I've used it at to teach Mary Cay's Reel at a dance which had quite a few beginners -- it was particularly useful in that context because in MC's R, after the circle left, you pass your current N by the right, Allem. L the NEXT, and come back and swing your original N. I found that having the dancers line up in regular duple improper formation permitted me to introduce them to that "next Neighbor" before they needed to find him/her, which I think made the teaching more effective and made the "go out of your set and come back" aspect less difficult. April Blum In a message dated 11/8/2010 12:00:15 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, callers-request(a)sharedweight.net writes: Send Callers mailing list submissions to callers(a)sharedweight.net To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to callers-request(a)sharedweight.net You can reach the person managing the list at callers-owner(a)sharedweight.net When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Callers digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Contra Dance Calling: A Basic Text (Chrissy Fowler) 2. clever Becket walk-through technique... (Andy Shore) 3. Re: clever Becket walk-through technique... (Mortland, Jo) 4. Re: clever Becket walk-through technique... (Jack Mitchell) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Mon, 8 Nov 2010 07:14:57 -0500 From: Chrissy Fowler <ktaadn_me(a)hotmail.com> To: shared weight <callers(a)sharedweight.net> Subject: [Callers] Contra Dance Calling: A Basic Text Message-ID: <col113-w22415767818307FE3356918D4F0(a)phx.gbl> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Advertisement?!? Hardly! More like a public service announcement, if you ask me. I recently was given a dear friend's copy (Patrick Stevens, for those who knew him) and it's been such a boon. Excellent writing; thoughtful and on-target explanations of contra dance calling mechanics and philosophy both; inspirational, entertaining, provocative, etc. etc. etc. This past month's "Tip of the Month" at our local dance series consisted of several excerpts from the book which illuminated our tip "Move with Poise." This very morning I planned to write to Tony to thank him again for writing the book. I'm utterly delighted that it's now out in a second printing. I encourage all callers to check it out, from curmudgeonly old hands to shiny brand newbies. There's something there for us all. Cheers, Chrissy Fowler Belfast, ME ------------------------------ this list would like to know that Tony's book, Contra Dance Calling: A Basic Text has just been released in its second printing. Most of the content has not changed, but the reference section has been updated with internet addresses (hard to believe we didn't have them in 1992 when the first edition was published) and several other sections (such as sound) have been updated to reflect changes in technology. ------------------------------ Message: 2 Date: Mon, 8 Nov 2010 11:35:39 -0500 From: Andy Shore <square.a.shore(a)gmail.com> To: callers(a)sharedweight.net Subject: [Callers] clever Becket walk-through technique... Message-ID: <C734DC91-E8B7-4238-A690-5C292C940B6A(a)gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Halloween weekend, my partner and I attended the Fire Ant Frolic in Austin with Nils Fredland calling and Elixer playing. Great dances, great music, nice people - what a wonderful weekend! Nils did something on several walkthroughs that I don't think I'd ever noticed before and I thought it was very clever and effective. I asked him during a break if he had thought it up or where he had learned it and he kind of avoided answering the question directly... but I thought I'd share it here and see what people think. On Becket dances that begin with a Circle Left 3/4, he did not have the sets "becketize" themselves before the walk through... he'd say "hands 4, ones cross over" and begin the walk through with a "Join Hands Circle Left All the Way" (which is the same a becketizing by circling left 1/4 and then beginning the walk through with a circle left 3/4). I often notice that many dancers aren't listening when you ask them to "becketize" by circling left 1/4, which leads to initial confusion down the line, so Nils' solution avoids that common problem. It was obvious (at least to me) that the dances were, in fact, Becket dances based on how they ended and his description of the progression, and he'd actually have us begin to the music from the "backed up" becket formation and Circle 3/4. I just thought it was a really neat way to do walk throughs for those Becket dances that start with a Circle Left 3/4. Note that it won't be correct to use for Becket dances that begin with other moves. Has anyone else ever seen or used this walk-through technique? What do you think of it? I tried it on one dance I called in Cocoa Beach on Saturday and it worked very well. /Andy Shore http://andyshore.com ------------------------------ Message: 3 Date: Mon, 8 Nov 2010 10:44:33 -0600 From: "Mortland, Jo" <j-mortland(a)neiu.edu> To: "Caller's discussion list" <callers(a)sharedweight.net> Subject: Re: [Callers] clever Becket walk-through technique... Message-ID: <9B0B0B8FF2328E48930D4B6273C1B2611A357505(a)EXNODE2.univ.neiu.edu> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Beth Molaro did this in Chicago last April, and it was novel. A very neat trick, IMHO. Jo Mortland ------------------------------ Message: 4 Date: Mon, 08 Nov 2010 11:48:19 -0500 From: Jack Mitchell <jamitch3(a)mindspring.com> To: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net> Subject: Re: [Callers] clever Becket walk-through technique... Message-ID: <4CD829D3.6080405(a)mindspring.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed With a becket that begins circle left 3/4 and swing your current/next neighbor, I will frequently walk it through just starting from the neighbor swing. If it's a pass through and swing a new neighbor, I'll walk it through the second time with the pass thru, and then dance from there so that the folks who just got sent out of the set will come in at the beginning of the dance. Generally I do point out to dancers after the walk thru that the dance is becket and that it will start from here with you on the side of the set with your partner. This doesn't work (or just isn't effective) for dances that do something other than just take you back to improper at the beginning of the dance. If the dance starts with long lines or with other stuff with your partner, then you do still have to get becket first (or walk the dance through starting somewhere in the middle, which, while it can work, can be chancy if you have any newer dancers. Jack On 11/8/2010 11:35 AM, Andy Shore wrote: Austin with Nils Fredland calling and Elixer playing. Great dances, great music, nice people - what a wonderful weekend! noticed before and I thought it was very clever and effective. I asked him during a break if he had thought it up or where he had learned it and he kind of avoided answering the question directly... but I thought I'd share it here and see what people think. sets "becketize" themselves before the walk through... he'd say "hands 4, ones cross over" and begin the walk through with a "Join Hands Circle Left All the Way" (which is the same a becketizing by circling left 1/4 and then beginning the walk through with a circle left 3/4). "becketize" by circling left 1/4, which leads to initial confusion down the line, so Nils' solution avoids that common problem. It was obvious (at least to me) that the dances were, in fact, Becket dances based on how they ended and his description of the progression, and he'd actually have us begin to the music from the "backed up" becket formation and Circle 3/4. Becket dances that start with a Circle Left 3/4. Note that it won't be correct to use for Becket dances that begin with other moves. worked very well. ------------------------------ _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)sharedweight.net http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers End of Callers Digest, Vol 75, Issue 2 **************************************