10 Feb
2014
10 Feb
'14
4:28 p.m.
Hi,
I'm a fairly new caller as well and here are some thing that have helped me. I
1 - Have a master list of dances in rough order of difficulty so I can quickly go to the
beginning, middle, or end for ideas on what to call depending on my dancers. I gave up on
a formal "program" after the first couple of dances.
2 - Code the dances for type and mix them in the list (circle, contra, mixer, starting or
main figure...) to help keep variety.
3 - Have different lists for3cpl, 4 cpl, 5-6, 7+ groupings (this probably won't
pertain to you but where I am a hall full of dancers isn't likely!)
4 - Print out eight dances per side on paper (colored paper helps organize) in more or
less the same order, easily folded and stuck in my belt pouch so I can quickly glance at a
dance to jogg my memory. My dances are small and I'm on the floor and often dancing so
quick and easy is important. The dances are also marked with 3, 4, etc cples tomake it
easier to grab a right one.
To have a "large" group of any kind would be a delight! Congratulations! But
I've learned to enjoy 3 and 4 couple nights. Again this probably doesn't pertain
to your situation but I've found it easier on me to rewrite the dances to suit
different number of couples and have each one printed that way (unless it's a very
simple change). I'm getting better at being able to do this on my feet, and have had
to do so more than I like, but I like the security of having it written out, especially if
I have a lot of new dancers to pay attention to. The same for changes that make a dance
easier or harder. I really like dances that are easily adapted and can be used in a
variety of situations.
As others have noted, new dancers continually surprise me with what they can do (and
can't) do. It depends on your dancers of course and the dance atmosphere, but I've
found as long as we laugh and have a good time even the meltdowns can add to the evening.
It's the fun that counts, not the dance.
Cheers from the snowy U.P. (of Michigan)
Sue Robishaw
10 Feb
10 Feb
6:05 p.m.
New subject: Programming on-the-fly
Welcome to the tribe, Danielle! There are lots of good suggestions here,
including a very detailed approach from Sue that shows how personalized you
approach can be, according to the way you like to do things. I'll just
say/re-say thing in my way:
-Never marry yourself to your program. Not as a beginner, not if you've
called for 20 years. It's hard at the start because you simply don't have
enough knowledge, and enough dances in your box, to adjust very much. But
always be ready to make adjustments.
-Ask callers in your area for their favorite beginner dances. Keep those
handy in your box, so you can always find them to fall back on them.
-CDSS sells a good book called "Dances for Beginners" or something like
that. It has lots of simple dances. Buy that, and learn those.
-Remember the dance is never about you. It's about dancers going home
feeling happy and successful, and craving to come back to the next dance.
Please them, not yourself.
-We've all made bad choices at dances, and taught badly, and called badly.
You'll live through it. Laugh at yourself, don't take it too hard, just
remember to always think about what you can do better.
-You can't learn it all at once. Keep collecting dances,calling them, and
paying attention, and asking questions of lots of experienced callers. A
year from now, you will have "this level" down--and you'll have a whole new
level of things to think about!
Keith Tuxhorn
Austin, TX
On Mon, Feb 10, 2014 at 10:28 AM, Sue Robishaw <sue(a)manytracks.com> wrote:
Hi,
I'm a fairly new caller as well and here are some thing that have
helped me. I
1 - Have a master list of dances in rough order of difficulty so I can
quickly go to the beginning, middle, or end for ideas on what to call
depending on my dancers. I gave up on a formal "program" after the first
couple of dances.
2 - Code the dances for type and mix them in the list (circle, contra,
mixer, starting or main figure...) to help keep variety.
3 - Have different lists for3cpl, 4 cpl, 5-6, 7+ groupings (this probably
won't pertain to you but where I am a hall full of dancers isn't likely!)
4 - Print out eight dances per side on paper (colored paper helps
organize) in more or less the same order, easily folded and stuck in my
belt pouch so I can quickly glance at a dance to jogg my memory. My dances
are small and I'm on the floor and often dancing so quick and easy is
important. The dances are also marked with 3, 4, etc cples tomake it easier
to grab a right one.
To have a "large" group of any kind would be a delight! Congratulations!
But I've learned to enjoy 3 and 4 couple nights. Again this probably
doesn't pertain to your situation but I've found it easier on me to rewrite
the dances to suit different number of couples and have each one printed
that way (unless it's a very simple change). I'm getting better at being
able to do this on my feet, and have had to do so more than I like, but I
like the security of having it written out, especially if I have a lot of
new dancers to pay attention to. The same for changes that make a dance
easier or harder. I really like dances that are easily adapted and can be
used in a variety of situations.
As others have noted, new dancers continually surprise me with what they
can do (and can't) do. It depends on your dancers of course and the dance
atmosphere, but I've found as long as we laugh and have a good time even
the meltdowns can add to the evening. It's the fun that counts, not the
dance.
Cheers from the snowy U.P. (of Michigan)
Sue Robishaw
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participants (2)
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Keith Tuxhorn -
Sue Robishaw