, or
vice versa. And it's a long way to travel for a short gig.
Kalia
8:37 p.m.
What Luke said! I answered in much the same way on a FB post to a similar
query.
I was a caller on the 2013 roster with Luke. It was one of the most
enjoyable experiences of my life.
And what Rob said! Catapult get a good amount of national attention, thanks
to the way Rob's done it. The majority of attendees still come from the
southeast, but increasing numbers are coming from all over.
And Rob, if you need any help, get in touch, I'd be happy to.
Keith Tuxhorn
Springfield, IL
On Thu, Dec 15, 2016 at 1:59 PM, Luke Donforth via Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
I'll weigh in as someone who called there in 2013.
- I had a great time
- It helped me get some other festival gigs
- It nucleated relationships with bands
- I've directly mentioned this to some callers who aren't on this
list, encouraging them to apply
- If selected, they cover the direct cost for you to come out
- It's a short gig, but it's also a dance festival you get to attend
~70% of as a dancer with expenses paid
- I think the process of going through the application is worthwhile
in helping define your own goals
- I'm enough in favor of it that I've volunteered to help as I can for
future years
- It puts you in Georgia during peach season (I think I ate half a
crate while I was there, fresh at the farmers market. SO good)
It got some initial buzz as a sort of America's Got Talent - Contra
Edition. That wasn't the vibe fore me at all. The 6 callers got together
and had wonderful chats about calling; both the stage craft and the
back-of-house stuff. I'm closer with all of them as a result. It's probably
one of the few opportunities for that many callers to get together and work
a festival together (I found it a much more collaborative and bonding
experience than calling at NEFFA, which doesn't cover travel costs)
I'm happy to talk about it one-on-one if you have more specific questions.
I'm also happy to publicly endorse applying if you're interested.
And like Rob, I'll also admit to being biased.
--
Luke Donforth
Luke.Donforth(a)gmail.com <Luke.Donev(a)gmail.com>
_______________________________________________
Callers mailing list
Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net
How many
of you out there have participated in this? What did you think
of it? I'm
curious, but not sure whether I'm what they're looking for, or
vice versa. And it's a long way to travel for a short gig.
Kalia
8:54 p.m.
This thread got me thinking about whether I could figure out the
effect of catapult from looking at later dance weekend bookings. I
didn't make much progress, but people might be interested in the data:
http://www.jefftk.com/p/effect-of-catapult
On Thu, Dec 15, 2016 at 3:37 PM, Keith Tuxhorn via Callers
<callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
What Luke said! I answered in much the same way on a
FB post to a similar
query.
I was a caller on the 2013 roster with Luke. It was one of the most
enjoyable experiences of my life.
And what Rob said! Catapult get a good amount of national attention, thanks
to the way Rob's done it. The majority of attendees still come from the
southeast, but increasing numbers are coming from all over.
And Rob, if you need any help, get in touch, I'd be happy to.
Keith Tuxhorn
Springfield, IL
On Thu, Dec 15, 2016 at 1:59 PM, Luke Donforth via Callers
<callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
How many of you out there have participated in this? What did you think
of it? I'm curious, but not sure whether I'm what they're looking for, or
vice versa. And it's a long way to travel for a short gig.
Kalia
I'll weigh in as someone who called there in 2013.
I had a great time
It helped me get some other festival gigs
It nucleated relationships with bands
I've directly mentioned this to some callers who aren't on this list,
encouraging them to apply
If selected, they cover the direct cost for you to come out
It's a short gig, but it's also a dance festival you get to attend ~70% of
as a dancer with expenses paid
I think the process of going through the application is worthwhile in
helping define your own goals
I'm enough in favor of it that I've volunteered to help as I can for
future years
It puts you in Georgia during peach season (I think I ate half a crate
while I was there, fresh at the farmers market. SO good)
It got some initial buzz as a sort of America's Got Talent - Contra
Edition. That wasn't the vibe fore me at all. The 6 callers got together and
had wonderful chats about calling; both the stage craft and the
back-of-house stuff. I'm closer with all of them as a result. It's probably
one of the few opportunities for that many callers to get together and work
a festival together (I found it a much more collaborative and bonding
experience than calling at NEFFA, which doesn't cover travel costs)
I'm happy to talk about it one-on-one if you have more specific questions.
I'm also happy to publicly endorse applying if you're interested.
And like Rob, I'll also admit to being biased.
--
Luke Donforth
Luke.Donforth(a)gmail.com
_______________________________________________
Callers mailing list
Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net
_______________________________________________
Callers mailing list
Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net
16 Dec
16 Dec
6:31 p.m.
Terrific research, Jeff! Let me add a couple "variables" and info bits...
-Because Ladies at Play (from OK) and I (from TX) were both at C-13, we had
a great turnout of dancers, and bookers from that area in Atlanta... You'll
notice that Austin, Dallas, and OKC are among the best at booking Catapult
talent, and the class of '13 benefitted most.
Except me, which is easy to understand--I was a familiar face who could be
hired anytime, and wouldn't be a "special selling point" for any weekends
there.
-The TX/OK dance groups have a friendly/competitive attitude about "booking
the hot new band first", and I think that may drive booking the emerging
bands a little.
-And the only way those two states can get big-name bands is to book them
for weekends, and they don't want to book the same legacy bands year after
year. They want freshness and variety. So maybe that drives the willingness
to hire less-known bands more, too.
-Ladies at Play also played the High Tea ECD weekend 2016.
-I did have a "2nd caller" role at Fire Ant Frolic '13. And I became the
featured caller at Flamingo Fling, June '13 when/where George Marshall had
his heart attack, and I was asked to fill in, calling with Crowfoot that
evening. So, technically, I guess I got my first weekend job quicker than
any other caller after appearing at Catapult...;-)
Keith Tuxhorn
Springfield, IL
On Thu, Dec 15, 2016 at 2:54 PM, Jeff Kaufman <jeff(a)alum.swarthmore.edu>
wrote:
This thread got me thinking about whether I could
figure out the
effect of catapult from looking at later dance weekend bookings. I
didn't make much progress, but people might be interested in the data:
http://www.jefftk.com/p/effect-of-catapult
On Thu, Dec 15, 2016 at 3:37 PM, Keith Tuxhorn via Callers
<callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
What Luke said! I answered in much the same way
on a FB post to a similar
query.
I was a caller on the 2013 roster with Luke. It was one of the most
enjoyable experiences of my life.
And what Rob said! Catapult get a good amount of national attention,
thanks
to the way Rob's done it. The majority of
attendees still come from the
southeast, but increasing numbers are coming from all over.
And Rob, if you need any help, get in touch, I'd be happy to.
Keith Tuxhorn
Springfield, IL
On Thu, Dec 15, 2016 at 1:59 PM, Luke Donforth via Callers
<callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>> How many of you out there have participated in this? What did you
think
>> of it? I'm curious, but not sure
whether I'm what they're looking
for, or
>> vice versa. And it's a long way to
travel for a short gig.
>>
>> Kalia
>>
>
> I'll weigh in as someone who called there in 2013.
>
> I had a great time
> It helped me get some other festival gigs
> It nucleated relationships with bands
> I've directly mentioned this to some callers who aren't on this list,
> encouraging them to apply
> If selected, they cover the direct cost for you to come out
> It's a short gig, but it's also a dance festival you get to attend ~70%
of
> as a dancer with expenses paid
> I think the process of going through the application is worthwhile in
> helping define your own goals
> I'm enough in favor of it that I've volunteered to help as I can for
> future years
> It puts you in Georgia during peach season (I think I ate half a crate
> while I was there, fresh at the farmers market. SO good)
>
>
> It got some initial buzz as a sort of America's Got Talent - Contra
> Edition. That wasn't the vibe fore me at all. The 6 callers got
together
and
> had wonderful chats about calling; both the
stage craft and the
> back-of-house stuff. I'm closer with all of them as a result. It's
probably
> one of the few opportunities for that many
callers to get together and
work
> a festival together (I found it a much more
collaborative and bonding
> experience than calling at NEFFA, which doesn't cover travel costs)
>
> I'm happy to talk about it one-on-one if you have more specific
questions.
I'm
also happy to publicly endorse applying if you're interested.
And like Rob, I'll also admit to being biased.
--
Luke Donforth
Luke.Donforth(a)gmail.com
_______________________________________________
Callers mailing list
Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net
_______________________________________________
Callers mailing list
Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net
30 Dec
30 Dec
4:14 a.m.
Thanks all for your thoughts and comments. And for those of you still on
the fence about applying (or referring someone) as a caller or musician in
a breakout band, there's still hope.
Due to too much merriment and not enough time over the winter holidays, the
deadline for submitting band and caller applications for Catapult has been
extended until January 6, 2017.
Think about all those contra musicians and callers out there who dream of
making it to the big time. Surely you know a few (maybe one of them is
you), so point them towards Catapult for an opportunity to find fame and
(figuratively) fortune on a national stage.
www.catapultshowcase.com
And while you're at it, mark Memorial Day 2017 (May 26-29) on your calendar
to join us in Atlanta for the Catapult Showcase.
Have an outstanding 2017 and beyond!
ciao,
rah
Rob Harper
404-307-3444
On Fri, Dec 16, 2016 at 1:31 PM, Keith Tuxhorn via Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Terrific research, Jeff! Let me add a couple
"variables" and info bits...
-Because Ladies at Play (from OK) and I (from TX) were both at C-13, we
had a great turnout of dancers, and bookers from that area in Atlanta...
You'll notice that Austin, Dallas, and OKC are among the best at booking
Catapult talent, and the class of '13 benefitted most.
Except me, which is easy to understand--I was a familiar face who could be
hired anytime, and wouldn't be a "special selling point" for any weekends
there.
-The TX/OK dance groups have a friendly/competitive attitude about
"booking the hot new band first", and I think that may drive booking the
emerging bands a little.
-And the only way those two states can get big-name bands is to book them
for weekends, and they don't want to book the same legacy bands year after
year. They want freshness and variety. So maybe that drives the willingness
to hire less-known bands more, too.
-Ladies at Play also played the High Tea ECD weekend 2016.
-I did have a "2nd caller" role at Fire Ant Frolic '13. And I became the
featured caller at Flamingo Fling, June '13 when/where George Marshall had
his heart attack, and I was asked to fill in, calling with Crowfoot that
evening. So, technically, I guess I got my first weekend job quicker than
any other caller after appearing at Catapult...;-)
Keith Tuxhorn
Springfield, IL
On Thu, Dec 15, 2016 at 2:54 PM, Jeff Kaufman <jeff(a)alum.swarthmore.edu>
wrote:
--
Rob Harper
thatrobharper(a)gmail.com
(404) 307-3444
This thread got me thinking about whether I could
figure out the
effect of catapult from looking at later dance weekend bookings. I
didn't make much progress, but people might be interested in the data:
http://www.jefftk.com/p/effect-of-catapult
On Thu, Dec 15, 2016 at 3:37 PM, Keith Tuxhorn via Callers
<callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
_______________________________________________
Callers mailing list
Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net
What Luke said! I answered in much the same way
on a FB post to a
similar
query.
I was a caller on the 2013 roster with Luke. It was one of the most
enjoyable experiences of my life.
And what Rob said! Catapult get a good amount of national attention,
thanks
to the way Rob's done it. The majority of
attendees still come from the
southeast, but increasing numbers are coming from all over.
And Rob, if you need any help, get in touch, I'd be happy to.
Keith Tuxhorn
Springfield, IL
On Thu, Dec 15, 2016 at 1:59 PM, Luke Donforth via Callers
<callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>> How many of you out there have participated in this? What did you
think
>> of it? I'm curious, but not sure
whether I'm what they're looking
for, or
>> vice versa. And it's a long way to
travel for a short gig.
>>
>> Kalia
>>
>
> I'll weigh in as someone who called there in 2013.
>
> I had a great time
> It helped me get some other festival gigs
> It nucleated relationships with bands
> I've directly mentioned this to some callers who aren't on this list,
> encouraging them to apply
> If selected, they cover the direct cost for you to come out
> It's a short gig, but it's also a dance festival you get to attend
~70% of
> as a dancer with expenses paid
> I think the process of going through the application is worthwhile in
> helping define your own goals
> I'm enough in favor of it that I've volunteered to help as I can for
> future years
> It puts you in Georgia during peach season (I think I ate half a crate
> while I was there, fresh at the farmers market. SO good)
>
>
> It got some initial buzz as a sort of America's Got Talent - Contra
> Edition. That wasn't the vibe fore me at all. The 6 callers got
together
and
> had wonderful chats about calling; both the
stage craft and the
> back-of-house stuff. I'm closer with all of them as a result. It's
probably
> one of the few opportunities for that many
callers to get together and
work
> a festival together (I found it a much more
collaborative and bonding
> experience than calling at NEFFA, which doesn't cover travel costs)
>
> I'm happy to talk about it one-on-one if you have more specific
questions.
I'm
also happy to publicly endorse applying if you're interested.
And like Rob, I'll also admit to being biased.
--
Luke Donforth
Luke.Donforth(a)gmail.com
_______________________________________________
Callers mailing list
Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net
_______________________________________________
Callers mailing list
Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net
2895
days inactive
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days old
contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net
9 comments
6 participants
participants (6)
-
Jeff Kaufman via Callers -
Kalia Kliban via Callers
-
Keith Tuxhorn via Callers
-
Luke Donforth via Callers
-
Rob Harper via Callers
-
Tony Parkes via Callers