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Re: Putting Out Fires (Mortland, Jo) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2010 14:35:54 -0500 From: "Mortland, Jo" &lt;j-mortland(a)neiu.edu&gt; To: "Caller's discussion list" &lt;callers(a)sharedweight.net&gt; Subject: Re: [Callers] Putting Out Fires Message-ID: &lt;9B0B0B8FF2328E48930D4B6273C1B261132CF666(a)EXNODE2.univ.neiu.edu&gt; Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" I'd love to hear from some of you, about how (and when?) to fix contra lines that have broken down. What are your favorite strategies? If one line has broken down, it's easy to stop the music, do one more walk through, and start up again. Even with two lines this can work pretty well. And you don't even have to stop the music - I've seen callers get everyone organized and improper again (or whatever formation), while the music is still going. What if there are three or more lines and one doesn't work? Do you ever go to a different dance? Do you keep trying with the current one? Thanks very much. Jo Mortland Chicago ------------------------------ Message: 2 Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2010 16:04:45 -0400 From: Donald Primrose &lt;limerickfarm(a)gmail.com&gt; To: "Caller's discussion list" &lt;callers(a)sharedweight.net&gt; Subject: Re: [Callers] Putting Out Fires Message-ID: &lt;l2r1bf75db1004121304pe1c89700td067e913803c8990(a)mail.gmail.com&gt; Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Hello Jo, I announced one day that the next dance was new to all of us, hence it being written/inspired on the way to the dance. All four lines had no clue during the walk through X3 try's (something I do not do). So I took the card and announced that it was not going to happen and tossed the card over my shoulder and proclaimed we would dance something everyone knew and without further ado started the music and proceeded without a walk- thru. I called the same dance that I discarded and it worked absolute. It could be the music or it could be psychological. When one or more lines break down during a dance, find a place they can locate.. lines or partner or neighbor swing on the side and keep them there until the call comes back around.. and now.. Never and I have seen it tried, run a line independently from the hall trying to play catch-up with the hall. It further confuses everyone. Don Primrose Nelson, NH On Mon, Apr 12, 2010 at 3:35 PM, Mortland, Jo &lt;j-mortland(a)neiu.edu&gt; wrote: ------------------------------ Message: 3 Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2010 13:06:38 -0700 (PDT) From: Alan Winston - SSRL Central Computing &lt;winston(a)slac.stanford.edu&gt; To: "Mortland, Jo" &lt;j-mortland(a)neiu.edu&gt; Cc: Caller's discussion list &lt;callers(a)sharedweight.net&gt; Subject: Re: [Callers] Putting Out Fires Message-ID: &lt;01NLV6U4LBS4A4ZO9O(a)SSRL.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU&gt; Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=us-ascii Jo wrote: It depends. Has the dance run long enough that you can just call it done and move on to the next thing? If so, good, do that. Sometimes dancers zoning out and screwing up is a sign the dance has run long enough already. Why did it break down? Is it because two couples who didn't really get it were brought together by progression and are now scrambled (in which case you just need to get them moved on to the next couples who do get it - which you probably want to do from the floor rather than over the mic, because it confuses everybody else, and also because they may not be able to process your verbal input) or because the floor really doesn't have it? If it's the whole room, you need to assess what the problem is - is there some tricky bit that isn't happening; did you call the dance wrong? - then another walkthrough may do the trick. If you've gotten the wrong sequence into their bones, then drop it and move on. If you do do another walkthrough, it's a good time to emphasize the simple recovery procedure of progressing one place and waiting for the music to come around again (unless, of course, it's one of those action-outside- the-set dances, which may be more complicated). Sometimes the first time through is really rocky, but by the second time through the floor has it - you don't win anything by stopping and doing another whole walkthrough in those cases. Alan Winston SF Bay Area -- ====================================================================== ========= Alan Winston --- WINSTON(a)SSRL.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU Disclaimer: I speak only for myself, not SLAC or SSRL Phone: 650/926-3056 Paper mail to: SSRL -- SLAC BIN 99, 2575 Sand Hill Rd, Menlo Park CA 94025 ====================================================================== ========= ------------------------------ Message: 4 Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2010 18:18:19 -0700 From: Greg McKenzie &lt;gregmck(a)earthlink.net&gt; To: Caller's discussion list &lt;callers(a)sharedweight.net&gt; Subject: Re: [Callers] Putting Out Fires Message-ID: &lt;E1O1Ulo-0001E5-FG(a)elasmtp-masked.atl.sa.earthlink.net&gt; Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed 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: > > > > > Thanks very much. > > Jo Mortland > Chicago > > > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > Callers(a)sharedweight.net > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers ------------------------------ Message: 5 Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2010 22:13:52 -0400 From: "Katy Heine" &lt;kheine(a)twcny.rr.com&gt; To: "'Caller's discussion list'" &lt;callers(a)sharedweight.net&gt; Subject: Re: [Callers] Putting Out Fires Message-ID: <C06AEBE06FD2469791979D618B3056C4@stewart> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" 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: > > > > > Thanks very much. > > Jo Mortland > Chicago > > > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > Callers(a)sharedweight.net > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)sharedweight.net http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers ------------------------------ Message: 6 Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 08:09:08 -0600 From: Lewis Land &lt;lewisland(a)windstream.net&gt; To: Caller's discussion list &lt;callers(a)sharedweight.net&gt; Subject: Re: [Callers] Putting Out Fires Message-ID: &lt;4BC47B04.4090808(a)windstream.net&gt; Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed 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 ------------------------------ Message: 7 Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 09:57:20 -0500 From: "Mortland, Jo" &lt;j-mortland(a)neiu.edu&gt; To: "Caller's discussion list" &lt;callers(a)sharedweight.net&gt; Subject: Re: [Callers] Putting Out Fires Message-ID: &lt;9B0B0B8FF2328E48930D4B6273C1B261132CF66C(a)EXNODE2.univ.neiu.edu&gt; Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" The reason I asked this question is that one of our newer callers, who is quite competent now, asked me what else she could do to get better. She wanted to know if there was something she could "work on". She is already doing so well, I couldn't think of much else to offer. That is what prompted my question, and thank you to all who have responded! Jo Mortland ------------------------------ _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)sharedweight.net http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers End of Callers Digest, Vol 68, Issue 10 ***************************************