16 Dec
2009
16 Dec
'09
1:06 p.m.
How bad would it have been to have the board basically put its foot down
and, after one of the not-very-great evenings, suggest that the next time
that person is asked to call, they prepare just half a night, or a third of
a night?
I'm curious - how did you "bring along" the new callers? Was there a
teacher/student relationship, or more of a peer-to-peer setup? I ask because
we have a bunch of cubs - I'm one of them - and it's always been
peer-to-peer, with input from experienced callers only from time to time. To
a certain extent, we critique each other. When one of us manages to screw
up, we have a friendly enough atmosphere at our Calling Parties that we can
admit it, figure out what to do better, and move on. We've been at it for
almost two years, and are only slowly moving into the rotation, mostly at
shared caller nights until someone is "ready", and even then, not as often
as the regular callers.
So far, it seems to be working. I hope that we don't develop a situation
such as the one you described! We should remain on our toes, just in case.
Interestingly, we previously had a couple of regular callers whose dances
broke down often enough that it was becoming noticeable, but after the cub
callers started calling, it happened less often! I'd like to think that the
improvement was less from the competition than from the fact that more
people were paying attention to the callers' art, and so what had become
somewhat routine took on renewed energy.
M
E
On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 9:48 AM, Lindsay Morris <lindsay(a)tsmworks.com>wrote;wrote:
Our dance group brought along a group of half-a-dozen
"cub callers" a few
years ago.
It was a bad thing.
After they got into the calling rotation at our weekly dance, they never
wanted to get off, of course.
Our really good callers got to call less often; the new callers only got to
call a dance once every 3 months, so they never got any better. The dance
was plagued with inexperienced and not-very-great calling for years.
Sorry to offer problems without solutions, but this well-intentioned
debacle
has stayed on my mind. Seem like this is the place to share the
"cub-callers" problem.
Lindsay Morris
Principal
TSMworks
Tel. 1-859-539-9900
lindsay(a)tsmworks.com
On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 10:42 AM, Delia Clark <delia_clark(a)comcast.net
_______________________________________________
Callers mailing list
Callers(a)sharedweight.net
http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
--
For the good are always the merry,
Save by an evil chance,
And the merry love the fiddle
And the merry love to dance. ~ William Butler Yeats
wrote:
David,
Let's do one of these for VT/NH! Aren't you just the guy to organize
it!!
;-) OK, I would help -- how about you put me in
charge of organizing
supplies for the schmoozing part!
Delia
On Dec 15, 2009, at 9:25 PM, Katy Heine wrote:
Hi, David--
>
> Ever since the "Ted's Triplets" marathon eight years ago, we in
Central
> New
> York have had an annual callers' gathering on different themes. These
have
> been more an opportunity to share repertoire
than for older, more
> experienced callers to mentor younger, less experienced callers--so
really
> not a parallel to what you're talking
about, but maybe of interest
anyway.
>
> The topics over the years have included dances in unusual formations;
> "living room dances" (i.e., dances for small numbers of people); the
Gene
> Hubert legacy; English for contra dance
callers; and calling for
community
> dances, weddings, and one-night-stands. The
next one (March 6) will be
> "Zesty Contras," which will be dances from Larry Jennings' first book.
> (Many
> of us have the book on our shelves but have not actually mined it for
the
> gems that assuredly lie within.)
>
> These annual workshops are a great opportunity for the community of
> regional
> callers to come together to schmooze, share, and enjoy each other's
> company.
> I strongly encourage callers everywhere to give it a try!
>
> --Katy Heine
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: callers-bounces(a)sharedweight.net
> [mailto:callers-bounces@sharedweight.net] On Behalf Of David Millstone
> Sent: Tuesday, December 15, 2009 6:48 PM
> To: Callers(a)sharedweight.net
> Subject: [Callers] Callers' workshop
>
> Dear fellow dance callers,
>
> I have an opportunity coming up next spring to lead a day-long workshop
> for
> dance callers. It'll be a small group, perhaps 10-12 people, with a
range
> of
> experience. Some will have had only 2-4 years of active calling while
> others
> may
> have had 20 years or more. These will be folks who are comfortable with
> contras
> and with traditional squares. They will know each other already. They're
> open to
> a wide variety of topics and teaching methods.
>
> I've been invited to address just about any topics that are near and
dear
to
me,
so I'm relishing this prospect.
At the same time, I'd like not to spend an entire day on a soapbox. With
that in
mind, I'm soliciting opinions from this group-- rather than, say, the
trad.dance.callers listserv-- because this Shared Weight group includes
some
callers on the less experienced end of the spectrum.
So, what are topics that _you_ would like to see in a workshop? Assuming
that
one already has the nuts and bolts of programming an evening, teaching a
dance,
and delivering the calls in good fashion, what skills would be useful to
address?
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
David Millstone
Lebanon, NH
_______________________________________________
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
<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>
Delia Clark
PO Box 45
Taftsville, VT 05073
802-457-2075
delia_clark(a)comcast.net
_______________________________________________
Callers mailing list
Callers(a)sharedweight.net
http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
16 Dec
16 Dec
1:13 p.m.
Could be that we just put the cubs into the rotation too early.
Sad to trash the democratic freewheeling nature of some groups, but maybe we
need a vetting committee - or some less formal bar to people getting up on
stage.
Lindsay Morris
Principal
TSMworks
Tel. 1-859-539-9900
lindsay(a)tsmworks.com
On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 2:06 PM, Martha Edwards <meedwards(a)westendweb.com>wrote;wrote:
How bad would it have been to have the board basically
put its foot down
and, after one of the not-very-great evenings, suggest that the next time
that person is asked to call, they prepare just half a night, or a third of
a night?
I'm curious - how did you "bring along" the new callers? Was there a
teacher/student relationship, or more of a peer-to-peer setup? I ask
because
we have a bunch of cubs - I'm one of them - and it's always been
peer-to-peer, with input from experienced callers only from time to time.
To
a certain extent, we critique each other. When one of us manages to screw
up, we have a friendly enough atmosphere at our Calling Parties that we can
admit it, figure out what to do better, and move on. We've been at it for
almost two years, and are only slowly moving into the rotation, mostly at
shared caller nights until someone is "ready", and even then, not as often
as the regular callers.
So far, it seems to be working. I hope that we don't develop a situation
such as the one you described! We should remain on our toes, just in case.
Interestingly, we previously had a couple of regular callers whose dances
broke down often enough that it was becoming noticeable, but after the cub
callers started calling, it happened less often! I'd like to think that the
improvement was less from the competition than from the fact that more
people were paying attention to the callers' art, and so what had become
somewhat routine took on renewed energy.
M
E
On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 9:48 AM, Lindsay Morris <lindsay(a)tsmworks.com
Millstone
with
With
_______________________________________________
Callers mailing list
Callers(a)sharedweight.net
http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
--
For the good are always the merry,
Save by an evil chance,
And the merry love the fiddle
And the merry love to dance. ~ William Butler Yeats
_______________________________________________
Callers mailing list
Callers(a)sharedweight.net
http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
wrote:
Our dance group brought along a group of
half-a-dozen "cub callers" a few
years ago.
It was a bad thing.
After they got into the calling rotation at our weekly dance, they never
wanted to get off, of course.
Our really good callers got to call less often; the new callers only got
to
call a dance once every 3 months, so they never
got any better. The
dance
> was plagued with inexperienced and not-very-great calling for years.
>
> Sorry to offer problems without solutions, but this well-intentioned
> debacle
> has stayed on my mind. Seem like this is the place to share the
> "cub-callers" problem.
>
>
> Lindsay Morris
> Principal
> TSMworks
> Tel. 1-859-539-9900
> lindsay(a)tsmworks.com
>
>
> On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 10:42 AM, Delia Clark <delia_clark(a)comcast.net
> wrote:
>
> > David,
> > Let's do one of these for VT/NH! Aren't you just the guy to organize
> it!!
> > ;-) OK, I would help -- how about you put me in charge of organizing
> > supplies for the schmoozing part!
> > Delia
> >
> > On Dec 15, 2009, at 9:25 PM, Katy Heine wrote:
> >
> > Hi, David--
> >>
> >> Ever since the "Ted's Triplets" marathon eight years ago, we
in
Central
> New
> York have had an annual callers' gathering on different themes. These
have
> been more an opportunity to share repertoire
than for older, more
> experienced callers to mentor younger, less experienced callers--so
really
> not a parallel to what you're talking
about, but maybe of interest
anyway.
>
> The topics over the years have included dances in unusual formations;
> "living room dances" (i.e., dances for small numbers of people); the
Gene
> Hubert legacy; English for contra dance
callers; and calling for
community
> dances, weddings, and one-night-stands. The
next one (March 6) will be
> "Zesty Contras," which will be dances from Larry Jennings' first book.
> (Many
> of us have the book on our shelves but have not actually mined it for
the
>> gems that assuredly lie within.)
>>
>> These annual workshops are a great opportunity for the community of
>> regional
>> callers to come together to schmooze, share, and enjoy each other's
>> company.
>> I strongly encourage callers everywhere to give it a try!
>>
>> --Katy Heine
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: callers-bounces(a)sharedweight.net
>> [mailto:callers-bounces@sharedweight.net] On Behalf Of David >> Sent: Tuesday, December 15, 2009 6:48
PM
>> To: Callers(a)sharedweight.net
>> Subject: [Callers] Callers' workshop
>>
>> Dear fellow dance callers,
>>
>> I have an opportunity coming up next spring to lead a day-long
workshop
> for
> dance callers. It'll be a small group, perhaps 10-12 people, with a
range
>> of
>> experience. Some will have had only 2-4 years of active calling while
>> others
>> may
>> have had 20 years or more. These will be folks who are comfortable >> contras
>> and with traditional squares. They will know each other already.
They're
> open
to
> a wide variety of topics and teaching methods.
>
> I've been invited to address just about any topics that are near and
dear
>> to
>> me,
>> so I'm relishing this prospect.
>>
>> At the same time, I'd like not to spend an entire day on a soapbox. >> that in
>> mind, I'm soliciting opinions from this group-- rather than, say, the
>> trad.dance.callers listserv-- because this Shared Weight group
includes
>> some
>> callers on the less experienced end of the spectrum.
>>
>> So, what are topics that _you_ would like to see in a workshop?
Assuming
>> that
>> one already has the nuts and bolts of programming an evening, teaching
a
>> dance,
>> and delivering the calls in good fashion, what skills would be useful
to
address?
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
David Millstone
Lebanon, NH
_______________________________________________
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
<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>
Delia Clark
PO Box 45
Taftsville, VT 05073
802-457-2075
delia_clark(a)comcast.net
_______________________________________________
Callers mailing list
Callers(a)sharedweight.net
http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
1:44 p.m.
I have to admit that we have a secret weapon - Mac McKeever. He's a very
accomplished caller, and president of the board, so he has both personal
authority and positional authority, and he has a long record of fairness. He
is more interested at this point in encouraging us than in discouraging us,
but he's set a few standards for us to strive for - and asks that we come up
with a personal statement of "what we are going to try and improve this
time" each time we call. It reminds us that there is stuff to fix.
M
E
On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 1:13 PM, Lindsay Morris <lindsay(a)tsmworks.com>wrote;wrote:
Could be that we just put the cubs into the rotation
too early.
Sad to trash the democratic freewheeling nature of some groups, but maybe
we
need a vetting committee - or some less formal bar to people getting up on
stage.
Lindsay Morris
Principal
TSMworks
Tel. 1-859-539-9900
lindsay(a)tsmworks.com
On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 2:06 PM, Martha Edwards <meedwards(a)westendweb.com
while
With
> >> that in
> >> mind, I'm soliciting opinions from this group-- rather than, say,
the
teaching
--
For the good are always the merry,
Save by an evil chance,
And the merry love the fiddle
And the merry love to dance. ~ William Butler Yeats
wrote:
How bad would it have been to have the board
basically put its foot down
and, after one of the not-very-great evenings, suggest that the next time
that person is asked to call, they prepare just half a night, or a third
of
a night?
I'm curious - how did you "bring along" the new callers? Was there a
teacher/student relationship, or more of a peer-to-peer setup? I ask
because
we have a bunch of cubs - I'm one of them - and it's always been
peer-to-peer, with input from experienced callers only from time to time.
To
a certain extent, we critique each other. When one of us manages to screw
up, we have a friendly enough atmosphere at our Calling Parties that we
can
admit it, figure out what to do better, and move
on. We've been at it for
almost two years, and are only slowly moving into the rotation, mostly at
shared caller nights until someone is "ready", and even then, not as
often
as the regular callers.
So far, it seems to be working. I hope that we don't develop a situation
such as the one you described! We should remain on our toes, just in
case.
Interestingly, we previously had a couple of regular callers whose dances
broke down often enough that it was becoming noticeable, but after the
cub
callers started calling, it happened less often!
I'd like to think that
the
> improvement was less from the competition than from the fact that more
> people were paying attention to the callers' art, and so what had become
> somewhat routine took on renewed energy.
>
> M
> E
>
> On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 9:48 AM, Lindsay Morris <lindsay(a)tsmworks.com
> wrote:
>
> > Our dance group brought along a group of half-a-dozen "cub callers"
a
few
> years ago.
>
> It was a bad thing.
>
> After they got into the calling rotation at our weekly dance, they
never
> wanted to get off, of course.
> Our really good callers got to call less often; the new callers only
got
> to
> > call a dance once every 3 months, so they never got any better. The
> dance
> > was plagued with inexperienced and not-very-great calling for years.
> >
> > Sorry to offer problems without solutions, but this well-intentioned
> > debacle
> > has stayed on my mind. Seem like this is the place to share the
> > "cub-callers" problem.
> >
> >
> > Lindsay Morris
> > Principal
> > TSMworks
> > Tel. 1-859-539-9900
> > lindsay(a)tsmworks.com
> >
> >
> > On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 10:42 AM, Delia Clark <delia_clark(a)comcast.net
> > wrote:
> >
> > > David,
> > > Let's do one of these for VT/NH! Aren't you just the guy to
organize
> > it!!
> > > ;-) OK, I would help -- how about you put me in charge of organizing
> > > supplies for the schmoozing part!
> > > Delia
> > >
> > > On Dec 15, 2009, at 9:25 PM, Katy Heine wrote:
> > >
> > > Hi, David--
> > >>
> > >> Ever since the "Ted's Triplets" marathon eight years
ago, we in
> Central
> > >> New
> > >> York have had an annual callers' gathering on different themes.
These
> have
> >> been more an opportunity to share repertoire than for older, more
> >> experienced callers to mentor younger, less experienced callers--so
> really
> >> not a parallel to what you're talking about, but maybe of interest
> anyway.
> >>
> >> The topics over the years have included dances in unusual
formations;
> >> "living room dances"
(i.e., dances for small numbers of people); the
> Gene
> >> Hubert legacy; English for contra dance callers; and calling for
> community
> >> dances, weddings, and one-night-stands. The next one (March 6) will
be
> >> "Zesty Contras," which
will be dances from Larry Jennings' first
book.
> >> (Many
> >> of us have the book on our shelves but have not actually mined it
for
the
>> gems that assuredly lie within.)
>>
>> These annual workshops are a great opportunity for the community of
>> regional
>> callers to come together to schmooze, share, and enjoy each other's
>> company.
>> I strongly encourage callers everywhere to give it a try!
>>
>> --Katy Heine
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: callers-bounces(a)sharedweight.net
>> [mailto:callers-bounces@sharedweight.net] On Behalf Of David
Millstone
>> Sent: Tuesday, December 15, 2009 6:48
PM
>> To: Callers(a)sharedweight.net
>> Subject: [Callers] Callers' workshop
>>
>> Dear fellow dance callers,
>>
>> I have an opportunity coming up next spring to lead a day-long
workshop
> >> for
> >> dance callers. It'll be a small group, perhaps 10-12 people, with a
> range
> >> of
> >> experience. Some will have had only 2-4 years of active calling >>
others
>> may
>> have had 20 years or more. These will be folks who are comfortable
with
>> contras
>> and with traditional squares. They will know each other already.
They're
> open
to
> a wide variety of topics and teaching methods.
>
> I've been invited to address just about any topics that are near and
dear
>> to
>> me,
>> so I'm relishing this prospect.
>>
>> At the same time, I'd like not to spend an entire day on a soapbox. >>
trad.dance.callers listserv-- because this Shared Weight group
includes
>> some
>> callers on the less experienced end of the spectrum.
>>
>> So, what are topics that _you_ would like to see in a workshop?
Assuming
> >> that
> >> one already has the nuts and bolts of programming an evening, a
> >> dance,
> >> and delivering the calls in good fashion, what skills would be
useful
to
--
For the good are always the merry,
Save by an evil chance,
And the merry love the fiddle
And the merry love to dance. ~ William Butler Yeats
_______________________________________________
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
>
address?
>
> Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
>
> David Millstone
> Lebanon, NH
> _______________________________________________
> 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
>
<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>
Delia Clark
PO Box 45
Taftsville, VT 05073
802-457-2075
delia_clark(a)comcast.net
_______________________________________________
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
17 Dec
17 Dec
1:12 p.m.
Keeping cubs together sharing an evening with each taking turns managing the programing
for an evening - less of an open mic and more of an multi-caller event - helps on a
number of levels.
Laurie
--- On Wed, 12/16/09, Lindsay Morris <lindsay(a)tsmworks.com> wrote:
From: Lindsay Morris <lindsay(a)tsmworks.com>
Subject: Re: [Callers] Cub Callers
To: "Caller's discussion list" <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
Date: Wednesday, December 16, 2009, 2:13 PM
Could be that we just put the cubs
into the rotation too early.
Sad to trash the democratic freewheeling nature of some
groups, but maybe we
need a vetting committee - or some less formal bar to
people getting up on
stage.
Lindsay Morris
Principal
TSMworks
Tel. 1-859-539-9900
lindsay(a)tsmworks.com
On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 2:06 PM, Martha Edwards <meedwards(a)westendweb.com>wrote;wrote:
--
For the good are always the merry,
Save by an evil chance,
And the merry love the fiddle
And the merry love to dance. ~ William Butler Yeats
_______________________________________________
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
How bad would it have been to have the board
basically
put its foot down
and, after one of the not-very-great evenings,
suggest
that the next time
that person is asked to call, they prepare just
half a
night, or a third of
a night?
I'm curious - how did you "bring along" the new
callers? Was there
a
teacher/student relationship, or more of a
peer-to-peer setup? I ask
because
we have a bunch of cubs - I'm one of them - and it's
always been
peer-to-peer, with input from experienced callers
only
from time to time.
To
a certain extent, we critique each other. When one of
us manages to screw
up, we have a friendly enough atmosphere at our
Calling Parties that we can
admit it, figure out what to do better, and move
on.
We've been at it for
almost two years, and are only slowly moving into
the
rotation, mostly at
shared caller nights until someone is
"ready", and
even then, not as often
as the regular callers.
So far, it seems to be working. I hope that we don't
develop a situation
such as the one you described! We should remain
on our
toes, just in case.
Interestingly, we previously had a couple of regular
callers whose dances
broke down often enough that it was becoming
noticeable, but after the cub
callers started calling, it happened less often!
I'd
like to think that the
improvement was less from the competition than
from
the fact that more
people were paying attention to the callers'
art, and
so what had become
somewhat routine took on renewed energy.
M
E
On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 9:48 AM, Lindsay Morris <lindsay(a)tsmworks.com
half-a-dozen "cub callers"
a few
wrote:
> Our dance group brought along a group of > years ago.
>
> It was a bad thing.
>
> After they got into the calling rotation at our
weekly dance, they never
> wanted to get off, of course.
> Our really good callers got to call less often;
the new callers only got
to
> call a dance once every 3 months, so they never
got any better. The
dance
> was plagued with inexperienced and not-very-great
calling for years.
>
> Sorry to offer problems without solutions, but
this well-intentioned
> debacle
> has stayed on my mind. Seem like this is the
place to share the
> "cub-callers" problem.
>
>
> Lindsay Morris
> Principal
> TSMworks
> Tel. 1-859-539-9900
> lindsay(a)tsmworks.com
>
>
> On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 10:42 AM, Delia Clark
<delia_clark(a)comcast.net
> >wrote:
>
> > David,
> > Let's do one of these for VT/NH!
Aren't you just the guy to
organize
> it!!
> > ;-) OK, I would help -- how about you
put me in charge of organizing
> > supplies for the schmoozing part!
> > Delia
> >
> > On Dec 15, 2009, at 9:25 PM, Katy Heine
wrote:
> >
> > Hi, David--
> >>
> >> Ever since the "Ted's Triplets" marathon
eight years
ago, we in
Central
> >> New
> >> York have had an annual callers'
gathering on different themes.
These
> have
> >> been more an opportunity to share
repertoire than for older, more
> >> experienced callers to mentor
younger,
less experienced callers--so
> really
> >> not a parallel to what you're talking
about, but maybe of
interest
> anyway.
> >>
> >> The topics over the years have included
dances in unusual
formations;
> >> "living room dances"
(i.e., dances for
small numbers of people); the
> Gene
> >> Hubert legacy; English for contra dance
callers; and calling for
> community
> >> dances, weddings, and one-night-stands.
The next one (March 6) will
be
> >> "Zesty Contras," which
will be dances
from Larry Jennings' first book.
> >> (Many
> >> of us have the book on our shelves but
have not actually mined it
for
> the
> >> gems that assuredly lie within.)
> >>
> >> These annual workshops are a great
opportunity for the community of
> >> regional
> >> callers to come together to schmooze,
share, and enjoy each
other's
> >> company.
> >> I strongly encourage callers everywhere
to give it a try!
> >>
> >> --Katy Heine
> >>
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: callers-bounces(a)sharedweight.net
> >> [mailto:callers-bounces@sharedweight.net]
On Behalf Of David
Millstone
> >> Sent: Tuesday, December 15, 2009 6:48
PM
> >> To: Callers(a)sharedweight.net
> >> Subject: [Callers] Callers' workshop
> >>
> >> Dear fellow dance callers,
> >>
> >> I have an opportunity coming up next
spring to lead a day-long
workshop
> >> for
> >> dance callers. It'll be a small group,
perhaps 10-12 people,
with a
> range
> >> of
> >> experience. Some will have had only 2-4
years of active calling
while
> >> others
> >> may
> >> have had 20 years or more. These will be
folks who are comfortable
with
> >> contras
> >> and with traditional squares. They will
know each other already.
They're
> >> open to
> >> a wide variety of topics and teaching
methods.
> >>
> >> I've been invited to address just about
any topics that are near
and
> dear
> >> to
> >> me,
> >> so I'm relishing this prospect.
> >>
> >> At the same time, I'd like not to spend
an entire day on a
soapbox.
With
> >> that in
> >> mind, I'm soliciting opinions from this
group-- rather than,
say, the
> >> trad.dance.callers listserv--
because
this Shared Weight group
includes
> >> some
> >> callers on the less experienced end of
the spectrum.
> >>
> >> So, what are topics that _you_ would
like to see in a workshop?
Assuming
> >> that
> >> one already has the nuts and bolts of
programming an evening,
teaching
a
> >> dance,
> >> and delivering the calls in good
fashion, what skills would be
useful
to
> >> address?
> >>
> >> Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
> >>
> >> David Millstone
> >> Lebanon, NH
> >>
_______________________________________________
> >> 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
> >>
> >
> >
<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>
> >
> > Delia Clark
> > PO Box 45
> > Taftsville, VT 05073
> > 802-457-2075
> > delia_clark(a)comcast.net
> >
> >
> >
_______________________________________________
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
5:57 p.m.
What happens when the cubs don't think they're cubs any more, but are? I
think that was possibly the problem that Lindsay brought up.
In other words, what is the proper way for the dance leadership to get
callers to continue to practice and learn? I'm guessing the very best
callers do that anyway, and the newish callers do it because they have to,
but what can we do to get people who have become comfortable with their
skill level but are not actually doing the kind of job we want, to get
excited again about "continuous improvement"?
M
E
On Thu, Dec 17, 2009 at 1:12 PM, Laur <lcpgr(a)yahoo.com> wrote:
Keeping cubs together sharing an evening with each
taking turns managing
the programing for an evening - less of an open mic and more of an
multi-caller event - helps on a number of levels.
Laurie
--- On Wed, 12/16/09, Lindsay Morris <lindsay(a)tsmworks.com> wrote:
_______________________________________________
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
--
For the good are always the merry,
Save by an evil chance,
And the merry love the fiddle
And the merry love to dance. ~ William Butler Yeats
From: Lindsay Morris
<lindsay(a)tsmworks.com>
Subject: Re: [Callers] Cub Callers
To: "Caller's discussion list" <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
Date: Wednesday, December 16, 2009, 2:13 PM
Could be that we just put the cubs
into the rotation too early.
Sad to trash the democratic freewheeling nature of some
groups, but maybe we
need a vetting committee - or some less formal bar to
people getting up on
stage.
Lindsay Morris
Principal
TSMworks
Tel. 1-859-539-9900
lindsay(a)tsmworks.com
On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 2:06 PM, Martha Edwards <
meedwards(a)westendweb.com>wroteote:
How bad would it have been to have the board
basically
put its foot down
and, after one of the not-very-great evenings,
suggest
that the next time
that person is asked to call, they prepare just
half a
night, or a third of
a night?
I'm curious - how did you "bring along" the new
callers? Was there
a
teacher/student relationship, or more of a
peer-to-peer setup? I ask
because
we have a bunch of cubs - I'm one of them - and it's
always been
peer-to-peer, with input from experienced callers
only
from time to time.
To
a certain extent, we critique each other. When one of
us manages to screw
up, we have a friendly enough atmosphere at our
Calling Parties that we can
admit it, figure out what to do better, and move
on.
We've been at it for
almost two years, and are only slowly moving into
the
rotation, mostly at
shared caller nights until someone is
"ready", and
even then, not as often
as the regular callers.
So far, it seems to be working. I hope that we don't
develop a situation
such as the one you described! We should remain
on our
toes, just in case.
Interestingly, we previously had a couple of regular
callers whose dances
broke down often enough that it was becoming
noticeable, but after the cub
callers started calling, it happened less often!
I'd
like to think that the
improvement was less from the competition than
from
the fact that more
people were paying attention to the callers'
art, and
so what had become
somewhat routine took on renewed energy.
M
E
On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 9:48 AM, Lindsay Morris <lindsay(a)tsmworks.com
half-a-dozen "cub callers"
a few
wrote:
> Our dance group brought along a group of > years ago.
>
> It was a bad thing.
>
> After they got into the calling rotation at our
weekly dance, they never
> wanted to get off, of course.
> Our really good callers got to call less often;
the new callers only got
to
> call a dance once every 3 months, so they never
got any better. The
dance
> was plagued with inexperienced and not-very-great
calling for years.
>
> Sorry to offer problems without solutions, but
this well-intentioned
> debacle
> has stayed on my mind. Seem like this is the
place to share the
> "cub-callers" problem.
>
>
> Lindsay Morris
> Principal
> TSMworks
> Tel. 1-859-539-9900
> lindsay(a)tsmworks.com
>
>
> On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 10:42 AM, Delia Clark
<delia_clark(a)comcast.net
> >wrote:
>
> > David,
> > Let's do one of these for VT/NH!
Aren't you just the guy to
organize
> it!!
> > ;-) OK, I would help -- how about you
put me in charge of organizing
> > supplies for the schmoozing part!
> > Delia
> >
> > On Dec 15, 2009, at 9:25 PM, Katy Heine
wrote:
> >
> > Hi, David--
> >>
> >> Ever since the "Ted's Triplets" marathon
eight years
ago, we in
Central
> >> New
> >> York have had an annual callers'
gathering on different themes.
These
> have
> >> been more an opportunity to share
repertoire than for older, more
> >> experienced callers to mentor
younger,
less experienced callers--so
> really
> >> not a parallel to what you're talking
about, but maybe of
interest
> anyway.
> >>
> >> The topics over the years have included
dances in unusual
formations;
> >> "living room dances"
(i.e., dances for
small numbers of people); the
> Gene
> >> Hubert legacy; English for contra dance
callers; and calling for
> community
> >> dances, weddings, and one-night-stands.
The next one (March 6) will
be
> >> "Zesty Contras," which
will be dances
from Larry Jennings' first book.
> >> (Many
> >> of us have the book on our shelves but
have not actually mined it
for
> the
> >> gems that assuredly lie within.)
> >>
> >> These annual workshops are a great
opportunity for the community of
> >> regional
> >> callers to come together to schmooze,
share, and enjoy each
other's
> >> company.
> >> I strongly encourage callers everywhere
to give it a try!
> >>
> >> --Katy Heine
> >>
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: callers-bounces(a)sharedweight.net
> >> [mailto:callers-bounces@sharedweight.net]
On Behalf Of David
Millstone
> >> Sent: Tuesday, December 15, 2009 6:48
PM
> >> To: Callers(a)sharedweight.net
> >> Subject: [Callers] Callers' workshop
> >>
> >> Dear fellow dance callers,
> >>
> >> I have an opportunity coming up next
spring to lead a day-long
workshop
> >> for
> >> dance callers. It'll be a small group,
perhaps 10-12 people,
with a
> range
> >> of
> >> experience. Some will have had only 2-4
years of active calling
while
> >> others
> >> may
> >> have had 20 years or more. These will be
folks who are comfortable
with
> >> contras
> >> and with traditional squares. They will
know each other already.
They're
> >> open to
> >> a wide variety of topics and teaching
methods.
> >>
> >> I've been invited to address just about
any topics that are near
and
> dear
> >> to
> >> me,
> >> so I'm relishing this prospect.
> >>
> >> At the same time, I'd like not to spend
an entire day on a
soapbox.
With
> >> that in
> >> mind, I'm soliciting opinions from this
group-- rather than,
say, the
> >> trad.dance.callers listserv--
because
this Shared Weight group
includes
> >> some
> >> callers on the less experienced end of
the spectrum.
> >>
> >> So, what are topics that _you_ would
like to see in a workshop?
Assuming
> >> that
> >> one already has the nuts and bolts of
programming an evening,
teaching
a
> >> dance,
> >> and delivering the calls in good
fashion, what skills would be
useful
to
> >> address?
> >>
> >> Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
> >>
> >> David Millstone
> >> Lebanon, NH
> >>
_______________________________________________
> >> 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
> >>
> >
> >
<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>
> >
> > Delia Clark
> > PO Box 45
> > Taftsville, VT 05073
> > 802-457-2075
> > delia_clark(a)comcast.net
> >
> >
> >
_______________________________________________
>
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
--
For the good are always the merry,
Save by an evil chance,
And the merry love the fiddle
And the merry love to dance. ~ William Butler Yeats
_______________________________________________
Callers mailing list
Callers(a)sharedweight.net
http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
6:32 p.m.
Martha wrote:
What happens when the cubs don't think they're
cubs any more, but are? I
think that was possibly the problem that Lindsay brought up.
In other words, what is the proper way for the dance
leadership to get
callers to continue to practice and learn? I'm guessing the very best
callers do that anyway, and the newish callers do it because they have to,
but what can we do to get people who have become comfortable with their
skill level but are not actually doing the kind of job we want, to get
excited again about "continuous improvement"?
(I wrote and cut out a bunch of stuff about how the only feedback system in
general use seems to be whether or not you get repeat bookings, and that's
broken in many ways, because you might not get those booking for reasons other
than quality, or if you have a structure where once you're admitted to a
rotation you're guaranted bookings. But the general point is that unequivocal
feedback would be helpful. Of course, it can be hard to get unsolicited
feedback to be listened to, and in some cases it depends on whether there's a
respected community elder who can tell someone "we love you, and we want you to
get better, so I think you should be working on ...." whatever it is.)
But in general I think the drive for improvement in what's basically a hobby is
internal. People who are driven to do the work and get better will do that (at
times in their life when they feel like that, anyway) and others probably
won't, although life circumstances, etc, can light fires under people and make
them want to get off their plateaus. What can help, externally, is to provide
opportunities and frameworks for people who have the internal drive -
workshops, comment cards, honest feedback.
-- Alan
--
===============================================================================
Alan Winston --- WINSTON(a)SSRL.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU
Disclaimer: I speak only for myself, not SLAC or SSRL Phone: 650/926-3056
Paper mail to: SSRL -- SLAC BIN 99, 2575 Sand Hill Rd, Menlo Park CA 94025
===============================================================================
9:31 p.m.
We tried to meet monthly, use it as a place for our "mentors" or the schooled
callers to experiment with new things and lend the newer callers their practiced feedback,
and for others at different levels to learn and practice and get and give feedback. It
was great for two years. It inspired them, it helped us, we all helped one another. But
then time and life happened and the group broke down. We all miss it, the community and
sharing of it, whatever our level.
But yes, I see what you mean Martha, and agree.
I'm trying to remember our process. We had a lot of dancer feedback; interesting, as
it appears they claimed some of us as "their own" and were pretty free with
dispensing tidbits of disfavor or encouragement. And we were pretty open, and honest,
with one another.
But there was a lot of internal things going on in this discovery process.
Lp
--- On Thu, 12/17/09, Martha Edwards <meedwards(a)westendweb.com> wrote:
From: Martha Edwards <meedwards(a)westendweb.com>
Subject: Re: [Callers] Cub Callers
To: "Caller's discussion list" <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
Date: Thursday, December 17, 2009, 6:57 PM
What happens when the cubs don't
think they're cubs any more, but are? I
think that was possibly the problem that Lindsay brought
up.
In other words, what is the proper way for the dance
leadership to get
callers to continue to practice and learn? I'm guessing the
very best
callers do that anyway, and the newish callers do it
because they have to,
but what can we do to get people who have become
comfortable with their
skill level but are not actually doing the kind of job we
want, to get
excited again about "continuous improvement"?
M
E
On Thu, Dec 17, 2009 at 1:12 PM, Laur <lcpgr(a)yahoo.com>
wrote:
Keeping cubs together sharing an evening with
each
taking turns managing
the programing for an evening - less of an open
mic
and more of an
multi-caller event - helps on a number of
levels.
Laurie
--- On Wed, 12/16/09, Lindsay Morris <lindsay(a)tsmworks.com>
wrote:
> From: Lindsay Morris <lindsay(a)tsmworks.com>
> Subject: Re: [Callers] Cub Callers
> To: "Caller's discussion list" <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
> Date: Wednesday, December 16, 2009, 2:13 PM
> Could be that we just put the cubs
> into the rotation too early.
> Sad to trash the democratic freewheeling nature
of some
> groups, but maybe we
> need a vetting committee - or some less formal
bar to
> people getting up on
> stage.
>
> Lindsay Morris
> Principal
> TSMworks
> Tel. 1-859-539-9900
> lindsay(a)tsmworks.com
>
>
> On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 2:06 PM, Martha Edwards
<
meedwards(a)westendweb.com>wroteote:
>
> > How bad would it have been to have the board
basically
> put its foot down
> > and, after one of the not-very-great
evenings, suggest
> that the next time
> > that person is asked to call, they prepare
just half a
> night, or a third of
> > a night?
> >
> > I'm curious - how did you "bring along" the
new
> callers? Was there a
> > teacher/student relationship, or more of a
> peer-to-peer setup? I ask
> > because
> > we have a bunch of cubs - I'm one of them -
and it's
> always been
> > peer-to-peer, with input from experienced
callers only
> from time to time.
> > To
> > a certain extent, we critique each other.
When one of
> us manages to screw
> > up, we have a friendly enough atmosphere at
our
> Calling Parties that we can
> > admit it, figure out what to do better, and
move on.
> We've been at it for
> > almost two years, and are only slowly moving
into the
> rotation, mostly at
> > shared caller nights until someone is
"ready", and
> even then, not as often
> > as the regular callers.
> >
> > So far, it seems to be working. I hope that
we don't
> develop a situation
> > such as the one you described! We should
remain on our
> toes, just in case.
> >
> > Interestingly, we previously had a couple of
regular
> callers whose dances
> > broke down often enough that it was
becoming
> noticeable, but after the cub
> > callers started calling, it happened less
often! I'd
> like to think that the
> > improvement was less from the competition
than from
> the fact that more
> > people were paying attention to the callers'
art, and
> so what had become
> > somewhat routine took on renewed energy.
> >
> > M
> > E
> >
> > On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 9:48 AM, Lindsay
Morris
<lindsay(a)tsmworks.com
> > >wrote:
> >
> > > Our dance group brought along a group
of
> half-a-dozen "cub callers" a few
> > > years ago.
rotation at our
> >
> > > It was a bad
thing.
> >
> > > After they got
into the calling > weekly dance, they never
> > > wanted to get off, of course.
> > > Our really good callers got to call
less often;
> the new callers only got
> > to
> > > call a dance once every 3 months, so
they never
> got any better. The
> > dance
> > > was plagued with inexperienced and
not-very-great
> calling for years.
solutions, but
> >
> > > Sorry to offer
problems without > this well-intentioned
> > > debacle
> > > has stayed on my mind. Seem like this
is the
> place to share the
> > > "cub-callers" problem.
Clark
> >
> >
> > > Lindsay Morris
> > > Principal
> > > TSMworks
> > > Tel. 1-859-539-9900
> > > lindsay(a)tsmworks.com
> >
> >
> > > On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 10:42 AM, Delia
> <delia_clark(a)comcast.net
> > > >wrote:
about you
> >
> > > > David,
> > > > Let's do one of these for VT/NH!
> Aren't you just the guy to organize
> > > it!!
> > > > ;-) OK, I would help -- how > put me in charge of organizing
> > > > supplies for the schmoozing part!
> > > > Delia
>
Heine
> >
> > > > On Dec
15, 2009, at 9:25 PM, Katy > wrote:
>
Triplets" marathon
> >
> > > > Hi,
David--
> > > >>
> > > >> Ever since the "Ted's > eight years ago, we in
> > Central
> > > >> New
> > > >> York have had an annual
callers'
> gathering on different themes. These
> > > have
> > > >> been more an opportunity to
share
> repertoire than for older, more
> > > >> experienced callers to mentor
younger,
> less experienced callers--so
> > > really
> > > >> not a parallel to what you're
talking
> about, but maybe of interest
> > > anyway.
> > > >>
> > > >> The topics over the years have
included
> dances in unusual formations;
> > > >> "living room dances" (i.e.,
dances for
> small numbers of people); the
> > > Gene
> > > >> Hubert legacy; English for
contra dance
> callers; and calling for
> > > community
> > > >> dances, weddings, and
one-night-stands.
> The next one (March 6) will be
> > > >> "Zesty Contras," which will be
dances
> from Larry Jennings' first book.
> > > >> (Many
> > > >> of us have the book on our
shelves but
> have not actually mined it for
> > > the
> > > >> gems that assuredly lie
within.)
> > > >>
> > > >> These annual workshops are a
great
> opportunity for the community of
> > > >> regional
> > > >> callers to come together to
schmooze,
> share, and enjoy each other's
> > > >> company.
> > > >> I strongly encourage callers
everywhere
> to give it a try!
> > > >>
> > > >> --Katy Heine
> > > >>
> > > >> -----Original Message-----
> > > >> From: callers-bounces(a)sharedweight.net
> > > >> [mailto:callers-bounces@sharedweight.net]
> On Behalf Of David
> > Millstone
> > > >> Sent: Tuesday, December 15,
2009 6:48
> PM
> > > >> To: Callers(a)sharedweight.net
> > > >> Subject: [Callers] Callers'
workshop
> > > >>
> > > >> Dear fellow dance callers,
> > > >>
> > > >> I have an opportunity coming
up next
> spring to lead a day-long
> > workshop
> > > >> for
> > > >> dance callers. It'll be a
small group,
> perhaps 10-12 people, with a
> > > range
> > > >> of
> > > >> experience. Some will have had
only 2-4
> years of active calling while
> > > >> others
> > > >> may
> > > >> have had 20 years or more.
These will be
> folks who are comfortable
> > with
> > > >> contras
> > > >> and with traditional squares.
They will
> know each other already.
> > They're
> > > >> open to
> > > >> a wide variety of topics and
teaching
> methods.
> > > >>
> > > >> I've been invited to address
just about
> any topics that are near and
> > > dear
> > > >> to
> > > >> me,
> > > >> so I'm relishing this
prospect.
> > > >>
> > > >> At the same time, I'd like not
to spend
> an entire day on a soapbox.
> > With
> > > >> that in
> > > >> mind, I'm soliciting opinions
from this
> group-- rather than, say, the
> > > >> trad.dance.callers listserv--
because
> this Shared Weight group
> > includes
> > > >> some
> > > >> callers on the less
experienced end of
> the spectrum.
> > > >>
> > > >> So, what are topics that _you_
would
> like to see in a workshop?
> > Assuming
> > > >> that
> > > >> one already has the nuts and
bolts of
> programming an evening, teaching
> > a
> > > >> dance,
> > > >> and delivering the calls in
good
> fashion, what skills would be useful
> > to
> > > >> address?
> > > >>
> > > >> Thanks for sharing your
thoughts.
> > > >>
> > > >> David Millstone
> > > >> Lebanon, NH
> > > >>
> _______________________________________________
> > > >> 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
> > > >>
>
<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>
> >
> > >
> >
_______________________________________________
>
>
> > > > Delia Clark
> > > > PO Box 45
> > > > Taftsville, VT 05073
> > > > 802-457-2075
> > > > delia_clark(a)comcast.net
> > >
> > >
> > >
> _______________________________________________
> > > > 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
Butler Yeats
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > For the good are always the merry,
> > Save by an evil chance,
> > And the merry love the fiddle
> > And the merry love to dance. ~ William > >
_______________________________________________
> > > 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
> >
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Callers mailing list
> Callers(a)sharedweight.net
> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
>
--
For the good are always the merry,
Save by an evil chance,
And the merry love the fiddle
And the merry love to dance. ~ William Butler Yeats
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participants (4)
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Alan Winston - SSRL Central Computing -
Laur -
Lindsay Morris -
Martha Edwards