Import1 July 2015

import1@lists2.sharedweight.net

1 participants
47 discussions

Re: [Callers] [Musicians] worthiness of a tune for contra?

by Erik Hoffman via Callers

I, too, had no trouble hearing phrases of 4-beats, 8-beats, and the major parts. (In music speak: 2-bar phrases, 4-bar phrases, and 8-bar parts.) I would have no trouble calling to either tune in that video. Thus, I'm also curious about what makes it hard to hear, for those of you who have trouble with it. ~erik hoffman oakland, ca On 7/30/2015 6:52 PM, James Saxe via Musicians wrote: > After Emily Addison asked about the tunes in this video > > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DkJQ9xNGuU > > several people commented that they found the phrasing of > the jig (Jim Rumboldt's Tune) deceptive. I'm curious to > know what any of you--or other list members--think after > listening to it at 1.25x speed, as described in my previous > message (quoted below). > > I did a little searching for other videos of the tune. > This one > > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rx_E3qeZAfQ > > is played at about 165 bpm. If it were played at a > normal contra tempo and with a clear four-beat intro, but > otherwise in the same style as in the video, I think it > would be fine for dancing. Yes, there are a couple places > where, if I started the video at a random point in the > tune, I could momentarily wonder whether a particular note > was a pick-up note or the true beat 1 of a new phrase. > But, to my ear, there are enough other places where the > phrasing is quite clear so that it's not a problem. I'd > be interested in reading other people's reactions. > > I found another rendition starting about 3:15 in this > video > > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCnFlmrN1mk > > with tempo in the high 140s. I can't make sense of > the phrasing in this one at all. It seems to me it's a > different, and genuinely crooked, variant of the tune. > Does anyone disagree. > > After watching that last video, I tried searching for abc > notation or pdfs of sheet music or tablature to see whether > I'd find notation for different versions--straight vs. > crooked--of the tune. So far, however, I haven't turned > up any notation at all. > > --Jim > >> On Jul 30, 2015, at 1:58 AM, James Saxe <jim.saxe(a)gmail.com> wrote: >> >> I'm a mere caller and pretty much a musical muggle, but >> here are some observations about the jig for what they're >> worth. >> >> First off, in the video the jig is played at about 93 or 94 >> beats per minute (based on my stopwatch timing, which also >> appears to agree closely with the YouTube time counter). >> You might get a better idea of how it would sound as a dance >> tuen by playing it at 1.25x speed. (Click on the gear-shaped >> "Settings" button near the lower right of the YouTube video >> frame; then click on the Speed box (typically defaulting >> to "Normal"); then click "1.25" in the menu that pops up. >> YouTube should then play at 1.25x normal speed but with the >> audio pitch-shifted back down to normal pitch.) > <remainder snipped> > > > _______________________________________________ > Musicians mailing list > Musicians(a)lists.sharedweight.net > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/musicians-sharedweight.net > > >

9 years, 4 months

Re: [Callers] "Flash Mob" dances

by Claire Takemori via Callers

Alan, I went to the demo contra last year. I had only been doing contra for a year and found it a little intimidating to ask strangers out of the crowd to join us. For me, it would've been great to add in the FB announcement a little blurb about having experienced dancers ask the crowd to join before each dance. That way those of us who might be intimidated by that can prepare a little mentally for the task..... I love the ideas Linda wrote for an initial crowd gathering technique. I'd also really LOVE to do a REAL flash mob contra sometime, and maybe we can get someone to do a nice video for BACDS. Could be a fabulous promo. It would be cool to start with a violin and 2 couples , then have folks/musicians dribble in by 1s or 2s. Obviously everyone knows the first dance by heart already. Then the caller comes at the end to start a new dance! Thanks for doing that again Alan! Looks like a great time. Claire Takemori Message: 1 Date: Sun, 26 Jul 2015 20:52:13 -0700 From: Alan Winston via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> To: <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> Subject: [Callers] "Flash Mob" dances Message-ID: <55B5AAED.4020808(a)slac.stanford.edu> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"; format=flowed Over in San Jose we've just done a second annual not-really-flash-mob dance. Symphony Silicon Valley does a free public series of Pops concerts, get permission from them, pick one, get a bunch of volunteer dancers and a pickup band, print up some flyers and put up a sign with the sponsoring organization logo and URL, We put up a sign with the name of the organization, set up in the path of foot traffic to the concert spot, and do an hour and a half (or so) of easy contra dances, encouraging passersby to join in and hooking them up with more-experienced partners. This is successful in terms of getting some exposure, and today we got somewhere between a half-dozen and a dozen new people to actually try it, and probably moved 25 flyers. Nobody got hurt, some of the dancers stayed for several dances, etc. We flushed out some old square dancers (who of course wanted to swing once around and wait for the next call) and some previous non-dancers of various ages. (I was calling. First round was missing many volunteer dancers and had multiple newbies, so I did a one-night-stand dance ("Up the Sides and Down the Middle") rather than a duple-minor contra; then Cranky Ingenuity, Inflation Reel, Kitchen Stomp, and Delphiniums and Daisies.) Posting to ask if people who've done this kind of thing have any tips or tricks to get things going. As caller I relied on my volunteer dancers to do the recruiting, and people had different comfort and skill levels doing that. Is there something I can tell them that will increase their comfort in talking to strangers? Thanks! -- Alan

9 years, 4 months

Re: [Callers] "Flash Mob" dances

by Mac Mckeever via Callers

What we do and what I think Alan is referring to is a bit different. He already has a critical mass of experienced dancers - so he can do beginner level contras and even a bit above that level. You often end up with about 1/3 new dancers. We have done this many times without having to go to one night stand type dances. It is really good at encourage the new people to attend a regular dance. We have often set up in areas where there is good cultural diversity to help us out in that area. We used to do about one a month in good weather - but have tapered off lately. We need to start these up again. Mac Mckeever From: Jack Mitchell via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> To: Linda Leslie <laleslierjg(a)comcast.net>; Alan Winston <winston(a)slac.stanford.edu> Cc: callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net Sent: Monday, July 27, 2015 9:58 AM Subject: Re: [Callers] "Flash Mob" dances LInda-- I love those ideas for getting folks out on the floor. So simple. Thanks! On Mon, Jul 27, 2015 at 10:51 AM Linda Leslie via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: What a great idea, Alan! I hope you are able to continue this as a successful annual event! Whenever I find folks are reluctant to join in dances (weddings, parties, etc.,), I find a surefire solution is to begin with a no-partner circle. I hold hands with the “volunteer” dancers, and snake around the area, picking up folks as we go by them. You can encourage folks with happy smiles, “Join us!” and other exhortations….Once we have a good group, I close the circle, and do hash calls: circle left, circle right, single file left, right, all f&b, “everybody over 50 into the center and back”, etc., etc. I then from a circle left, become the lead again, and spiral the circle in, then back out. It is wonderful how this simple movement to music, and the surprise of reversing the spiral makes people happy, From here, I would have people pair up and do a very simple circle mixer, which gets them used to the P change idea. Then the simple contras. Looking forward to seeing the other suggestions that folks offer you! warmly, Linda On Jul 26, 2015, at 11:52 PM, Alan Winston via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > Over in San Jose we've just done a second annual not-really-flash-mob dance. Symphony Silicon Valley does a free public series of Pops concerts, get permission from them, pick one, get a bunch of volunteer dancers and a pickup band, print up some flyers and put up a sign with the sponsoring organization logo and URL, We put up a sign with the name of the organization, set up in the path of foot traffic to the concert spot, and do an hour and a half (or so) of easy contra dances, encouraging passersby to join in and hooking them up with more-experienced partners. > > This is successful in terms of getting some exposure, and today we got somewhere between a half-dozen and a dozen new people to actually try it, and probably moved 25 flyers. Nobody got hurt, some of the dancers stayed for several dances, etc. We flushed out some old square dancers (who of course wanted to swing once around and wait for the next call) and some previous non-dancers of various ages. > > (I was calling. First round was missing many volunteer dancers and had multiple newbies, so I did a one-night-stand dance ("Up the Sides and Down the Middle") rather than a duple-minor contra; then Cranky Ingenuity, Inflation Reel, Kitchen Stomp, and Delphiniums and Daisies.) > > Posting to ask if people who've done this kind of thing have any tips or tricks to get things going. > > As caller I relied on my volunteer dancers to do the recruiting, and people had different comfort and skill levels doing that. Is there something I can tell them that will increase their comfort in talking to strangers? > > Thanks! > > -- Alan > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net -- Jack Mitchell Durham, NC _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net

9 years, 4 months

[Callers] "Flash Mob" dances

by Alan Winston via Callers

Over in San Jose we've just done a second annual not-really-flash-mob dance. Symphony Silicon Valley does a free public series of Pops concerts, get permission from them, pick one, get a bunch of volunteer dancers and a pickup band, print up some flyers and put up a sign with the sponsoring organization logo and URL, We put up a sign with the name of the organization, set up in the path of foot traffic to the concert spot, and do an hour and a half (or so) of easy contra dances, encouraging passersby to join in and hooking them up with more-experienced partners. This is successful in terms of getting some exposure, and today we got somewhere between a half-dozen and a dozen new people to actually try it, and probably moved 25 flyers. Nobody got hurt, some of the dancers stayed for several dances, etc. We flushed out some old square dancers (who of course wanted to swing once around and wait for the next call) and some previous non-dancers of various ages. (I was calling. First round was missing many volunteer dancers and had multiple newbies, so I did a one-night-stand dance ("Up the Sides and Down the Middle") rather than a duple-minor contra; then Cranky Ingenuity, Inflation Reel, Kitchen Stomp, and Delphiniums and Daisies.) Posting to ask if people who've done this kind of thing have any tips or tricks to get things going. As caller I relied on my volunteer dancers to do the recruiting, and people had different comfort and skill levels doing that. Is there something I can tell them that will increase their comfort in talking to strangers? Thanks! -- Alan

9 years, 4 months

[Callers] Sticky floors

by jean francis via Callers

another option is to buy shuffleboard wax (ebay or large janitorial supplies) aka ballroom wax. This is a fine powdered wax that comes in various "slipperiness" grades...a tiny bit of a moderate slipperiness goes a very very long way. A container the size of a kitchen cleanser 'can' could last an entire dance community a year. Since it is a wax, I imagine it is good for wood floors, however the venue must be consulted and there is some danger from exuberant use such that folks could end up horizontal. Sprinkling it evenly around the floor and then sweeping it off before the dance will generally leave a beneficial amount. Alternate solutions might be to offer a 'step in' tray of it, where those who found the floor too sticky might smoosh their shoes in it briefly or a bottle could be passed around so dancers could put a pinch in their palms and rub it on the bottom of their dance shoes from time to time. I suspect this works best on smooth soles (suede, leather, composite) and not so well on 'tread' soles like athletic shoes. I carry a small plastic bottle of this to all dance events to rub on my own shoe soles.

9 years, 5 months

Re: [Callers] sticky floors

by Bill Olson via Callers

yep, that was my point I guess.. We as dancers look at these big wooden floors as great dance venues but in fact the intended use is completely different! b > From: donperley(a)gmail.com > Date: Wed, 22 Jul 2015 08:01:48 -0400 > Subject: Re: [Callers] sticky floors > To: callbill(a)hotmail.com > CC: callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > > On Mon, Jul 20, 2015 at 4:21 PM, Bill Olson via Callers > <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > > They are often very proprietorial about their floors, > > especially schools! The sad thing is a lot of venues think a "shiny floor" > > is the best floor. > > For a gym floor, it's primary function is sports. For a lot of those > you want to be able to apply large horizontal forces without your feet > slipping out from under you. How much sympathy can you expect when > you say you want more slide?

9 years, 5 months

Re: [Callers] sticky floors

by Bill Olson via Callers

Whew, If I had to cancel all the gigs I had that had sticky, or otherwise less than optimum dance floors, I'd lose half my work! Outdoor gigs on the grass (often sloping or uneven or with holes) or on weddings on rented "dance floors", indoor school (or other) gigs on super sticky polyurethane gym floors sometimes wood on cement, church hall or other "local venue" dances on linoleum/concrete floors, or indoor-outdoor carpet, etc etc etc.. In these cases, (and I do so many of them I don't even think about it much any more,) I just have to adjust the dancing to the venue. true, these dances are mostly family/community type affairs, so they don't last that long, run at a slower pace and the choreography isn't that difficult! I agree that it's best not to "mess with someone's floor" certainly not without permission!! They are often very proprietorial about their floors, especially schools! The sad thing is a lot of venues think a "shiny floor" is the best floor.. the finish the heck out of them with shiny stuff (polyurethane normally) and this is almost always sticky when it's humid. It also comes off when danced on and covers everything with white power (nice having it stuck in your nose too!).. But unless we OWN the venues, and that is happening in some places, (Guiding Star Grange, Capitol City Grange for two) all we can do is try to educate the venue owners. This is a long process for sure.. Blah blah, what am I saying here?? I guess I am saying, "it ain't that easy" and there isn't one solution that fits all the possible situations. My way of dealing as a dancer is to "take it easy" (less twirls and flourishes maybe) or in extreme cases (and this is bad for sure) to stay away.. and as a programmer, more forgiving choreography.. Finally, there has been a lot written about finish on dance floors, I'm sure someone will point us all to the correct archive again. Stan Fowler did a lot of work on this for Glen Echo and it's written down somewhere.. Others have done work at the above mentioned venues. BUT this doesn't help us at a one night stand or at a venue where everything else might be just fine (acoustics, stage, parking, rent) but where the owners have their own idea about the floor.. I will be interested to see what more people have to say about this! bill Date: Mon, 20 Jul 2015 15:28:49 -0400 To: lynzimd(a)yahoo.com CC: jmitchell.nc(a)gmail.com; callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net Subject: Re: [Callers] sticky floors From: callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net I don't think you should *ever* “put up with” a super-sticky floor. It damages dancers' knees and ankles. If the floor is too sticky to dance on, and the venue isn't allowing any options for fixing it, cancel the dance. On Mon, Jul 20, 2015 at 3:21 PM, Lindsey Dono via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: Thoughts from the organizational perspective: Be very, very careful about adding anything to any floor you don't own! A number of dances have lost their venues over issues such as this. Question: is this floor chronically sticky, or newly so? My generic plan of action would go something along these lines: 1. Put up with the sticky floor for the one evening (question for all: What are good dances for a slow floor? I'm assuming heys and whole-set promenades would work better than Petronella/Rory O'More figures). If you're at the hall early enough, you can try mopping particularly awful spots with JUST water. Unless you own the hall or have checked in with the owners in advance, probably best to avoid adding anything to the floor. 2. Immediately contact the owner/rental coordinator for your hall, and let them know about the sticky floor. Try to find out why the floor is not danceable (spills, new finish, humidity...) and find a short-term solution (mopping, adding a tiny bit of dance floor powdered wax, etc). One time, our hall was used the night prior for a party, and sugary drinks had been spilled everywhere! This wasn't the norm and the owners were apologetic. They put a lot of effort into cleaning up, and there haven't been issues since. 3. Make long-term plans for a danceable floor. A local grange coordinated with the contra community on the best way to refinish the floor. We faced a rather pungent month of dancing, but afterwards, the floor was excellent. 4. If the hall is unable or unwilling to work with you regarding the sticky floor, probably best to start looking for a new venue. This certainly isn't a pretty scenario, but the lousy floor will drive down attendance, and adding anything to the floor without permission will certainly put you in trouble with the owners. Lindsey From: Perry Shafran via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> To: Jack Mitchell <jmitchell.nc(a)gmail.com>; Mary Collins <nativedae(a)gmail.com>; "callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net" <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> Sent: Monday, July 20, 2015 11:55 AM Subject: Re: [Callers] sticky floors I was trying to figure out which was the right one - one is good to make it less sticky and the other makes it more gummy and a lot worse. Could have sworn it was cornmeal. I'm not the one who usually does it but I think that the people who run our dance use the right thing. Perry From: Jack Mitchell <jmitchell.nc(a)gmail.com> To: Perry Shafran <pshaf(a)yahoo.com>; Mary Collins <nativedae(a)gmail.com>; callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net Sent: Monday, July 20, 2015 2:52 PM Subject: Re: [Callers] sticky floors Not cornmeal - corn starch. Cornmeal would likely scratch the floor!Sent from Outlook On Mon, Jul 20, 2015 at 11:43 AM -0700, "Perry Shafran via Callers" <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: Generally cornmeal is used to make the floor less sticky. But be forewarned - don't use too much of it or else you'll have a new problem of the floor being too slippery. Also try to distribute it evenly so you don't have any sticky spots remaining. Perry From: Mary Collins via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> To: callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net Sent: Monday, July 20, 2015 2:36 PM Subject: [Callers] sticky floors Has anyone experienced issues with their wooden dance floors becoming sticky during humid weather? If so, what if anything has been done to alleviate the problem?thanks. Mary C. - Buffalo-- “Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass ... it's about learning to dance in the rain!” ~ Unknown _______________________________________________Callers mailing listCallers@lists.sharedweight.nethttp://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net _______________________________________________Callers mailing listCallers@lists.sharedweight.nethttp://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net

9 years, 5 months

Re: [Callers] sticky floors

by Tom Hinds via Callers

I must have missed the suggestion about windows. I was curious if this hall is air-conditioned. And I would think it would be useful to know the condition of the floor before the dance begins. I'm thinking the only real solution is increasing the capacity of the HVAC system to remove humidity. In the summer months opening the windows would just allow more humid air to enter the hall. T

9 years, 5 months

[Callers] Origins of East Meets West

by John Sweeney via Callers

I am going through some old English Dance & Song magazines and found this from December 1964: = = = = = = = = = = = = = East Meets West This dance has been in vogue for many years now and in response to repeated requests, we reprint it here. It was composed, we understand, by Ralph Page after a visit to the west coast of the U.S.A. and called " East Meets West ' as the dance incorporates certain west coast square dance movements within the framework of a New England style contra. Formation: duple improper. Music: 32 bar reels (see note below) although some prefer jigs. A.1. Lines of four move down the room (holding hands, ones between the twos), turn towards contrary and return, bringing twos in front of ones (progression). A.2. Circle four, left and right. B.1. Western style do-paso, i.e. men turn contrary lady with left hand, cross and turn partner with right hand, cross again and turn contrary lady with left hand straight into ... B.2. Half promenade across, and half right and left back. NOTE: if the tune " Little Old Log Cabin " (Swing Partners, p. 7) is used, the following singing call might be found useful : Oh go down in fours together, turn round and come back home, To that little old log cabin in the lane, Then you circle to the left and then you circle back again To that little old log cabin in the lane. Allemande left your corner; allemande right your own And give left hand to that corner girl again. Then you promenade across the set and right and left back home, To your little old log cabin in the lane = = = = = = = = = = = = = But Zesty Contras (1983) says: = = = = = = = = = = = = = East Meets West (by Herbie Gaudreau) Contra; Improper A1 Neighbour Allemande Left 1/2; Ladies' Chain; Ladies' Chain back A2 Circle Left; Circle Right B1 Neighbour Allemande Left; Partner Allemande Right; Neighbour Allemande Left B2 Half Promenade; R & L Through Only a decade ago this was a very innovative dance = = = = = = = = = = = = = The reference to a "decade ago" seems to imply that Herbie wrote the dance around 1973. But the version at the top claims to be old in 1964. They are obviously the same dance since they have the same name and only differ in the A1 (and I can understand why the A1 was changed as the transition from R&L Thru into Lines of Four doesn't appear to be particularly smooth!). Does anyone know any more about the history of this dance and its various versions? Thanks. Happy dancing, John John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent

9 years, 5 months

Re: [Callers] sticky floors

by Bree Kalb via Callers

9 years, 5 months

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Import1 July 2015