2 Feb
2011
2 Feb
'11
2:59 a.m.
Rich,
You've pretty much summed up my approach (and that of other callers I know) to calling
medleys at a regular contra dance -- i.e., not at a festival. A medley is a fun surprise
for the dancers, there is no need to "warn" them about it. Straightforward
dances are used, so it is arguably less challenging to beginners than doing a dance with
contra corners or having a shadow.
That being said, I do occasionally encounter a hallful of dancers where I feel, on
balance, a medley would not be a good idea. But that is the exception rather than the
rule.
Mark Widmer
On Tue, 1 Feb 2011 19:27:31 +0000 (UTC),richgoss(a)comcast.net wrote:
Hi,
My two cent regarding medleys.
Most all medleys I've ever encountered were not extra length, usually lasting
at most six times through per unique dance.? Medleys by nature must be easy
dances with progressions that fit together nicely.?
I frequently call a medley as the last dance of the evening.? None of the moves
are ones that have not been used somewhere else in the evening.
Usually I will ask the band to play three tunes, 4-4-5, and I will?signal
the tune changes myself.? The dance changes when the
tune does, but you know that part well.
I really don't see medleys as being any more challenging than any other contra
dance.? Every dance should be just fun, and the?switch is what makes it so. ?
Each dance in the medley should be totally accessible to all skill levels at
that point in the evening. ? If there is a bit of fumbling about at the switch,
I think that just adds to the fun.? I just make sure I make my calls a bit
earlier and very clearly, with a "Listen UP, Listen UP" thrown in at the dance
switch.
Perhaps we're talking about a different sort of medley.
Hope all you northeasterners are braving the latest storm okay.? Looks
nasty.??Nice sunny day here in the Pacific NW.
Rich
2 Feb
2 Feb
4:19 a.m.
New subject: Back to Calling Medleys
Mark,
Well said.
Personally, I don't often call medleys - but it has nothing to do with the
dancers abilities. I did call one at a regular dance a couple weeks ago as the
last dance of the evening. By that time everyone there had enough experience to
handle a couple easy dances without a walk thru.
While I avoid doing anything that excludes new dancers, I am not afraid to
challenge them along with our more experienced dancers. With the new dancers
properly dispersed in each line and some very talented regular dancers
assisting, you can get away with quite a bit. I spend the early dances
evaluating the skill level for that evening and revise my program to suit the
crowd. I come with a program I have planned for the evening - but usually end
up using about half of it. For example, you mentioned contra corners. I almost
always include it in my program for the second half of the evening - but it
usually gets cut for something more appropriate for beginners. If we have a
fairly skilled group, it stays in.
In my experience - the regular dancers really enjoy a wide variety of dances -
so my focus is making sure we show the new dancers the best time we can.
Hopefully they finish the evening having had a lot of fun and feeling like they
really could do this type of dancing.
Mac
________________________________
From: Mark Widmer <mark(a)harbormist.com>
To: callers(a)sharedweight.net
Sent: Tue, February 1, 2011 8:59:49 PM
Subject: Re: [Callers] Back to Calling Medleys
Rich,
You've pretty much summed up my approach (and that of other callers I know) to
calling medleys at a regular contra dance -- i.e., not at a festival. A medley
is a fun surprise for the dancers, there is no need to "warn" them about it.
Straightforward dances are used, so it is arguably less challenging to beginners
than doing a dance with contra corners or having a shadow.
That being said, I do occasionally encounter a hallful of dancers where I feel,
on balance, a medley would not be a good idea. But that is the exception rather
than the rule.
Mark Widmer
On Tue, 1 Feb 2011 19:27:31 +0000 (UTC),richgoss(a)comcast.net wrote:
Hi,
My two cent regarding medleys.
Most all medleys I've ever encountered were not extra length, usually lasting
at most six times through per unique dance.? Medleys by nature must be easy
dances with progressions that fit together nicely.?
I frequently call a medley as the last dance of the evening.? None of the
moves
are ones that have not been used somewhere else in the evening.
Usually I will ask the band to play three tunes, 4-4-5, and I will?signal
the tune changes myself.? The dance changes when the
tune does, but you know that part well.
I really don't see medleys as being any more challenging than any other
contra
dance.? Every dance should be just fun, and
the?switch is what makes it so. ?
Each dance in the medley should be totally accessible to all skill levels at
that point in the evening. ? If there is a bit of fumbling about at the
switch,
I think that just adds to the fun.? I just make sure I make my calls a bit
earlier and very clearly, with a "Listen UP, Listen UP" thrown in at the dance
switch.
Perhaps we're talking about a different sort of medley.
Hope all you northeasterners are braving the latest storm okay.? Looks
nasty.??Nice sunny day here in the Pacific NW.
Rich
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Richard Mckeever