18 Dec
2009
18 Dec
'09
8:23 p.m.
When I was a "cub caller," at one point I got stuck in a rut where my local
community hired me for a half dance once a quarter, and that was it. This went on for
about 2 years, and because I never got enough "fly time" (as Joseph Pimentel
terms it), I never got better. Finally a caller from the nearest neighboring community
took me under wing, and I was getting whole evenings, and then I got better very quickly.
So the moral of the story is, organizers can also err on the side of being too cautious
about getting new callers in front of a mic. Sure, you can hold discussions about
calling, think about calling, practice calling, dream about calling -- but the only way to
learn is to get up there and do it. Over and over and over.
Gloating alert: The coda to my story is that now other communities book me far in advance,
so that by the time my local organizer approaches me, there's no room on my schedule.
Local dancers keep asking when I'll call next, and act disappointed to hear I'm
not on the schedule. I try to hold back the triumphant evil laughter until out of earshot
of the organizer.
Lewis
21 Dec
21 Dec
12:29 p.m.
New subject: Cub Callers
Lewis wrote:
So the moral of the story is, organizers can also err
on the side of
being too cautious about getting new callers in front of a
mic. Sure, you can hold discussions about calling, think about
calling, practice calling, dream about calling -- but the only way
to learn is to get up there and do it. Over and over and over.
There is some truth to this. There is nothing like the experience of
a full night of calling to a crowd with vastly different experience
levels. On the other hand it is certainly not "the only way to
learn...." Dancing to callers--both good and poor--is
invaluable. Also sitting out and observing both the dancers and the
caller, very carefully, can bring many insights about what excellent
callers are doing and where poor callers should make
changes. Reading books--when combined with the above--can also be
very helpful.
Personally, I do not consider a caller's "experience level" to be a
primary factor when I consider if I should drive through a stormy
night to attend a dance. New callers have some key advantages over
many of the old stagers. For one, new callers are less likely to be
so full of themselves that they expect the entire hall to hang on
their every word. And some of these "walking dance encyclopedias"
have many, many words.
The older veterans also seem to gain so much confidence that they
sometimes begin dropping some of the basics techniques of contra
dance calling, such as using effective word order in their
prompts. I have attended dances with nationally known callers, of
vast experience, who have had a terrible time integrating newcomers
into the dance community. Some of this may come from having the
leisure to drop effective calling techniques when calling at dance
camps, festivals, and other events where few newcomers attend.
I enjoy dancing to new callers. They are often much more intent upon
doing a good job and they pay attention. They are also more in tune
with the experience of newcomers...since they were there themselves
more recently.
The real factor I look at is the caller's concept of what their main
job is. Some callers call to teach. Some call to learn. Some call
to be in control. Some call to be seen and to be heard. Some call
to be a leader. And some call to facilitate a joyful social event
with wonderful live music and a crowd of pleasant, kind, and gracious people.
The caller's intention is, in most cases, more important than their
years of experience behind the microphone.
Just a thought.
1:27 p.m.
New subject: Cub Callers
True, dat...
Lindsay Morris
Principal
TSMworks
Tel. 1-859-539-9900
lindsay(a)tsmworks.com
On Mon, Dec 21, 2009 at 12:29 PM, Greg McKenzie <gregmck(a)earthlink.net>wrote;wrote:
Lewis wrote:
So the moral of the story is, organizers can also
err on the side of being
too cautious about getting new callers in front of a mic. Sure, you can
hold discussions about calling, think about calling, practice calling, dream
about calling -- but the only way to learn is to get up there and do it.
Over and over and over.
There is some truth to this. There is nothing like the experience of a
full night of calling to a crowd with vastly different experience levels.
On the other hand it is certainly not "the only way to learn...." Dancing
to callers--both good and poor--is invaluable. Also sitting out and
observing both the dancers and the caller, very carefully, can bring many
insights about what excellent callers are doing and where poor callers
should make changes. Reading books--when combined with the above--can also
be very helpful.
Personally, I do not consider a caller's "experience level" to be a
primary
factor when I consider if I should drive through a stormy night to attend a
dance. New callers have some key advantages over many of the old stagers.
For one, new callers are less likely to be so full of themselves that they
expect the entire hall to hang on their every word. And some of these
"walking dance encyclopedias" have many, many words.
The older veterans also seem to gain so much confidence that they sometimes
begin dropping some of the basics techniques of contra dance calling, such
as using effective word order in their prompts. I have attended dances with
nationally known callers, of vast experience, who have had a terrible time
integrating newcomers into the dance community. Some of this may come from
having the leisure to drop effective calling techniques when calling at
dance camps, festivals, and other events where few newcomers attend.
I enjoy dancing to new callers. They are often much more intent upon doing
a good job and they pay attention. They are also more in tune with the
experience of newcomers...since they were there themselves more recently.
The real factor I look at is the caller's concept of what their main job
is. Some callers call to teach. Some call to learn. Some call to be in
control. Some call to be seen and to be heard. Some call to be a leader.
And some call to facilitate a joyful social event with wonderful live music
and a crowd of pleasant, kind, and gracious people.
The caller's intention is, in most cases, more important than their years
of experience behind the microphone.
Just a thought.
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2 comments
3 participants
participants (3)
-
Greg McKenzie -
Laila Lewis -
Lindsay Morris