teaching a hey - don't worry about it. seriously. make sure that the dance you're using has a full hey, not half. it's much easier if they know for sure where they're going. i just tell them it's ok if they wander around and don't hurt each other, and then go back to where they started and swing their partner (or neighbor, as the case may be). i used to set up a demo for this - as the lines form, find a foursome who know how to do a hey. first time they do it right. second time, i have someone do their "deer in the headlights" imitation, while the others wander around aimlessly, then run home to swing their partner. i tell people it's ok to experiment with both kinds of heys. when they do so during the dance (and they ALWAYS do), i congratulate them :-) the bottom line is to show them what's supposed to happen, and tell them not to worry about it. they'll learn it by encountering people in line who give clear signals. if they don't ever get it - well, it doesn't really matter as long as they go home and swing and do the rest of the dance. give the dancers permission to relax. give yourself permission to relax. then do it! barb ----Original Message Follows---- From: Rich Goss <richgoss(a)comcast.net> Reply-To: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net> To: Shared Weight <callers(a)sharedweight.net> Subject: Re: [Callers] Compilation of 'Hey' dances, and further requests Date: Sun, 05 Nov 2006 21:53:48 -0800 I have First Hey: First Hey - Paul Balliet Improper A1: Neighbor Allemande Left 1 1/2 Ladies Chain A2: Hey For Four B1: Partner Balance & Swing B2: Circle Left 3/4 Balance the Ring, Pass Thru to Next Neighbor There are many ways to teach a hey. The best is a demo. For a full hey it's good to tell folks that they ultimately end up where they started. At least they know where they are supposed to be at the end of the hey. Good luck, you'll do fine. Rich Goss On 11/5/06 9:32 PM, "Jillian Hovey" <jillianhovey(a)rogers.com> wrote: to are Paul whole little the two too choose lot _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)sharedweight.net http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers _________________________________________________________________ Add a Yahoo! contact to Windows Live Messenger for a chance to win a free trip! http://www.imagine-windowslive.com/minisites/yahoo/default.aspx?locale=en-u…

Teaching a hey. Not having collected my e-mail for a while, I wrote this response first, and then read all the other responses later. How reassuring to see us all, more or less, on the same page on how to teach a hey. I saw Lisa Greenleaf (Hi Lisa) once teach a hey beautifully, simply, by using the lady's chain figure, but I do not remember exactly how. This was in a beginners' workshop, not in a walk through. I do not know, really, how to teach a hey, but one thing I say that may or may not be useful is this: 'A hey is this: you wander around the room, and then you end up exactly where you started. Here is one way that folks here like to do a hey. . . " and then I teach the traditional hey, often by using a foursome at the top of a set in front of me to demonstrate, in slow motion. Thanks for the great question. -P -- Peter Amidon peter(a)amidonmusic.com 20 Willow Street Brattleboro, VT 05301 802-257-1006 cell: 917-922-5462 http://www.amidonmusic.com http://www.dancingmasters.com I have never been lost, but I will admit to being confused for several weeks. -Daniel Boone

When Tony Parkes re-issues his 1992 book _Contra Dance Calling: A Basic Text_, we'll once again have access to well-thought-out ideas for teaching the hey and many other figures. Until then, search out a used copy of this very useful book. A couple of points that Tony makes about teaching the hey: "A demonstration is almost essential. But be aware that watching a hey will intimidate unseasoned dancers if they simply look at the blur of people moving back and forth. Tell those watching to follow the track of one dancer, the one whose part is identical to their own." "The most common error in heys is to stop in one's tracks when one has run out of people to pass, then to turn around on the spot and plow back in, usually with the wrong shoulder. Remind everyone to make big loops at the ends; this will help them come back into the hey more confidently." Robert Jon Golder 164 Maxfield St New Bedford, MA 02740 USA 508-999-2486

Barb-- I'm going to be coming up to Pinewoods -- I got the scholarship that TCD and CDSS give each year -- and will be attending American Dance and Music week. I had hoped to call a few dances in the Philadelphia and Princeton area the week before while visiting a friend who lives in Philadelphia, but have discovered that someone else beat me to them. Hrumph. ;-) I'm scheduled to call the Harrisburg dance, and I'm probably going to come to one or both of other dances too. Would you be up for letting me call a dance or two at one of those dances? This is my first time in that part of the country, and since I generally don't tour that far afield, it'll probably be quite a while until I'll be up there again, and it'd be great to have a chance to call for some new folks! In other news, we just had our first Callers Collective/TCD sponsored set of callers workshops (taught by Diane Silver) and a dance (both workshops and dance hosted by Steven Steibel) a couple of weekends ago. Went really well, and it looks like it may be a regular (a few times a year) thing, in addition to periodic informal gatherings. Take care, Jack