From: David.Millstone(a)valley.net (David Millstone) Date: April 28, 2005 7:19:30 PM EDT To: (Recipient list suppressed) Subject: Wanted! New callers! Reply-To: millstone(a)valley.net Calling all potential callers! I'm looking at the possibility of starting up a class in the fall for people who would like to learn to call traditional American dance-- contras, squares, and other related dances. Your interest might be in calling at a regular dance series with experienced dancers, or you might be inclined toward the repertoire of dances that are useful for working with children, family groups, and other less-experienced dancers. I have a calling apprentice at the moment, with funding provided through the Vermont Folklife Center, and that's been a good one-on-one arrangement. One difficulty, though, has been that it's hard to practice in the absence of dancers; this is especially true when trying to teach a dance, which in many cases is harder than the actual calling. This next time around, I'm thinking that having a small group (eight people would be ideal) might work well. I'm open to working with all ages, and I'm especially hopeful that some of our younger dancers might take a step toward becoming callers. We do have some good younger musicians in the area and it's fun to contemplate a new generation inheriting our thriving dance scene. So, would you like to learn how to be the person on the other side of the microphone? I'm imagining a regular series of meetings, once or twice a month, starting in the fall of 2005 and running through spring of 2006. We'd meet as a group and participants would have opportunities to practice on each other and to offer support and encouragement. I'll share my thoughts as well, will direct you to helpful resources, and will offer specific suggestions as well. I'd hope that the members of the group could call at area dances. I know I'd be happy to have a "new caller" slot at our monthly Northern Spy dances. Before putting more effort into planning this project, however, it'll be helpful to know if there are enough possible participants. Please let me know sometime in the next week or two if this is something you might enjoy doing. Once I have a list of interested folks, we can talk more and figure out the details together. You can phone me at 603-448-29050 or simply reply to this e-mail. Looking forward to working with some of you! David Millstone