I have to think back to my beginning dances in South Amherst with Dudley. There was no thought of beginner sessions - we just get on the foot of the set til we got sucked in and literally pushed around. I'm not advocating that, all tho there was a certain excitement to it in my 20s. Really, I want to emphasize the part about being a newbie on the floor with experienced folks. It is waaay easier to learn if everyone around you knows where to go and what to do - IF you are brave enough and observant of clues around you. Basically, I don't think there is a single answer. As a caller, I prefer to teach the dances as the evening progresses rather than offer a beginners session at all. But the community feels differently, so I teach a session at the start that focuses more on the changes in the music and how to swing than on trying to explain all the moves. It is certainly a question with many answers and many variables. Dorcas Hand Houston -----Original Message----- From: callers-bounces(a)sharedweight.net [mailto:callers-bounces@sharedweight.net] On Behalf Of Hgrastorf(a)aol.com Sent: Sunday, August 15, 2010 4:23 PM To: callers(a)sharedweight.net Subject: Re: [Callers] Introductory session at dance weekends I am one of the organizers of FootFall Dance Weekend, and I dance at Glen Echo. I teach the beginners class there on a regular basis. I always tell beginners that they will learn more, faster, if they dance with experienced dancers, and that includes coming to a dance weekend, where it's total immersion. We've always had a least one inexperienced or brand new dancer at FootFall, but never so many beginners at FootFall that I've felt a beginners' class is necessary. In my experience, the dancers who are there (with a few impatient exceptions) are genuinely pleased to bring new dancers "up to speed." Personally it's a pleasure to watch the expression change from grim concentration to smiling delight as these brave newbies find themselves floating along the line. April Blum In a message dated 8/14/2010 12:00:10 P.M. Eastern Daylight 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. Re: newcomers' workshops at dance weekends (Greg McKenzie) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2010 11:15:06 -0700 From: Greg McKenzie <gregmck(a)earthlink.net> To: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net> Subject: Re: [Callers] newcomers' workshops at dance weekends Message-ID: <E1Ojymb-0000R8-Db(a)elasmtp-mealy.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Katy, Thank you for introducing this subject. One of the greatest ironies of the contra dance "movement" is that, by convention, the most wonderful bands, and callers--because of their notoriety--are most often scheduled at events, camps, festivals, and dances where newcomers seldom attend. Consequently, the first experience, for most of us, with contradance is not the inspiring experience of an exciting event in a hall filled with regular dancers, a hot band, and a caller with the knowledge and experience of integrating newcomers. Thank you for considering alternatives to this convention. Keep in mind that there are many ways to work on integrating newcomers. A separate orientation is certainly not the best and, it could be argued, is not even a good way to accomplish this integration. Personally, I actively encourage newcomers to sign up for camps, festivals, and special events. With a good caller this can be the best introduction to the magic of contra dance. I am interested in other views on this. - Greg *********** At 10:23 AM 8/12/2010, you wrote: ------------------------------ _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)sharedweight.net http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers End of Callers Digest, Vol 72, Issue 13 *************************************** _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)sharedweight.net http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers