New subject: shoes (Digest, Vol 47, Issue 2)

4 Jul 2008

Stacy,
Depends what you like - I tend to like flatter shoes with little heel  
(the 1/2" heel), other women like more of a heel (say 1 1/4"). Both  
sorts can be found in the Square and Round Dance category, quite  
contra apropos. I have a whole raft of the Mary Janes because you can  
special order them in multiple colors and in WIDE widths!!!! And you  
can get the Mary Jane's either as dance shoes, with the leather sole,  
or as street shoes with a hard sole, and I have a bunch of those for  
non-dance as well. On the other hand, if you want a Ginger Rogers- 
esque shoe for that New Year's Eve contra, you can check out the  
ballroom group, or get funky with the mint-colored or two-tone Lindy  
Hop series, or go country with boots. Oh, and did I say that they are  
comfortable? It's a smorgasbord of terpsichorean delight. And a  
variety of nice and comfy shoes for men, too.
Martha

On Jul 4, 2008, at 9:00 AM, callers-request(a)sharedweight.net wrote:

...
  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: Callers Digest, Vol 46, Issue 12 (Stacy Rose)
    2. Re: Any Whipperstompers out there? (Jack Mitchell)
    3. Re: Any Whipperstompers out there? (Chris Page)

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------

 Message: 1
 Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:40:50 -0700
 From: "Stacy Rose" &lt;stacyrose12(a)verizon.net&gt;
 Subject: Re: [Callers] Callers Digest, Vol 46, Issue 12
 To: "'Caller's discussion list'" &lt;callers(a)sharedweight.net&gt;
 Message-ID: &lt;0K3G00B4N6FSR0XE(a)vms173005.mailsrvcs.net&gt;
 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

 Martha - this looks like a great resource. Of the different styles,  
 which
 are conducive for contra dancing?

 Thanks,
 Stacy Rose

  -----Original Message-----
 From: callers-bounces(a)sharedweight.net [mailto:callers-
 bounces(a)sharedweight.net] On Behalf Of Martha Wild
 Sent: Thursday, June 26, 2008 10:28 PM
 To: callers(a)sharedweight.net
 Subject: Re: [Callers] Callers Digest, Vol 46, Issue 12

 I recommend TicTacToes - check out all the dancing shoes they have
 available at TicTacToes.com - I've bought quite a few pair from them,
 and they are comfortable and have great suede/leather soles and all
 sorts of styles and colors and widths. They have shoes for men and
 women - they have them for all kinds of dancing, from ballroom to tap
 to country Western. I can't dance in tennis shoes because since they
 don't slip well I end up tweaking my right knee when doing buzz step
 swings. And the prices are about usual for shoes.
 Martha

 On Jun 25, 2008, at 9:00 AM, callers-request(a)sharedweight.net wrote:

  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. Shoes (Rickey)
    2. Re: Shoes (Mortland, Jo)
    3. Re: Shoes (Laur)

 -------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 --

 Message: 1
 Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2008 16:01:58 -0400
 From: "Rickey" &lt;holt.e(a)comcast.net&gt;
 Subject: [Callers] Shoes
 To: &lt;callers(a)sharedweight.net&gt;
 Message-ID: <000901c8d635$28ac7260$020fa8c0@maxx>
 Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="us-ascii"

 Hi,

 I am considering buying my first pair of shoes bought expressly for
 contra
 dancing.  What do you recommend?  What do you think of suede
 soles?  I need
 good arch support. Whatever I buy would also need to be acceptable
 to dance
 organizers in need of protecting their venue's floors.

 Thanks,

 Rickey Holt.

 ------------------------------

 Message: 2
 Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2008 15:10:20 -0500
 From: "Mortland, Jo" &lt;j-mortland(a)neiu.edu&gt;
 Subject: Re: [Callers] Shoes
 To: "Caller's discussion list" &lt;callers(a)sharedweight.net&gt;
 Message-ID:
 	&lt;9B0B0B8FF2328E48930D4B6273C1B2610CBD1CFE(a)EXNODE1.univ.neiu.edu&gt;
 Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="US-ASCII"

 I need to wear orthotics in my every day shoes for arch support.

 So when I buy new shoes, I take the old pair, one that accommodates
 the
 orthotics, to a shoe clinic.  I ask for "dance leather" (suede)  
 to be
 affixed to the bottoms of the shoes, but only from the toe to the  
 arch
 (not the heel).  This way I have support and a great surface for
 swinging.  Costs me about $30.00.  and I keep updating my dance
 shoes as
 I purchase new regular wear ones.  (I wear SAS shoes.  I used to
 have a
 pair of Rockports with which I did the same thing.)

 Jo Mortland

 ------------------------------

 Message: 3
 Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:05:24 -0700 (PDT)
 From: Laur &lt;lcpgr(a)yahoo.com&gt;
 Subject: Re: [Callers] Shoes
 To: Caller's discussion list &lt;callers(a)sharedweight.net&gt;
 Message-ID: &lt;173165.55101.qm(a)web52907.mail.re2.yahoo.com&gt;
 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

 I sent an earlier message off list -

 Same goes for me.

 In my case I buy a good supportive tennis shoe, but I have swede
 put on the bottom of the whole shoe.  It just works for me.  And it
 also costs about 30-40 depending on who you go to.

 I have in the past put leather on a vinyl bottomed shoe.

 Of course, if you have a pair of shoes that work for you - old
 sneakers, just put duct tape on them.  I did that for nine years.
 It worked just fine.

 Laurie
 GR

 --- On Tue, 6/24/08, Mortland, Jo &lt;j-mortland(a)neiu.edu&gt; wrote:

  From: Mortland, Jo &lt;j-mortland(a)neiu.edu&gt;
 Subject: Re: [Callers] Shoes
 To: "Caller's discussion list" &lt;callers(a)sharedweight.net&gt;
 Date: Tuesday, June 24, 2008, 4:10 PM
 I need to wear orthotics in my every day shoes for arch
 support.

 So when I buy new shoes, I take the old pair, one that
 accommodates the
 orthotics, to a shoe clinic.  I ask for "dance
 leather" (suede) to be
 affixed to the bottoms of the shoes, but only from the toe
 to the arch
 (not the heel).  This way I have support and a great
 surface for
 swinging.  Costs me about $30.00.  and I keep updating my
 dance shoes as
 I purchase new regular wear ones.  (I wear SAS shoes.  I
 used to have a
 pair of Rockports with which I did the same thing.)

 Jo Mortland

 _______________________________________________
 Callers mailing list
 Callers(a)sharedweight.net
 http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers 

 ------------------------------

 _______________________________________________
 Callers mailing list
 Callers(a)sharedweight.net
 http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers

 End of Callers Digest, Vol 46, Issue 12
 *************************************** 
 _______________________________________________
 Callers mailing list
 Callers(a)sharedweight.net
 http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers 

 ------------------------------

 Message: 2
 Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2008 19:38:07 -0400
 From: Jack Mitchell &lt;jamitch3(a)mindspring.com&gt;
 Subject: Re: [Callers] Any Whipperstompers out there?
 To: Caller's discussion list &lt;callers(a)sharedweight.net&gt;
 Message-ID: &lt;E1KEYNA-0000jp-Rl(a)elasmtp-kukur.atl.sa.earthlink.net&gt;
 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

 There's a great video online from the weekend at
 http://whipperstompers.org/  That and Adina's description of the
 weekend makes me wish that I had been able to make it (though I'm not
 sure I would have survived the heat....)  Definitely interested in
 going next year though if they have it again.  From a callers
 perspective it sounds like just what I would have hoped it would be
 and none of what I had worried it might be.

 That being said, the dance that Charlotte is calling in the video
 looked like a good one, and is one that I don't have.  Anyone
 recognize it?  What I got from the video is:

 Becket

 A1      P Gypsy and Sw
 A2      L Chain
          LHS 1x
 B1      New N B&S
 B2      Gents chain
          1/2 Hey (gents start by left shoulder)

 Thanks!

 Jack
 At 02:20 AM 7/3/2008, you wrote:
  Hi Chris,

 Sorry it took me a week to respond about the
 Whipperstomper.  Lindsay, thanks!  I'm so glad you enjoyed it that
 much!  It was great to see you there.

 I went into the weekend with some reservations.  Who would
 come?  What would the general attitude be?  Would there be trouble
 with 100 teens and 20-somethings in a state park for the
 weekend?  Were people open to learning?  Would groups mix?  Was it
 going to be pro-youth, or anti-age?

 Short answers:  Everybody.  Positive.  Almost
 none.  Yes!  Yes.  Pro-youth.  I'm so impressed by what happened
 there I almost can't describe it.

 The general attitude of the weekend, coming from the organizers and
 effectively transmitted to the dancers, was that young dancers can
 be a positive force in their communities.  We talked about and
 worked on style, dance-floor safety, encouraging and helping each
 other, calling, playing for dances, and community
 involvement.  There was more intentional learning and discussion
 than at other weekends I've been at -- the purpose wasn't only to
 dance and have fun, but to build community, both with other young
 dancers and with the wider community.

 Dancers came from all over -- the majority from North and South
 Carolina, but also from Virginia, Maryland, New York, Massachusetts,
 Vermont, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, and I think a couple other
 states.  New England was well-represented.  As Lindsay mentioned,
 especially on Friday night folks danced mainly with people they
 already knew, but by Sunday it was a typical dance weekend
 love-fest.  I was looking at the leaders of tomorrow's dance
 community meeting each other, making connections, and becoming
 friends, and I left feeling really good about the future of
 Anglo-American folk dance.

 Lindsay mentioned both the heat & lack of fans, and the passion he
 saw.  Those are interrelated.

 There were supposed to be huge box fans for the dance hall, borrowed
 from the Old Farmers Ball in Asheville, NC.  Unfortunately, 2 weeks
 before the Whipperstomper the ceiling collapsed in Bryson Hall at
 Warren Wilson College, where the OFB weekly dance is held and the
 fans are stored.  (http://www.oldfarmersball.com/bryson_update.htm
 for more information.)  Truly miraculously, no-one was injured in
 what could have been a devastating catastrophe; school had ended a
 week earlier and the collapse happened a few hours before a
 dance.  Bryson was quarantined, so there was no way to get the fans
 out.  Hence the passion Linsay mentioned:  In the sweltering
 heat  -- it was an uncooled hall in 90-some degree weather, without
 fans -- there were no complaints or early check-outs, and the
 dancers danced nonstop for hours.

 And -- holy cow!  What dancing!  I've never seen such great dancing
 in one place, and I say that as a dance gypsy and itinerant dance
 caller.  I've never called to a better group, anywhere.  These kids
 can DANCE!  (--and do it safely, and on time!)

 Watching the organizers through the process, from last fall til now,
 was exciting.  They did a great job, really matured in the process,
 and became even better leaders.  They came to see that their
 responsibility within the dance community doesn't end with age x;
 we're all in this together.  I'm enormously proud of them!  Keep in
 mind that the main organizer, who drove the entire process, turned
 21 that weekend.  He showed incredible initiative and drive to make
 it happen, learned much more than he had anticipated in the process,
 and did a better job than most people probably would have
 expected.  For the future of the entire dance community, that
 experience was priceless.

 Having Ethan Hazzard-Watkins, the CDSS Youth Projects Intern, at the
 weekend was a real boon.  Some of the young dancers hadn't heard of
 CDSS, and Ethan added a lot in outreach, information, and helping
 make connections.  Hopefully it will translate both to more CDSS
 memberships and more participation in CDSS programs in the future.

 I call the Whipperstomper was a huge success, in numerous ways.  It
 was terrific fun, a new generation got immersed in organizing, the
 future leaders of our community made connections they'll have for
 the rest of their lives, and quite a few of those southern dancers
 will be making the trip to Vermont for the Youth Dance Weekend in
 September.  We started something good, and round 2 is sure to be  
 even better!

 Please note that though the Youth Dance Weekend Sept. 12-14
 (http://youthdanceweekend.org/) is targeted at dancers under 35, it
 is not age-restricted.  Those over 35 are welcome to attend, with
 higher pricing.  The goal is to encourage younger dancers, and as
 younger people often have lower (or no) earnings, one suggestion is
 that older and more financially stable dancers consider paying the
 admission of a younger dancer.  If you're over 35 and still want to
 attend the weekend there are options available for you.

 Lindsay also mentioned the wonderful facilities at Table Rock State
 Park, in South Carolina.  Harvest Moon's annual dance weekend,
 Moondance, is also held there, Sept 5-7 2008.  A wonderful
 weekend!  http://www.harvestmoonfolk.org/moondanc.htm for more
 information.  Space is still available.

 Thanks for asking about the weekend, Chris.  I should add one more
 thing -- I'm reporting this from the perspective of one of 8 or 10
 people there over the age of 35, not one of the under-35
 in-crowd.  It was a real honor to call there.

 - Adina
 ---------
 Adina Gordon
 http://www.adinagordon.com/

 --- On Fri, 6/27/08, callers-request(a)sharedweight.net
 &lt;callers-request(a)sharedweight.net&gt; wrote:

  Date: Fri, 27 Jun 2008 10:08:56 -0400
 From: "Chris Weiler (home)"
 &lt;chris.weiler(a)weirdtable.org&gt;
 Subject: [Callers] Any Whipperstompers out there?

 Hello everyone,

 Anybody attend the Whipperstompers weekend a couple
 of weeks ago in South Carolina? I talked with Adina
 Gordon last night about it and she had some good things
 to say. Adina, that's your cue to let us know how it went
 and your impressions about what the organizers and
 attendees took away from it. ;)

 Anyone else attend and want to share their experiences?

 Adina and I found out that we're both planning on
 attending the Youth Dance Weekend in Vermont in
 September. Anyone else going to be there?

 Happy Dancing,
 Chris Weiler
 Goffstown, NH

 ------------------------------

 Date: Fri, 27 Jun 2008 10:28:46 -0400
 From: Lindsay Morris &lt;lindsay(a)TSMworks.com&gt;
 Subject: Re: [Callers] Any Whipperstompers out there?

 Whipperstompers was great!

 Adina was great - dance games were esp cool! - the band was
 excellent, and the people were very fun.
 A lot of Brasstown kids hung together; a couple of people
 felt a little excluded by them, but when you've got all
 that history, yeah, it's hard not to bond even more....

 Hot - some big box fans would have been great...

 I wish I had camped - beautiful campsites close together.
 Table Rock is a great facility.

 <rant>
 Groups that meet for primarily social reasons die (or might
 as well).  Groups that share a passion for something grow.
 </rant>

 When I sat out and just watched the dancers at
 Whipperstompers, wow! Lots of passion there.  Big
 buckets of gotta-dance just overflowing.

 Our contra-dance language continues to morph and grow,
 beautifully. Lots of contact-improv and swing creeping in.
 Outright theatrics, ending just in time to meet the next...

 Many of these kids  youngsters  dancers grew up sleeping on
 the corner of the stage, reels seeping into their
 motion-fibers from age 1. So it's no wonder they move
 at such a high level.  Beautiful to watch.

 We ARE part of a golden age, as someone said recently. 

 _______________________________________________
 Callers mailing list
 Callers(a)sharedweight.net
 http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers 

 ------------------------------

 Message: 3
 Date: Thu, 3 Jul 2008 18:31:42 -0700
 From: "Chris Page" &lt;chriscpage(a)gmail.com&gt;
 Subject: Re: [Callers] Any Whipperstompers out there?
 To: "Caller's discussion list" &lt;callers(a)sharedweight.net&gt;
 Message-ID:
 	&lt;9469896c0807031831l50f79d9bp25ae134c7afac634(a)mail.gmail.com&gt;
 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

 On 7/3/08, Jack Mitchell &lt;jamitch3(a)mindspring.com&gt; wrote:
   That being said, the dance that Charlotte is
calling in the video  
 looked
 like a good one, and is one that I don't have.  Anyone recognize it? 
 The Broken Mirror by Bill Olson.

 http://full.pamweeks.com/mirror.html

 -Chris Page
 San Diego

 ------------------------------

 _______________________________________________
 Callers mailing list
 Callers(a)sharedweight.net
 http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers

 End of Callers Digest, Vol 47, Issue 2
 ************************************** 

Re: [Callers] Callers Digest, Vol 47, Issue 2