15 May
2024
15 May
'24
3:08 p.m.
Hi folks,
Over the past year, I'm realizing how many dances written by Becky Hill I
absolutely adore. So, naively, I wrote to Becky Hill (this one!
<https://www.rebeccahill.org/>) whom I admire thinking that it was her who
wrote dances. Turns out that flatfooter and old time square dance leader
Becky Hill is not the same Becky Hill who wrote the contras and square that
I have in my dance box.
So... I naturally became curious ... who is the other Becky Hill???
And this is all I've been able to find
<https://www.heritagecremationsociety.com/obituaries/rebecca-ellen-becky-hill>
.
Did any of you know Becky? Any further information on her?
I know that many of her dances are super popular and called by so many folk.
Thanks,
Emily Addison in Ottawa ON
15 May
15 May
3:25 p.m.
Hi Emily,
I knew Becky (although I am sure there are others lurking here who knew her
better). She was a very good natured and gracious person and dance leader,
who worked tirelessly to support and promote dancing in the Cleveland, Ohio
area. She published three (I think) books of dances, the last with Sue
Rosen. In the 1990s, she was a choreographic giant, considered on par with
contemporaries Gene Hubert, Carol Ormand, and Rick Mohr. When I was
starting out calling in the 1990s, we had her in the Washington DC area
hosting a session on calling skills. What I remember most was her advice to
respond to negative criticism with an even tempered, "Thank you for that."
It was sad to hear when she was diagnosed with dementia, and even sadder to
hear she had passed.
Greg
On Wed, May 15, 2024 at 11:09 AM Emily Addison via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Hi folks,
Over the past year, I'm realizing how many dances written by Becky Hill I
absolutely adore. So, naively, I wrote to Becky Hill (this one!
<https://www.rebeccahill.org/>) whom I admire thinking that it was her
who wrote dances. Turns out that flatfooter and old time square dance
leader Becky Hill is not the same Becky Hill who wrote the contras and
square that I have in my dance box.
So... I naturally became curious ... who is the other Becky Hill???
And this is all I've been able to find
<https://www.heritagecremationsociety.com/obituaries/rebecca-ellen-becky-hill>
.
Did any of you know Becky? Any further information on her?
I know that many of her dances are super popular and called by so many
folk.
Thanks,
Emily Addison in Ottawa ON
_______________________________________________
Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net
3:35 p.m.
I'm so glad you asked that, Emily, and thanks for your reflections, Greg.
I love Becky Hill's dances.
Bob Isaacs told us, during his calling workshop at CDH, that Becky paved
the way for women to get into calling. Apparently there were few (or none?)
women callers before her. Bob might have more info to share about Becky.
Amanda
On Wed, May 15, 2024 at 11:25 AM Gregory Frock via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Hi Emily,
I knew Becky (although I am sure there are others lurking here who knew
her better). She was a very good natured and gracious person and dance
leader, who worked tirelessly to support and promote dancing in the
Cleveland, Ohio area. She published three (I think) books of dances, the
last with Sue Rosen. In the 1990s, she was a choreographic giant,
considered on par with contemporaries Gene Hubert, Carol Ormand, and Rick
Mohr. When I was starting out calling in the 1990s, we had her in the
Washington DC area hosting a session on calling skills. What I remember
most was her advice to respond to negative criticism with an even tempered,
"Thank you for that." It was sad to hear when she was diagnosed with
dementia, and even sadder to hear she had passed.
Greg
On Wed, May 15, 2024 at 11:09 AM Emily Addison via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Hi folks,
Over the past year, I'm realizing how many dances written by Becky Hill I
absolutely adore. So, naively, I wrote to Becky Hill (this one!
<https://www.rebeccahill.org/>) whom I admire thinking that it was her
who wrote dances. Turns out that flatfooter and old time square dance
leader Becky Hill is not the same Becky Hill who wrote the contras and
square that I have in my dance box.
So... I naturally became curious ... who is the other Becky Hill???
And this is all I've been able to find
<https://www.heritagecremationsociety.com/obituaries/rebecca-ellen-becky-hill>
.
Did any of you know Becky? Any further information on her?
I know that many of her dances are super popular and called by so many
folk.
Thanks,
Emily Addison in Ottawa ON
_______________________________________________
Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to
contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net
_______________________________________________
Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net
4:55 p.m.
We knew Becky well here in Pittsburgh. She was the heart and soul of the
Cleveland contradance community and often came our way to call dances in
Pittsburgh. And as some have said, she was a lovely and gracious caller.
Do any of you remember the week when the World Trade Center was destroyed?
I’m sure I’m not the only one who remembers what happened in Pittsburgh a
few days later. That Friday there was a regularly scheduled dance in
Pittsburgh, and Becky was the caller. As we lined up for the first dance,
Becky looked out at the floor and realized that we were all experienced
dancers, there to dance with our community after a rough week. So she put
us in Becket and started to teach a dance that was a bit more challenging
than she would have taught at a usual community dance. She was about two
figures in when a group of 10 or so newcomers who she did not recognize as
regular dancers entered the hall. So she asked us all to promise our
partners that we would dance with them later, and to take one of the new
dancers as a partner. And, of course, we all did. We lined up again in
duple improper, and Becky taught a simple dance that she knew we could help
inexperienced dancers through even though there had been no lesson. So we
all danced, and that’s how the rest of the evening went.
It was a very sad thing when Becky developed dementia and stopped coming to
call for us. The Cleveland community can probably tell you more about that
time, and since she traveled so much I’m sure there are many other stories
like ours out there.
Cindy
Director, Small Harmonies <http://bridgeofvoices.org/>
2023 International Autoharp Champion
Have you experienced GrayScale ContraBand <https://grayscalecontraband.com/>
?
==============
On Wed, May 15, 2024 at 11:09 Emily Addison via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Hi folks,
Over the past year, I'm realizing how many dances written by Becky Hill I
absolutely adore. So, naively, I wrote to Becky Hill (this one!
<https://www.rebeccahill.org/>) whom I admire thinking that it was her
who wrote dances. Turns out that flatfooter and old time square dance
leader Becky Hill is not the same Becky Hill who wrote the contras and
square that I have in my dance box.
So... I naturally became curious ... who is the other Becky Hill???
And this is all I've been able to find
<https://www.heritagecremationsociety.com/obituaries/rebecca-ellen-becky-hill>
.
Did any of you know Becky? Any further information on her?
I know that many of her dances are super popular and called by so many
folk.
Thanks,
Emily Addison in Ottawa ON
_______________________________________________
Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net
7:01 p.m.
People who knew her better can say more than me, but I'll just add that she taught me
to call when I was a student at Oberlin College in the early aughts, so she's really
the one who started it all for me, for which I'm very grateful.
Harris Lapiroff
Dance Caller and Organizer
Boston Intergenerational Dance Advocates Board (Cambridge MA)
Pinewoods Camp, Inc Board (Plymouth MA)
https://chromamine.com/contra/
On Wed, May 15, 2024, at 12:55 PM, Cindy Harris via Contra Callers wrote:
We knew Becky well here in Pittsburgh. She was the
heart and soul of the Cleveland contradance community and often came our way to call
dances in Pittsburgh. And as some have said, she was a lovely and gracious caller.
Do any of you remember the week when the World Trade Center was destroyed? I’m sure I’m
not the only one who remembers what happened in Pittsburgh a few days later. That Friday
there was a regularly scheduled dance in Pittsburgh, and Becky was the caller. As we lined
up for the first dance, Becky looked out at the floor and realized that we were all
experienced dancers, there to dance with our community after a rough week. So she put us
in Becket and started to teach a dance that was a bit more challenging than she would have
taught at a usual community dance. She was about two figures in when a group of 10 or so
newcomers who she did not recognize as regular dancers entered the hall. So she asked us
all to promise our partners that we would dance with them later, and to take one of the
new dancers as a partner. And, of course, we all did. We lined up again in duple improper,
and Becky taught a simple dance that she knew we could help inexperienced dancers through
even though there had been no lesson. So we all danced, and that’s how the rest of the
evening went.
It was a very sad thing when Becky developed dementia and stopped coming to call for us.
The Cleveland community can probably tell you more about that time, and since she traveled
so much I’m sure there are many other stories like ours out there.
Cindy
Director, Small Harmonies <http://bridgeofvoices.org/>
2023 International Autoharp Champion
Have you experienced GrayScale ContraBand <https://grayscalecontraband.com/>?
==============
On Wed, May 15, 2024 at 11:09 Emily Addison via Contra Callers
<contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Hi folks,
Over the past year, I'm realizing how many dances written by Becky Hill I absolutely
adore. So, naively, I wrote to Becky Hill (this one!
<https://www.rebeccahill.org/>) whom I admire thinking that it was her who wrote
dances. Turns out that flatfooter and old time square dance leader Becky Hill is not the
same Becky Hill who wrote the contras and square that I have in my dance box.
So... I naturally became curious ... who is the other Becky Hill???
And this is all I've been able to find
<https://www.heritagecremationsociety.com/obituaries/rebecca-ellen-becky-hill>.
Did any of you know Becky? Any further information on her?
I know that many of her dances are super popular and called by so many folk.
Thanks,
Emily Addison in Ottawa ON
_______________________________________________
Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net
_______________________________________________
Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net
7:03 p.m.
(Make that late aughts. I forgot my own age.)
On Wed, May 15, 2024, at 3:01 PM, Harris Lapiroff via Contra Callers wrote:
People who knew her better can say more than me, but
I'll just add that she taught me to call when I was a student at Oberlin College in
the early aughts, so she's really the one who started it all for me, for which I'm
very grateful.
Harris Lapiroff
Dance Caller and Organizer
Boston Intergenerational Dance Advocates Board (Cambridge MA)
Pinewoods Camp, Inc Board (Plymouth MA)
https://chromamine.com/contra/
On Wed, May 15, 2024, at 12:55 PM, Cindy Harris via Contra Callers wrote:
We knew Becky well here in Pittsburgh. She was
the heart and soul of the Cleveland contradance community and often came our way to call
dances in Pittsburgh. And as some have said, she was a lovely and gracious caller.
Do any of you remember the week when the World Trade Center was destroyed? I’m sure I’m
not the only one who remembers what happened in Pittsburgh a few days later. That Friday
there was a regularly scheduled dance in Pittsburgh, and Becky was the caller. As we lined
up for the first dance, Becky looked out at the floor and realized that we were all
experienced dancers, there to dance with our community after a rough week. So she put us
in Becket and started to teach a dance that was a bit more challenging than she would have
taught at a usual community dance. She was about two figures in when a group of 10 or so
newcomers who she did not recognize as regular dancers entered the hall. So she asked us
all to promise our partners that we would dance with them later, and to take one of the
new dancers as a partner. And, of course, we all did. We lined up again in duple improper,
and Becky taught a simple dance that she knew we could help inexperienced dancers through
even though there had been no lesson. So we all danced, and that’s how the rest of the
evening went.
It was a very sad thing when Becky developed dementia and stopped coming to call for us.
The Cleveland community can probably tell you more about that time, and since she traveled
so much I’m sure there are many other stories like ours out there.
Cindy
Director, Small Harmonies <http://bridgeofvoices.org/>
2023 International Autoharp Champion
Have you experienced GrayScale ContraBand <https://grayscalecontraband.com/>?
==============
On Wed, May 15, 2024 at 11:09 Emily Addison via Contra Callers
<contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
_______________________________________________
Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net
Hi folks,
Over the past year, I'm realizing how many dances written by Becky Hill I absolutely
adore. So, naively, I wrote to Becky Hill (this one!
<https://www.rebeccahill.org/>) whom I admire thinking that it was her who wrote
dances. Turns out that flatfooter and old time square dance leader Becky Hill is not the
same Becky Hill who wrote the contras and square that I have in my dance box.
So... I naturally became curious ... who is the other Becky Hill???
And this is all I've been able to find
<https://www.heritagecremationsociety.com/obituaries/rebecca-ellen-becky-hill>.
Did any of you know Becky? Any further information on her?
I know that many of her dances are super popular and called by so many folk.
Thanks,
Emily Addison in Ottawa ON
_______________________________________________
Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net
_______________________________________________
Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net
7:53 p.m.
The very first callers workshop I ever attended was lead by Becky. She
encouraged us to take responsibility for whatever happened on the dance
floor. "Own it. Win an Academy Award for sincerely saying, 'oops, I
misjudged, let's try this a different way.' "
Years later, for a full-weekend event in which I was the lead organizer,
the scheduled caller had to drop out suddenly and I was scrambling to find
a substitute. I left Becky a message but meanwhile found someone else
available. Becky called back that evening and was happy to chat a bit. She
was a soothing voice and assured me that the caller I had found would do a
great job. She said she would have thrown her stuff into her car and made
the long drive if necessary, though, "cause that's what we do."
I still hear her voice when I use some of my favorite teaching tips. Rest
in peace.
— Jerome Grisanti
On Wed, May 15, 2024, 11:09 AM Emily Addison via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Hi folks,
Over the past year, I'm realizing how many dances written by Becky Hill I
absolutely adore. So, naively, I wrote to Becky Hill (this one!
<https://www.rebeccahill.org/>) whom I admire thinking that it was her
who wrote dances. Turns out that flatfooter and old time square dance
leader Becky Hill is not the same Becky Hill who wrote the contras and
square that I have in my dance box.
So... I naturally became curious ... who is the other Becky Hill???
And this is all I've been able to find
<https://www.heritagecremationsociety.com/obituaries/rebecca-ellen-becky-hill>
.
Did any of you know Becky? Any further information on her?
I know that many of her dances are super popular and called by so many
folk.
Thanks,
Emily Addison in Ottawa ON
_______________________________________________
Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net
8:43 p.m.
Thanks so much to those of you who have responded to my inquiry about Becky
Hill. SO neat to learn more about her. :)
I love some of the stories about her personal philosophy about calling. So
great. :)
And yes... lovely to also hear what other women were also calling in the
1980s and 1990s.
Emily
On Wed, May 15, 2024 at 3:53 PM Jerome Grisanti <jerome.grisanti(a)gmail.com>
wrote:
The very first callers workshop I ever attended was
lead by Becky. She
encouraged us to take responsibility for whatever happened on the dance
floor. "Own it. Win an Academy Award for sincerely saying, 'oops, I
misjudged, let's try this a different way.' "
Years later, for a full-weekend event in which I was the lead organizer,
the scheduled caller had to drop out suddenly and I was scrambling to find
a substitute. I left Becky a message but meanwhile found someone else
available. Becky called back that evening and was happy to chat a bit. She
was a soothing voice and assured me that the caller I had found would do a
great job. She said she would have thrown her stuff into her car and made
the long drive if necessary, though, "cause that's what we do."
I still hear her voice when I use some of my favorite teaching tips. Rest
in peace.
— Jerome Grisanti
On Wed, May 15, 2024, 11:09 AM Emily Addison via Contra Callers <
contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Hi folks,
Over the past year, I'm realizing how many dances written by Becky Hill I
absolutely adore. So, naively, I wrote to Becky Hill (this one!
<https://www.rebeccahill.org/>) whom I admire thinking that it was her
who wrote dances. Turns out that flatfooter and old time square dance
leader Becky Hill is not the same Becky Hill who wrote the contras and
square that I have in my dance box.
So... I naturally became curious ... who is the other Becky Hill???
And this is all I've been able to find
<https://www.heritagecremationsociety.com/obituaries/rebecca-ellen-becky-hill>
.
Did any of you know Becky? Any further information on her?
I know that many of her dances are super popular and called by so many
folk.
Thanks,
Emily Addison in Ottawa ON
_______________________________________________
Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to
contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net
8:51 p.m.
New subject: [External] Re: Wanting to learn more about Becky Hill - the choreographer
I am no historian (paging David Milstone). However, talking about luminary and influential
callers who are women, we would be remiss to not mention Sandy Bradly, from Seattle. I
don't know when she started calling, but I know she had an LP with her playing dance
music from 1981. I have heard that Sandy's calling inspired many future callers.
https://www.nodepression.com/the-old-time-camaraderie-of-sandys-fancy/
Purcbase a copy: https://www.ebay.com/itm/124513634047
Seth Tepfer, MBA, CSM, PMP (he, him, his)
Senior IT Manager, Emory Primate Center
[cid:618aec50-e051-43d2-b7c4-a15aef19afd7]<https://outlook.office.com/boo…
Book time to meet with
me<https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/SethTepfer@mscloud.emory.n…
________________________________
From: Emily Addison via Contra Callers <contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net>
Sent: Wednesday, May 15, 2024 4:43 PM
To: Jerome Grisanti <jerome.grisanti(a)gmail.com>
Cc: Shared Weight Contra Callers <contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net>
Subject: [External] [Callers] Re: Wanting to learn more about Becky Hill - the
choreographer
Thanks so much to those of you who have responded to my inquiry about Becky Hill. SO neat
to learn more about her. :)
I love some of the stories about her personal philosophy about calling. So great. :)
And yes... lovely to also hear what other women were also calling in the 1980s and
1990s.
Emily
On Wed, May 15, 2024 at 3:53 PM Jerome Grisanti
<jerome.grisanti@gmail.com<mailto:jerome.grisanti@gmail.com>> wrote:
The very first callers workshop I ever attended was lead by Becky. She encouraged us to
take responsibility for whatever happened on the dance floor. "Own it. Win an Academy
Award for sincerely saying, 'oops, I misjudged, let's try this a different
way.' "
Years later, for a full-weekend event in which I was the lead organizer, the scheduled
caller had to drop out suddenly and I was scrambling to find a substitute. I left Becky a
message but meanwhile found someone else available. Becky called back that evening and was
happy to chat a bit. She was a soothing voice and assured me that the caller I had found
would do a great job. She said she would have thrown her stuff into her car and made the
long drive if necessary, though, "cause that's what we do."
I still hear her voice when I use some of my favorite teaching tips. Rest in peace.
— Jerome Grisanti
On Wed, May 15, 2024, 11:09 AM Emily Addison via Contra Callers
<contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net<mailto:contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net>>
wrote:
Hi folks,
Over the past year, I'm realizing how many dances written by Becky Hill I absolutely
adore. So, naively, I wrote to Becky Hill (this one!<https://www.rebeccahill.org/>)
whom I admire thinking that it was her who wrote dances. Turns out that flatfooter and
old time square dance leader Becky Hill is not the same Becky Hill who wrote the contras
and square that I have in my dance box.
So... I naturally became curious ... who is the other Becky Hill???
And this is all I've been able to
find<https://www.heritagecremationsociety.com/obituaries/rebecca-ellen-b…ll>.
Did any of you know Becky? Any further information on her?
I know that many of her dances are super popular and called by so many folk.
Thanks,
Emily Addison in Ottawa ON
_______________________________________________
Contra Callers mailing list --
contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net<mailto:contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net>
To unsubscribe send an email to
contracallers-leave@lists.sharedweight.net<mailto:contracallers-leave@lists.sharedweight.net>
16 May
16 May
12:22 a.m.
New subject: [External] Re: Wanting to learn more about Becky Hill - the choreographer
Sandy Bradley was THE premier caller of her time, for community dances. She called
squares, of course, and party games and fun simple dances. But when she got up on a stage
(or chair) and began to call, the energy in the room went through the roof. It was so much
fun to be on the dance floor when she called!
(BTW, one of Sandy's contemporaries, another great caller, was John McCutcheon. The
same folksinger who is well-known for the song "Christmas in the Trenches".)
I first learned to call from Sandy when she came to the Augusta Dance Week (Elkins, West
Virginia) in 1979 with the Gypsy Gyppo String Band -- when Warren Argo was in it and he
was still slim. Sandy conducted a caller's workshop every afternoon for the week. A
few of us tried it out. I had never held a microphone before or given instructions to an
actual crowd of people. That week changed my life.
One thing I still remember that Sandy told us novice callers: She said that after the
evening is over and people are leaving, if they are smiling and had a good time and wanted
to come back again to dance in the future . . . they may not remember your name as the
caller, but you've done your job.
Woody
--
Woody Lane
Caller, Percussive Dancer
Roseburg, Oregon
http://www.woodylanecaller.com
cell: 541-556-0054
________________________________
On 5/15/2024 1:51 PM, Tepfer, Seth via Contra Callers wrote:
I am no historian (paging David Milstone). However, talking about luminary and influential
callers who are women, we would be remiss to not mention Sandy Bradly, from Seattle. I
don't know when she started calling, but I know she had an LP with her playing dance
music from 1981. I have heard that Sandy's calling inspired many future callers.
https://www.nodepression.com/the-old-time-camaraderie-of-sandys-fancy/
Purcbase a copy: https://www.ebay.com/itm/124513634047
Seth Tepfer, MBA, CSM, PMP (he, him, his)
Senior IT Manager, Emory Primate Center
[X]<https://outlook.office.com/bookwithme/user/fcd3f5d71da848759228584d1a…
Book time to meet with
me<https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/SethTepfer@mscloud.emory.n…
________________________________
From: Emily Addison via Contra Callers
<contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net><mailto:contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net>
Sent: Wednesday, May 15, 2024 4:43 PM
To: Jerome Grisanti
<jerome.grisanti@gmail.com><mailto:jerome.grisanti@gmail.com>
Cc: Shared Weight Contra Callers
<contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net><mailto:contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net>
Subject: [External] [Callers] Re: Wanting to learn more about Becky Hill - the
choreographer
Thanks so much to those of you who have responded to my inquiry about Becky Hill. SO neat
to learn more about her. :)
I love some of the stories about her personal philosophy about calling. So great. :)
And yes... lovely to also hear what other women were also calling in the 1980s and
1990s.
Emily
On Wed, May 15, 2024 at 3:53 PM Jerome Grisanti
<jerome.grisanti@gmail.com<mailto:jerome.grisanti@gmail.com>> wrote:
The very first callers workshop I ever attended was lead by Becky. She encouraged us to
take responsibility for whatever happened on the dance floor. "Own it. Win an Academy
Award for sincerely saying, 'oops, I misjudged, let's try this a different
way.' "
Years later, for a full-weekend event in which I was the lead organizer, the scheduled
caller had to drop out suddenly and I was scrambling to find a substitute. I left Becky a
message but meanwhile found someone else available. Becky called back that evening and was
happy to chat a bit. She was a soothing voice and assured me that the caller I had found
would do a great job. She said she would have thrown her stuff into her car and made the
long drive if necessary, though, "cause that's what we do."
I still hear her voice when I use some of my favorite teaching tips. Rest in peace.
— Jerome Grisanti
On Wed, May 15, 2024, 11:09 AM Emily Addison via Contra Callers
<contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net<mailto:contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net>>
wrote:
Hi folks,
Over the past year, I'm realizing how many dances written by Becky Hill I absolutely
adore. So, naively, I wrote to Becky Hill (this one!<https://www.rebeccahill.org/>)
whom I admire thinking that it was her who wrote dances. Turns out that flatfooter and
old time square dance leader Becky Hill is not the same Becky Hill who wrote the contras
and square that I have in my dance box.
So... I naturally became curious ... who is the other Becky Hill???
And this is all I've been able to
find<https://www.heritagecremationsociety.com/obituaries/rebecca-ellen-b…ll>.
Did any of you know Becky? Any further information on her?
I know that many of her dances are super popular and called by so many folk.
Thanks,
Emily Addison in Ottawa ON
_______________________________________________
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7:40 p.m.
New subject: Sandy Bradley
Hi Woody and all, I had the pleasure of dancing to Sandy's calling back in Philly in
the mid 70's. She was guest caller a few times at the Wednesday night (or was it
Thursday) square dance at the International House at the U of PA. I remember one time she
showed up with the Arm and Hammer String band (Pete Sutherland, Joel Eckhaus, Sid Blum,
Hilary Woodruff). What a night. What a crazy woman on stage! The "Potluck and dance
Tonight" album came out in 1979 and a cassette shortly after. I have the cassette
here somewhere but the vinyl LP has amazing liner notes with all the calls.. Several years
ago there was a web page stickervillefiddle.org that had the whole recoding in MP3 as well
as the liner notes. Unfortunately it has disappeared. Does anyone know if that got
transferred somewhere else? It was a great resource. Several callers I know talk about
learning from that recording. Susan Kevra and Will Mentor come to mind..
heck, I just found the LP on eBay for 6 bucks plus $4.50 shipping. (and i just bought it!)
what a deal. If it's not too scratched I'll digitize it, but the liner notes alone
are worth it.
Anyway, sorry this thread slid away from Becky Hill. She is one of my caller heroes! I
have her little dance booklets and we used to chat quite a bit about choreography back in
the day.
bill in Maine
________________________________
From: Woody Lane via Contra Callers <contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net>
Sent: Thursday, May 16, 2024 12:22 AM
To: Shared Weight Contra Callers <contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net>
Subject: [Callers] Re: [External] Re: Wanting to learn more about Becky Hill - the
choreographer
Sandy Bradley was THE premier caller of her time, for community dances. She called
squares, of course, and party games and fun simple dances. But when she got up on a stage
(or chair) and began to call, the energy in the room went through the roof. It was so much
fun to be on the dance floor when she called!
(BTW, one of Sandy's contemporaries, another great caller, was John McCutcheon. The
same folksinger who is well-known for the song "Christmas in the Trenches".)
I first learned to call from Sandy when she came to the Augusta Dance Week (Elkins, West
Virginia) in 1979 with the Gypsy Gyppo String Band -- when Warren Argo was in it and he
was still slim. Sandy conducted a caller's workshop every afternoon for the week. A
few of us tried it out. I had never held a microphone before or given instructions to an
actual crowd of people. That week changed my life.
One thing I still remember that Sandy told us novice callers: She said that after the
evening is over and people are leaving, if they are smiling and had a good time and wanted
to come back again to dance in the future . . . they may not remember your name as the
caller, but you've done your job.
Woody
--
Woody Lane
Caller, Percussive Dancer
Roseburg, Oregon
http://www.woodylanecaller.com<http://www.woodylanecaller.com/>
cell: 541-556-0054
________________________________
On 5/15/2024 1:51 PM, Tepfer, Seth via Contra Callers wrote:
I am no historian (paging David Milstone). However, talking about luminary and influential
callers who are women, we would be remiss to not mention Sandy Bradly, from Seattle. I
don't know when she started calling, but I know she had an LP with her playing dance
music from 1981. I have heard that Sandy's calling inspired many future callers.
https://www.nodepression.com/the-old-time-camaraderie-of-sandys-fancy/
Purcbase a copy: https://www.ebay.com/itm/124513634047
Seth Tepfer, MBA, CSM, PMP (he, him, his)
Senior IT Manager, Emory Primate Center
[X]<https://outlook.office.com/bookwithme/user/fcd3f5d71da848759228584d1a…
Book time to meet with
me<https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/SethTepfer@mscloud.emory.n…
________________________________
From: Emily Addison via Contra Callers
<contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net><mailto:contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net>
Sent: Wednesday, May 15, 2024 4:43 PM
To: Jerome Grisanti
<jerome.grisanti@gmail.com><mailto:jerome.grisanti@gmail.com>
Cc: Shared Weight Contra Callers
<contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net><mailto:contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net>
Subject: [External] [Callers] Re: Wanting to learn more about Becky Hill - the
choreographer
Thanks so much to those of you who have responded to my inquiry about Becky Hill. SO neat
to learn more about her. :)
I love some of the stories about her personal philosophy about calling. So great. :)
And yes... lovely to also hear what other women were also calling in the 1980s and
1990s.
Emily
On Wed, May 15, 2024 at 3:53 PM Jerome Grisanti
<jerome.grisanti@gmail.com<mailto:jerome.grisanti@gmail.com>> wrote:
The very first callers workshop I ever attended was lead by Becky. She encouraged us to
take responsibility for whatever happened on the dance floor. "Own it. Win an Academy
Award for sincerely saying, 'oops, I misjudged, let's try this a different
way.' "
Years later, for a full-weekend event in which I was the lead organizer, the scheduled
caller had to drop out suddenly and I was scrambling to find a substitute. I left Becky a
message but meanwhile found someone else available. Becky called back that evening and was
happy to chat a bit. She was a soothing voice and assured me that the caller I had found
would do a great job. She said she would have thrown her stuff into her car and made the
long drive if necessary, though, "cause that's what we do."
I still hear her voice when I use some of my favorite teaching tips. Rest in peace.
— Jerome Grisanti
On Wed, May 15, 2024, 11:09 AM Emily Addison via Contra Callers
<contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net<mailto:contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net>>
wrote:
Hi folks,
Over the past year, I'm realizing how many dances written by Becky Hill I absolutely
adore. So, naively, I wrote to Becky Hill (this one!<https://www.rebeccahill.org/>)
whom I admire thinking that it was her who wrote dances. Turns out that flatfooter and
old time square dance leader Becky Hill is not the same Becky Hill who wrote the contras
and square that I have in my dance box.
So... I naturally became curious ... who is the other Becky Hill???
And this is all I've been able to
find<https://www.heritagecremationsociety.com/obituaries/rebecca-ellen-b…ll>.
Did any of you know Becky? Any further information on her?
I know that many of her dances are super popular and called by so many folk.
Thanks,
Emily Addison in Ottawa ON
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17 May
17 May
2:58 a.m.
I started contra dancing in the Cleveland area, where Becky lived, so
she and Carol Kopp were my first local callers -- the ones I heard week
after week. I have so many memories of her as a caller, dancer, and
leader but what stands out to me is that when I started calling myself,
she was so supportive. The first time I had a gig for a family dance, I
had a question about something and emailed her, and she called me and
spent, like, an hour on the phone, and gave me an entire program. It was
sooooo generous. She had no sense of proprietary ownership. Dances and
programs were to be shared and replicated and spread as far and wide as
possible. In addition to all that, she was, as you have noted, a really
great choreographer and wrote a slew of terrific dances that have stood
the test of time. And besides all that, she was funny, and friendly,
and down to earth, and friends with everyone. I could go on and on. She
left us way too soon!
-- Diane
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Diane Silver
Asheville, NC
diane(a)diane-silver.com
On 5/15/2024 11:08 AM, Emily Addison via Contra Callers wrote:
Hi folks,
Over the past year, I'm realizing how many dances written by Becky
Hill I absolutely adore. So, naively, I wrote to Becky Hill (this
one! <https://www.rebeccahill.org/>) whom I admire thinking that it
was her who wrote dances. Turns out that flatfooter and old time
square dance leader Becky Hill is not the same Becky Hill who wrote
the contras and square that I have in my dance box.
So... I naturally became curious ... who is the other Becky Hill???
And this is all I've been able to find
<https://www.heritagecremationsociety.com/obituaries/rebecca-ellen-becky-hill>.
Did any of you know Becky? Any further information on her?
I know that many of her dances are super popular and called by so many
folk.
Thanks,
Emily Addison in Ottawa ON
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contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net
11 comments
10 participants
participants (10)
-
Amanda Setili -
Bill Olson -
Cindy Harris -
Diane Silver -
Emily Addison -
Gregory Frock -
Harris Lapiroff -
Jerome Grisanti -
Tepfer, Seth -
Woody Lane