13 Feb
2008
13 Feb
'08
12:14 a.m.
Wow, Tom. I thought I was the only one anal enough to do that. All of my dances are listed
in an Excel file which has columns for title, author, who swings whom, formation, and for
many major defining figures. I then print out all of my dances with Petronella turns, down
the hall, or any other defining figure. Then when I need to replace my hey dance with a
simpler one, I can just turn to the page of titles of hey dances I have printed out. My
cards are organized first by formation (contras; squares; mixers; dances for 3, 4, 5, 6,
or 7 couples), and within each group, they are alphabetized by title. The cards are in
large photo albums that display three 4x6 cards on each side of each page - really helps
when wanting to find something quickly.
Lynn
----- Original Message ----
From: Thomas J Senior <thomasjsenior(a)gmail.com>
To: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2008 8:13:00 AM
Subject: Re: [Callers] organizing dance cards
Hi Folks,
Coming out of LURK mode.
Many years ago, while calling a dance in Milwaukee, i noticed that
my selection of dances all had "down the middle 4 in line." Ouch.
To help me avoid this obvious programming faux pas, i started a
computer data base of my dance cards. I code each dance with its main
moves/story line: ie. both couples swing. Each of my cards now has
a number on it. I've printed out my list of dances several ways,
since i don't have a lap top at the dance, And when i need to change
programs on the fly, i can usually find what i need in the listing.
The biggest advantage to this system is that, if you put the cards
back in order after the dance, you can easily find the card the next
time.
Hope this may help,
Tom Senior (chicagoland)
-----Original Message-----
From: callers-bounces(a)sharedweight.net [mailto:callers-bounces@sharedweight.net] On
Behalf Of Amy Cann
Sent: Thursday, February 07, 2008 9:58 PM
To: Caller's discussion list
Subject: Re: [Callers] organizing dance cards
Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net> on Monday, February 4,
2008 at 9:09 PM +0000 wrote:
--
Tom Senior
Dance while you can.
_______________________________________________
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I'm reorganizing my dance cards
...
The dance that's most puzzling to me right now
is Mary Cay's Reel
I often sort my dances by storyline, so for me the defining move of Mary
Cay's is that the women do something special WITH EACH OTHER, while the
men look on/cheer.
There is a very specific social thing that happens at moments like this -
( other examples: "ladies down center 2 by 2 with each other" or "men
gypsy each other" ) - when one gender displays and the other watches
(and BOY does that other gender like to watch sometime!)
so Mary Cay's, for me, goes in the "Gender Fun" category.
Other categories include "Where did my partner go - wait, how did you end
up THERE?" and "Look at me aren't I cool?"
We all get caught sometimes - we just can't seem to find a next dance that
doesn't repeat the previous one in some way - the same starting move, the
same progression, yet aNOTHer down-the-hall-in-lines-of-four.
At moments like this, I often opt to go for the dance with the most
different "storyline" or "social structure", and ask the band for a
contrasting tune type, in the (perhaps naive) belief that the dancers
won't notice repeating move so much if, say, the first one struts and the
second one slinks.
Cheers,
Amy
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13 Feb
13 Feb
12:17 a.m.
New subject: organizing dance cards
So far, here's what I do for contra. (I've only been calling contra for a
couple of years, and I don't do this for English because each dance is a bit
more sui generis.)
I don't use cards because my handwriting and printing are lousy (a minor
neurological dysfunction), and because if I try to write them at dances I'm so
sweaty that everything smears like crazy, and if I try to call from cards I
either sweat them up or mislay them, so I need my real originals to stay at
home.
So: Each dance is in a separate plain-text file on disk, and I also have a
separate index file with one line per dance, with an extremely abbreviated
version of the figures in order, eg:
100 YEARS OF MISCHIEF Form:IC Figs:BTG:AL:NS:CL:DSD:MR:PS:
3 2 1 DANCE Form:IC Figs:LLF&B:NNS:G&T:PS:CL2/3:BTR:CT:NNG&S:
3 33 33 Form:IC Figs:GC:BTG:NS:CL:PS:LLF&B:DSD:
35_4_THE_ROSENS Form:BK Figs:CL3/4: 1/2 Hey:NG&S:CT:NB&cuddle:G&T:
50 50 Form:BK Figs:CL:NS:LC:H4H:BTG:PS:SL:
ABBEY, THE (mixer) Form:4x4 Figs:LLF&B:LC:GC:CR:CT:PS:
ALS SAFEWAY PRODUCE Form:IC Figs:LHS:AL:AR:PS:CL:NS:LLF&B:RHS:
ALTERATIONS SWING Form:BK Figs:CL3/4,PT,LLF&B:NS:DOPASO:AR:PS
ALTERNATING CORNERS Form:IC Figs:CL:NS::LLF&B:HF8:CC:PS:
AMY'S HARMONIUM Form:BK Figs:LLF&R:AR:NS:LC:CL:PT:AL:PS
ANGIE'S FANCY Form:TR Figs:LLF&B:PS:unique:RHS:LHS:R&L
ANOTHER NICE COMBINATION Form:IC Figs:G:NS:CL:PT:DSD:PS:LC:LHS:
APPETIZER Form:IC Figs:NS:LLF&B:LC:AR:PS:CL:DSD:
APPLE PIE QUADRILLE Form:4x4 Figs:LLF&B:RHS:AL:PS:Weird:
ARE YOU MOST DONE Form:BK Figs:AL:NS:LLF&B:RHS:H4:AR:PS:
ARTQUAKE '95 Form:IC Figs:LLF&B:AS:4iL:TA:BTL:LCo&b:CL:CR:
ATONEMENT REEL (mixer) Form:BC Figs:BTW:RA:BTR:LA:PB&S:F&B:F&B:PAR:Prmd:
BACK IT ON UP Form:IC Figs:CL:NS:LLF&B:NNS:LC:PS:
BACKSTITCH Form:IC Figs:LLF&B:RA:AL:PS:LHS:NS:
BACKSTITCH VARIATION Form:IC Figs:LLF&B:RA:NS:AL:PS:Prmd:LC:
BALANCE AND THINK Form:BK Figs:LLF&B:DSD:NS:CL:TRD:PS:
BALANCE THE STAR Form:IC Figs:B:RHS:TA:LHS:TA:NDSD:CT:Weird:repeat
(Every so often, I go through my disk directory and check what dances I've
added since the last time I updated the index file, then go through the dances
and update the index. Then I have some scripts that go through the index and
create separate indexes for Becket, Big Circle, Contra, Indecent, 4-face-four,
Scatter Mixer, etc..) Then I print out all that stuff and stick 'em in a big
notebook, which I can bring to gigs. If I feel I need to change my program and
introduce, say, a Becket dance, I can look at the Becket index; if I want to
see all my options, I look at the several page, hundreds-of-dances, main
index. If something looks like a possibility, I flip through the book
alphabetically until I come to the sheet protector with the 8.5x11 sheet with
the dance and any notes on it, and judge whether it really makes sense - is
there a tricky bit that doesn't show in the summary?)
When I'm working up a program, I work from the index and juggle the orders;
with the Figure summary I can make sure my dances don't all start the same way,
or have the same progression, etc, while I pull up the individual dance
description to look for any notes, ratings, etc. There's enough info in the
index to let me say "I need an easy Becket with a hey in it" and find it.
Then I make up a single text file into which I've included the program order,
all the dance descriptions, and a bunch of possible extras/alternates; it
raises my confidence level to have all of that already thought out before I get
there, print out several copies of that - if the band has somebody who'd like
to look at the card, they may as well have a copy of the program; if there's a
caller who liked the dances I called, I can just hand them a copy of the notes;
if I put my copy down somewhere before doing a demo, I have another copy.]
I was calling English ceilidh dances before contra dances, and for that I did
a similar thing with a wider variety of formations, also noting tune type,
etc, and then when the band told me they had a 40-bar jig they wanted to play I
could look at *that* index to see which dances would work with that. But I
didn't make up programs in advance because the numbers were completely
unpredictable.
Occasionally I think about a full-on relational database that tracks dances,
when last called, difficulty ratings, etc, etc, but in fact I've never had any
need for one.
This has worked well for me so far, but I haven't yet had to deal with calling
a contra dance where only five people show up, or a busload of Girl Scouts
arrives just after the break, or whatever other horror story you have. I've
had the equivalents when calling English, and usually just backed off to the
barn dance repertoire.
-- 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
===============================================================================
1:14 p.m.
New subject: organizing dance cards
Colin Hume has a dance organizer you can download.
http://www.colinhume.com/download.htm
It also keeps track of what dances you called WHERE, so you don't end up doing the
same program a year later for the same crowd.
If you don't feel the need to invent it yourself, have a look!
-----Original Message-----
From: callers-bounces(a)sharedweight.net [mailto:callers-bounces@sharedweight.net] On Behalf
Of Alan Winston - SSRL Central Computing
Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2008 7:17 PM
To: lynn ackerson
Cc: Caller's discussion list
Subject: Re: [Callers] organizing dance cards
So far, here's what I do for contra. (I've only been calling contra for a
couple of years, and I don't do this for English because each dance is a bit
more sui generis.)
I don't use cards because my handwriting and printing are lousy (a minor
neurological dysfunction), and because if I try to write them at dances I'm so
sweaty that everything smears like crazy, and if I try to call from cards I
either sweat them up or mislay them, so I need my real originals to stay at
home.
So: Each dance is in a separate plain-text file on disk, and I also have a
separate index file with one line per dance, with an extremely abbreviated
version of the figures in order, eg:
100 YEARS OF MISCHIEF Form:IC Figs:BTG:AL:NS:CL:DSD:MR:PS:
3 2 1 DANCE Form:IC Figs:LLF&B:NNS:G&T:PS:CL2/3:BTR:CT:NNG&S:
3 33 33 Form:IC Figs:GC:BTG:NS:CL:PS:LLF&B:DSD:
35_4_THE_ROSENS Form:BK Figs:CL3/4: 1/2 Hey:NG&S:CT:NB&cuddle:G&T:
50 50 Form:BK Figs:CL:NS:LC:H4H:BTG:PS:SL:
ABBEY, THE (mixer) Form:4x4 Figs:LLF&B:LC:GC:CR:CT:PS:
ALS SAFEWAY PRODUCE Form:IC Figs:LHS:AL:AR:PS:CL:NS:LLF&B:RHS:
ALTERATIONS SWING Form:BK Figs:CL3/4,PT,LLF&B:NS:DOPASO:AR:PS
ALTERNATING CORNERS Form:IC Figs:CL:NS::LLF&B:HF8:CC:PS:
AMY'S HARMONIUM Form:BK Figs:LLF&R:AR:NS:LC:CL:PT:AL:PS
ANGIE'S FANCY Form:TR Figs:LLF&B:PS:unique:RHS:LHS:R&L
ANOTHER NICE COMBINATION Form:IC Figs:G:NS:CL:PT:DSD:PS:LC:LHS:
APPETIZER Form:IC Figs:NS:LLF&B:LC:AR:PS:CL:DSD:
APPLE PIE QUADRILLE Form:4x4 Figs:LLF&B:RHS:AL:PS:Weird:
ARE YOU MOST DONE Form:BK Figs:AL:NS:LLF&B:RHS:H4:AR:PS:
ARTQUAKE '95 Form:IC Figs:LLF&B:AS:4iL:TA:BTL:LCo&b:CL:CR:
ATONEMENT REEL (mixer) Form:BC Figs:BTW:RA:BTR:LA:PB&S:F&B:F&B:PAR:Prmd:
BACK IT ON UP Form:IC Figs:CL:NS:LLF&B:NNS:LC:PS:
BACKSTITCH Form:IC Figs:LLF&B:RA:AL:PS:LHS:NS:
BACKSTITCH VARIATION Form:IC Figs:LLF&B:RA:NS:AL:PS:Prmd:LC:
BALANCE AND THINK Form:BK Figs:LLF&B:DSD:NS:CL:TRD:PS:
BALANCE THE STAR Form:IC Figs:B:RHS:TA:LHS:TA:NDSD:CT:Weird:repeat
(Every so often, I go through my disk directory and check what dances I've
added since the last time I updated the index file, then go through the dances
and update the index. Then I have some scripts that go through the index and
create separate indexes for Becket, Big Circle, Contra, Indecent, 4-face-four,
Scatter Mixer, etc..) Then I print out all that stuff and stick 'em in a big
notebook, which I can bring to gigs. If I feel I need to change my program and
introduce, say, a Becket dance, I can look at the Becket index; if I want to
see all my options, I look at the several page, hundreds-of-dances, main
index. If something looks like a possibility, I flip through the book
alphabetically until I come to the sheet protector with the 8.5x11 sheet with
the dance and any notes on it, and judge whether it really makes sense - is
there a tricky bit that doesn't show in the summary?)
When I'm working up a program, I work from the index and juggle the orders;
with the Figure summary I can make sure my dances don't all start the same way,
or have the same progression, etc, while I pull up the individual dance
description to look for any notes, ratings, etc. There's enough info in the
index to let me say "I need an easy Becket with a hey in it" and find it.
Then I make up a single text file into which I've included the program order,
all the dance descriptions, and a bunch of possible extras/alternates; it
raises my confidence level to have all of that already thought out before I get
there, print out several copies of that - if the band has somebody who'd like
to look at the card, they may as well have a copy of the program; if there's a
caller who liked the dances I called, I can just hand them a copy of the notes;
if I put my copy down somewhere before doing a demo, I have another copy.]
I was calling English ceilidh dances before contra dances, and for that I did
a similar thing with a wider variety of formations, also noting tune type,
etc, and then when the band told me they had a 40-bar jig they wanted to play I
could look at *that* index to see which dances would work with that. But I
didn't make up programs in advance because the numbers were completely
unpredictable.
Occasionally I think about a full-on relational database that tracks dances,
when last called, difficulty ratings, etc, etc, but in fact I've never had any
need for one.
This has worked well for me so far, but I haven't yet had to deal with calling
a contra dance where only five people show up, or a busload of Girl Scouts
arrives just after the break, or whatever other horror story you have. I've
had the equivalents when calling English, and usually just backed off to the
barn dance repertoire.
-- 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
===============================================================================
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2 comments
3 participants
participants (3)
-
Alan Winston - SSRL Central Computing -
Lindsay Morris -
lynn ackerson