On Mon, 10 Feb 2014 07:59:26 -0800, Les Addison wrote: I really don't agree with this one - I've never had any problems at barn dances with "Circle left. Circle right" or "Right-hand star. Left-hand star". Colin Hume

A couple things: First, I wrote a book on this subject: /Old-Time Dance Calling for Weddings, Parties, and One Night Stands/. Still available. I think there's only one "hands four" dance in the book, and recommended only for a group that really gets into the dance, and is ready for a bit of teaching. Otherwise it's whole-set dances, mixers, and fun dances. Second, as Bill Olson pointed out: the dancing at weddings is not the main event. Make the dance serve the event, usually bringing people together, and honoring the honorees. Doing this with grace and humor puts people at ease; it makes people comfortable with each other. I'd like to also echo the sentiment that one or three dances is often enough. Remember, at most of these events, our dancing is totally new, and most people will never come to a contra, square, ceilidh, or barn dance. For them time is different: they're caught up in the frenzy of trying something new and it stretches the seconds. Susan Michaels is a wonderful, and extremely creative humorist. Her use of funny descriptive terms can be a great help if it fits your style. Use it! Lastly, right & left: I have no problem with this, either. In a foursome, I'll often say, "right hand star, other hand star." No worries... ~erik hoffman oakland, ca On 2/10/2014 7:59 AM, Les Addison wrote:

I've called several weddings and totally enjoy it. There are lots of community type dances that are appropriate for this type of crowd. I would also highly recommend Eriks book! Great resource.

Bill describes it well. This is exactly my experience also. And I've also called lots of weddings, including many where all the "swings" worked fine as elbow swings. I have called at weddings where I've been paid well but only called two or three dances during the entire evening. In the end, we flow with event. It's THEIR wedding. Woody On 2/10/2014 8:19 AM, Bill Olson wrote:

On 2/10/2014 10:18 AM, Bill Olson wrote: Yep. I usually demonstrate a whole bunch of different ways to swing (it takes about 10 seconds) and then encourage them to try lots of different things to see what they like. Demonstrations can cut way down on talking time. Kalia

Call it either way!  As with any circle really. Bob Livingston ________________________________ From: Aahz Maruch &lt;aahz(a)pobox.com&gt; To: callers(a)sharedweight.net Sent: Tuesday, February 11, 2014 12:37 AM Subject: Re: [Callers] Calling weddings and private parties On Mon, Feb 10, 2014, Bill Olson wrote: Um, what?!  The La Bastringue I know (both IFD and contra) is a mixer (SF area in case it's a regional thing). -- Hugs and backrubs -- I break Rule 6                        http://rule6.info/                       <*>          <*>          <*> Help a hearing-impaired person: http://rule6.info/hearing.html _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)sharedweight.net http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers

Lots of great stuff in the discussion already. I really want to highlight something Alan Winston said: *8) You have to be happy to be there, calling or not calling, leading the dorkiest, least challenging things, enjoying figuring out the thing that will work for the 17 people who got up to dance, and if you can't be delighted to be there in a situation that's just the opposite of calling dances for an experienced crowd, don't take the gig.* Sharing that joy is vital. The difference attitude can make trumps a lot of other stuff. I'll also re-iterate that weddings often only have ~3 dances. I thought it was a fluke the first few times it happened when I was calling; but it's pretty common. On a less meta, more technical level. I think it's really important to know when you can call mixers, and when you should call keepers. I recently had the pleasure of calling for a family dance with ~40 dancers; half of whom were under 6. There was no way I'd call something that made half a dozen 3 year olds separate from their parent. I don't think you need 20 dances memorized but having half a dozen circle and lengthwise keepers is really useful; or note how to make your mixers keepers (go back to the same person for the swing in La Bastringue , etc). Lately, I've been playing around with keeper dances where you shuffle position. At the family dance I did a circle keeper. Circle-Keeper-Shuffle A1 Ptr DSD Ptr 2 hand turn A2 All together: Circle Left Circle Right B1 In to the middle and back With Partner, promenade through the middle (B2) to another spot on the other side of the circle (yes, it's chaos, but it works out) For 20 couples, with many dancers still working on the walking thing, it went fine (1 1/2 phrases seemed to be the right amount of time to get through the middle). Nobody had to leave their partner, and you got to see lots of people. Another shuffle-keeper I've used lately (but not at the same dance as above) happens in a longways set. It's described here: http://www.madrobincallers.org/2014/02/01/new-longways-family-dance/ *Revive the High Five* Luke Donforth Type: Longways, proper A1 ------- (8) Single file lines go up and down ("gents" line go up 4 steps, "ladies" line go down 4 steps; all turn alone, come back 4 steps) (8) Partner allemande Left 1x A2 ------- (8) single file lines go down and up ("gents" line go down 4 steps, "ladies" line go up 4 steps; all turn alone, come back 4 steps) (8) Partner allemande Right 1x B1 ------- (8) Partner Do-si-do (8) Partner swing B2 ------- (16) Shuffle the set (Promenade randomly around the room, then come back to a different place to reform the long set) Notes: - During the single file lines going up and down, you can high-five your neighbors as you walk past them. - The caller needs to prompt reforming the line, often about halfway through the B2 the first few times, but folks usually settle in to it. - If you have multiple sets, you can mention to the dancers they can jump from set to set. That's how I'd call it at something like a wedding. For a Family Dance, or if I don't even want to deal with proper lines, I'd have everyone take hands in long lines and in A1 slide Right 4 steps and back, allemande partner; and in A2 take hands in long lines and slide left four steps and back, allemande partner. It removes the High Five part of the dance, but if it makes it function better for that bunch of dancers, that's the most important thing. Take care, Luke

ha ha! i've got one short comment. i called a dance one time for some people who really wanted to dance, but didn't speak english. we learned four simple dances, took a break, and then did the same four dances again. they loved it the second time - they knew what they were doing!!

Thanks everyone for all the great recommendations and ideas. Sure enough, at our last contra, I was asked to do a wedding reception they described as having "lots of little kids". Looks like I may get to put some of these to the test. Harold -----Original Message----- From: callers-bounces(a)sharedweight.net [mailto:callers-bounces@sharedweight.net] On Behalf Of Alan Winston Sent: Monday, February 10, 2014 4:14 PM To: callers(a)sharedweight.net Subject: Re: [Callers] Calling weddings and private parties People have said a lot of what I was going to say, but I'm gonna say it anyway. I've called a fair amount for weddings, private parties, and public non-dancing groups of various sizes. 1) It's not your dance, it's their party. You facilitate people having fun. That's it. They're not beginners, you're not promoting the local contra, etc. You're not obliged to do anything recognizable as a contra. If everything runs over and your hour of dancing is 15 minutes, that's cool. Make sure the 15 minutes is fun. You get paid regardless. 2) If you have a band that's good at it, you can have them add a B if the dancers are behind. Or if they fall consistently behind and get out of sync with the tune repeat, IT DOESN'T MATTER. Most of them will have no idea there's a problem unless you make it a problem! 3) Get them moving first without having to be taught and you earn some credibility so you can teach something. I've had good luck in situations with a lot of little kids in just having everybody take hands in a line. Snake around a bunch and visit the corners of the room, then curl the line around into a circle. Take the hand of the last person in line and call out "Circle Left" (they're already doing it and they don't stop, "and back to the right" with body language that makes it clear it's gonna happen. "Into the center! (and go in forcefully, and out forcefully) "and do it again!" You can cause this to be phrased if you call clearly and on time. Then the A1 comes around and you let go of the person in your left hand and peel out over your left shoulder and you're back to a snake. You can do all the snake stuff - wind up the ball of twine, zig-zag back and forth - and take 16 bars or 48 bars or as long as you need to; just get yourself back to the circle at the top of any phrase. This is pretty great for getting non-dancers (and sometimes non-English speakers, and kids who can't let go of their parents, etc) moving expeditiously, and once they're moving most of them will feel like it's fun.) (Erik Hoffman is a master of getting them moving; I've seen him walk out on the floor and just good-naturedly start allemanding with some random person, somehow pulling focus without saying a word.) Anyway, the Community Dances Manuals have a bunch of fine one-night-stand dances, and come with sheet music. (There's also recordings of all the music in the CDM.) Some dances I like, from various sources: - Do a Grand March or a spiral or start paired up and then join hands in a big line and snake around. - Haste to the Wedding as a Sicilian. - Cumberland Square - Up the Sides and Down the MIddle (4, 5, or 6 couple longways.) - Roger de Coverly / Virginia Reel - Three Meet (Threesome Sicilian - forward and back, promenade in threes to change places and face back in, repeat to home. I like to do opposites do-si-do, opposites two hand turn for B1, then forward and back, forward and pass through, greet next neighbors, but you can make up other stuff.) - Rustic Reel (16-bar threesome Sicilian) - If it's a particularly attentive crowd and I have a band that can handle it, My Lord Byron's Maggot is goofy fun. (Yes, a duple minor.) - La Bastringue as a circle mixer is cool. - Progressive Gay Gordons (All-American Promenade). - Circle Waltz (I have a gender-free version with a two-hand turn instead of the waltz at the end and divide people in travelers and stayers.) - I made a version of the Scottish Flowers of Edinburgh for three couple sets with no poussette, and that's fun. - Gothic Dance (Civil War era) is fun for a lively crowd. - Blobs - Orcadian Strip the Willow (huge long set, top couple starts a double strip, new top couple starts at the top of A1 and B1; terrific swirling mass of chaos, and everybody interacts with everybody else in the course of it.) - Galopede I don't like to do "Lucky Seven" in these circumstances because it tends to fall apart. Dances failing hilariously can be goofy fun but some people will feel like they've failed and you don't want that to happen. It kind of depends how many people you have, what you judge they can handle, how vigorous they are, etc. Memorize 20 dances and you're probably cool. 4) I was at the same workshop Les was with Susan Michaels, and Susan gave her formula for making up one-night-stand dances (typically whole set longways.) 1) Have a part everyone does with their partner. (right-hand turn, left-hand turn, dosido and two-hand turn, pattycake, whatever.) 2) Have a show-off part where the top couple solos. (They pattycake, they truck down the middle and back, they carry an arch over the men's line and over the women's line, whatever.) 3) Have a progression - tops down the middle and back and cast to the bottom, everybody moving up, or tops cast to the bottom with their lines following them and make an arch at the bottom and everybody goes under it, or tops strip the willow to the bottom or tops lace the boot or tops swing down the middle or tops galop/sashay down the middle. It was a revelation to me when she pointed that out. I was able to see how most published whole set dances fit this pattern. (Virginia Reel kinda has two progressions in it, etc.) And since then I've used that template on the fly to make up dances for the number of people I had in front of me. 5) I have The Talk with the people booking me (for weddings, especially). I tell them that if they want the dance part to be successful they have to be involved; if they think the wedding party can go off for pictures for two hours while the guests dance that probably won't fly. We typically set expected start times and hard end times (which I'm willing to overstay if the band is cool, etc, but they shouldn't expect that just because the food was late and the toasts ran over that our 10:00 pm end time can be an 11:00 pm end time, or whatever it is. We're available for the agreed upon time.) Note: If the bride and groom are in the contra dance community and they tell you most of the guests will be contra dancers, great; you can maybe call contra dances. But it's likely to turn out that there's a bunch of not-previously-dancing family, and you can't get them to split up and dance with the experienced dancers, so you still need to have stuff in your bag. (A few mixers are good.) 6) At a regular dance you're lucky if everybody hears 50% of what you say over the microphone (because they were talking, or sneezed at the wrong moment, or didn't start listening at the beginning, or there was an echo, or you didn't articulate correctly.) At this you'll be lucky if everyone hears 30%. Don't fuss. Choose your words carefully, keep it few, repeat as necessary, use body language, demo, don't tell them what NOT to do. 7) As my Regency bandleader James Langdell said once: "Same figures, different tune - different dance!" It's true. You can also repeat the identical dance (and sometimes you will get requests to repeat something that somebody particularly liked) but you can also repeat the figures, use a tune in a different meter (reels instead of jigs) and people are likely to get it right away without understanding why. 8) You have to be happy to be there, calling or not calling, leading the dorkiest, least challenging things, enjoying figuring out the thing that will work for the 17 people who got up to dance, and if you can't be delighted to be there in a situation that's just the opposite of calling dances for an experienced crowd, don't take the gig. -- Alan _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)sharedweight.net http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers