Just to let you know: I'm on the fence about this. It's already going to be a very busy weekend for me. I'd like to be kept in the loop, but I can't commit now. -----Original Message----- From: Jack Mitchell Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2012 3:17 PM To: trianglecontra(a)yahoogroups.com ; fiddle-and-bow(a)yahoogroups.com ; Caller's discussion list Subject: [Callers] Callers Workshop with Scott Higgs - March 10th Scott Higgs is going to be in the Triangle calling for the 3/9 TCD contra dance and for a special 3/10 English Country Dance workshop (in the mid afternoon) and evening dance. He has also agreed to do a callers workshop for us while he's in town. The workshop will be Saturday morning 3/10, and will include a potluck brunch. Scott has many years of experience calling and teaching calling to others, and we are really fortunate to have him in the area. Possible topics for the workshop include: How to prepare for a dance event. How to devise a great dance program, with flexibility to adapt as needed. How to teach clearly & effectively. How to prompt/call clearly & effectively. How to integrate newcomers and less-skilled dancers. How to communicate and collaborate with musicians. How to set a welcoming, friendly tone, and build a sense of community. How to build a repertoire, and what should be in it. How to learn a new dance, and to anticipate challenges in presenting it. How to communicate more than just the geography of a dance. How to "listen" to the dancers. How to adapt on the fly: when you encounter: circumstances like 30 beginners enter en masse at 8:45 the floor is too slippery to dance the weather is too hot to dance the hall is too crowded the band can't play up to speed How to practice teaching/calling. How to "shape" an evening. Techniques for developing advanced leading skills What comes after the rudiments ? What do individuals want to improve in their leading ? How can we help each other to develop ? I also hope to have a discussion during the brunch portion of our time together on calling related topics. So far, we've only had two people sign up for the workshop. To help with our planning, if you are interested in attending, please fill out the registration form here: http://www.tcdancers.org/workshop/ See you on the dance floor! Jack _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)sharedweight.net http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers