Chris Page says " So it's up to you. But this is a general principle -- I regularly modify dances, sometimes as a general change, and sometimes to help the dance fit into the program, like avoiding too many circle lefts. Or cut swings shorter because it's hotter. Or..." I am not sure that I agree with this. When I modify a dance that someone else has written (and named) I will usually either give it a new name, or at least give it it's original name with a modifier (eg #2) and announce that it is based on whatever the original dance was. Otherwise, lets say I write a dance, lets call it "Alterations!" (I added the ! as there is already a dance called Alterations). It goes as follows: Neighbor balance and swing Ladies chain across and back Long lines forward and back twice Star right and left Person A sees this, writes it down and goes to use it. However, It's a bit hot that night so they substitute Neighbor dosido and swing, so now we have Neighbor dosido and swing Ladies chain across and back Long lines forward and back twice Star right and left Person B sees this, writes it down and goes to use it. However, there are a lot of beginners that night so they substitute circle left and right for the ladies chains, so now we have Neighbor dosido and swing Circle left and right Long lines forward and back twice Star right and left Person C sees this, writes it down and goes to use it. However, they have already had a lot of dances with lines forward and back that night so they substitute square throughs for the lines forward and back, so now we have Neighbor dosido and swing Circle left and right Square through there and back Star right and left Person D sees this, writes it down and goes to use it. However, there is lots of space that night and they don't like having a dance with no partner swing so they substitute dosido and swing your partner for the stars, so now we have Neighbor dosido and swing Circle left and right Square through there and back Partner dosido and swing (end facing up/down) There is now nothing left of the original dance, yet it is *still* called Alterations! by Michael Barraclough! What do others think? Michael Barraclough http://www.michaelbarraclough.com

Well - I posed the question, so I guess I had better share my view (which is essentially the same as that of Chris Page). There is nothing wrong with change - sometimes it improves what was originally created. However I believe that it is good etiquette to announce the name of the dance and its author to the dancers (before the walkthrough, after the walkthrough, when the dance ends - take your pick, we could have another discussion about which is best!) and to announce if you have changed the dance or to say that this dance is based on .... Michael Barraclough http://www.michaelbarraclough.com -----Original Message----- From: callers-bounces(a)sharedweight.net [mailto:callers-bounces@sharedweight.net] On Behalf Of Chris Page Sent: Monday, July 14, 2008 2:59 AM To: Caller's discussion list Subject: Re: [Callers] Lost in Interstellar Haze On 7/12/08, Michael Barraclough <michael(a)michaelbarraclough.com> wrote: Since nobody else has spoken up, I'll put my foot in my mouth again with my own opinions.... Well, my first thought is that by this point of telephone the dance would be known as "Albert's Sensation," by "Unknown" (if you're lucky), or by "Marsha Berrymore" (if you're not). But a little more seriously... While folk process transmogrifications could theoretically result in your scenario, they can also provide good results, like with "Brimmer and May Reel" or "With Thanks to the Dean" or "More For Your Neighbor." (I think "With Thanks to the Dean" had a balance after the women's allemande; as for the others see: http://www.geocities.com/uophxweb/marydart/appendix_E.htm ) Still, you're right it's a good safety tip for the caller to announce it as "a variant of dance so-and-so." And for a collector at the dance to check the sequence with the caller for any such changes. Then there's at least a record of the folk process mutations. -Chris Page San Diego p.s. What _is_ the original version of "The 24th of June"? _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)sharedweight.net http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers

I could not disagree with you more, Greg. I've been calling dances for 30 years, and have never had dancers express concern, let alone dissatisfaction, that my announcing the name and author of a dance has been a distraction- and dancers know I am very open to comments about my calling. I have, on the other hand, had people come up to me after a dance to ask for a reminder of the name of the dance. In addition, I believe that people deserve recognition for their work. Since we aren't in the business for the money, knowing that people (hopefully) took pleasure from our efforts is the reward that we get. If I don't know the author of a dance that I'm calling, I ask if else anyone does. As to the notion of offering too much, potentially distracting data: it's the caller's job to not just present the essential information, but also to make the event an enjoyable experience for all. Offering only essential information and nothing else- whether welcoming comments, jokes, or anything else- is as important to the event as the calls. If I have dancers listening to me only for essential information, I've lost the opportunity to make the dance anything other than a series of exercises rather than a social, community-building event, which is my goal. I think very carefully about how to teach dances and how to call them, as well as how to teach people how to dance well in general, but I believe it is important to not build a firewall between the "social intercourse" and the dance- they're parts of the same experience, not serially, but simultaneously. Names are powerful things. Providing all dancers with the name of a dance can relieve newcomers from the sense that others know things that they don't. There may be some dances whose names dancers remember in the contra dance arena (rather than English or Scottish), but I believe they are very few and far between. If you announce only "meaningful or entertaining" names, how would you determine which dances' names are meaningful or entertaining or not, and how would the dancers do so? I also believe that announcing only certain dances' names and authors would imply that those dances are somehow better, more important, or more valuable than the ones whose names you don't announce. Perhaps unlike other callers, I always prepare may more dances than I am likely to call, since I never know the skill levels of those who may show up. I adapt my programs to people who are there rather than expecting them to adapt to a program I've planned. This means that posting a written program with the names and authors won't work for me. I too look forward to other people's comments. Susan Elberger Arlington, Massachusetts

I must agree with Susan on announcing dance names. My own technique is to announce them after the walkthrough and before the music starts. "come back to place and we'll dance ____ by ____". The beginners won't think that they're being left out because they all have been taught the dance, and in fact may be distracted by everyone starting to back up. The ones who are interested and have attention to spare will hear. This also lets the band know that we're ready for some music. There are many ways for a caller to gain the attention of the dancers. Scarcity of speech is one of them, but tone of voice and force of personality do a lot more to making the evening fun. If just your tone and style of speech can convey "I'm having fun, please join me" and command attention and obedience as well, it really makes the evening fun for the dancers. It's not easy, especially for someone like me who tends to be shy, but it can be cultivated without sounding phony. Chris Weiler Goffstown, NH

I have always felt the majority of the dancers don't care who wrote the dance.  I try to do it though out of respect for the author who deserves credit and because the precedent has made it part of the culture at dances.  I think Greg made some good points about economy of timing.  Cute names do have entertainment value especially doing Solstice Special on June 20! But do I think the dancers really care?  Generally, naw. Joe Micheals --- On Mon, 7/14/08, Greg McKenzie <gregmck(a)earthlink.net> wrote: From: Greg McKenzie <gregmck(a)earthlink.net> Subject: Re: [Callers] Announcing Dance Names (Was: "Lost in Interstellar Haze") To: "Caller's discussion list" <callers(a)sharedweight.net> Date: Monday, July 14, 2008, 10:41 AM Michael Barraclough wrote: announce walkthrough, changed I want to take this opportunity to present another view. I think there are some good reasons not to announce the name of a dance at all. This has become my own practice. One reason comes from the idea that the caller will earn the attention of the dancers by eliminating as much non-essential information as possible from their comments. This is not easy. It involves careful construction of the calls and precise walk-through instructions. It also involves recruiting others to make announcements and eliminating anciallary comments at the microphone. The effect is to train the dancers that your voice always carries essential information. (The most essential information is an instruction to physically move.) In contrast, any non-essential information offers the dancers an opportunity to "tune out" the caller's voice and engage in social interaction. I consider the name and author of the dance to be non-essential information. The caller has a limited amount of "currency" in holding the dancer's attention. All non-essential information draws down the caller's account. That does not mean one cannot tell anecdotes or tell the name of a dance. It just means that callers need to be careful how they use what currency they have. If you find that you have difficulty earning or holding the attention of the dancer's you might want to replay your tape of the evening and pay attention to how much non-essential information you are giving out. You might have over-drawn your account. A contra dance caller needs to intersperse an evening of social intercourse with times when the dancers need to pay careful attention to the caller's voice. Making a courteous and seamless transition between these two activities--without relying upon a loud PA system--is the mark of an excellent contra dance caller. Another reason not to tell the name of a dance is because it carries the implied message that the name is important. Most newcomers are likely to assume that this means that others in the hall already know the dance. Some dancers may feel that they are less prepared because they haven't learned this particular dance previously. This could create unnecessary anxiety among some of the dancers in the hall. Anxiety lowers self-confidence and will make the caller's job more difficult. Not announcing the name puts everyone on more of an equal status. Perhaps we should consider alternatives to announcing the name and author of every dance. One is to only announce the names of dances if the name is meaningful or entertaining. A caller could also make a list of the evening's program, with the names of the dance authors, available to interested participants and announce this early in the evening. I would be interested in what others think of this idea. Regards, Greg McKenzie _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)sharedweight.net http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers