Re: [Callers] Circle & pass through as the last move of a dance - Contra Callers

11 Feb 2014

There are several other factors that effect this move. Sometime it is what happened before
the circle causes the circle to start late because some people aren't there on time.

And if you are in the circle and the fourth person isn't quite there do those who are
there trust that they'll catch up and thus start the circle on time or do you wait
until they are there thus not even giving you 6 counts for the circle.

It is also surprising to discover how many people (and I don't mean only beginners)
don't actually understand the 8-beat phrase - and depending on what the band is doing
there may not be quite enough reinforcement. For people with no musical education - and
there are lot more of them these days because school budgeting problems - phrases and
beats are a foreign concept. And they are not going to absorb much through much popular
music and butchered Star Spangled Banners sung at sports events.

...
  Date: Mon, 10 Feb 2014 17:42:21 -0500
 From: Read Weaver &lt;rweaver(a)igc.org&gt;
 To: Caller's discussion list &lt;callers(a)sharedweight.net&gt;
 Subject: [Callers] Circle & pass through as the last move of a dance
 Message-ID: &lt;8BCE1A2D-60EB-4067-957D-5E19B2826708(a)igc.org&gt;
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 In the last few years, I find myself dancing a lot more dances that end with
 Circle left 3 places and pass through

 What I find is that about 3/4 of the dancers take 8 counts to do the circle 3 places,
then a brief but indeterminate amount of time to do the pass through, and then arrive late
to the next couple & next figure. (The other 1/4 take 6 counts to circle, 2 to pass
through, and are then on the music's phrasing for the next figure.)

 It seems to me likely that this is frustrating to almost everyone. The "eight and
late" dancers think "what a stupid dance, I can't get where I'm supposed
to be in time," and the "6 + 2" dancers think "why are 3/4 of the
people not here when I get here?"

 I haven't done a careful study, but I did just go to an experienced dance, and my
impression is that the 3/4 - 1/4 ratio doesn't change with level of experience (though
the experienced dancers, whatever their timing is, do it with more confidence). And I
don't think there's anything all that surprising about that: we hardly do anything
in contras to a count of 6 or 2. (If I've noticed any pattern, it's that contra
dancers who also do English are more likely to dance it 6+2.) I do it 6+2, since it's
the only way I can see to both dance to the phrasing and not be late to the next figure.

 It seems like a caller could point it out which might help some (though dancers'
experience that everything is in a count of 8 or 4 is pretty ingrained), but the avoidance
of teaching seems to prevent that--I don't recall any caller ever saying anything
about it.

 Have others noticed it as an issue? (And am I right that it's a relatively recent
issue?) Thoughts on what to do about it, if anything?

 --Read Weaver
 Jamaica Plain, MA
 http://lcfd.org