Import1 March 2016

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1 participants
94 discussions

by Linda Mrosko via Callers

The closest I usually get to a contra-style is *DoSiThree*. Everybody gets the progression. The hardest part about that dance is getting them into a 3 face 3 position -- more particularly, a set of 3 people can be a challenging concept for some (you need lines of 3 people, you and two partners, etc.). Once they get in position, the rest of the dance works great. I prefer longways dances instead -- *Blobs* is a staple and *Brandy Rump Bump* for a younger crowd. Another contra dance that has worked well for me with a majority of beginners has been *Moonstruck* -- sliding left to progress to the next couple is easy for anybody to understand, you interact with your partner and your neighbor, and all you do is clapping, dosidos, circles, balancing and sliding to the next. One other is *French Wedding* - dosidos, 2-hand turns, circles, dig for the oyster/dive for the clam to the next. If I only have an hour, I don't call a contra. But if I have 2 hours, well...I don't know about you, but I like just a little variety. On Sat, Mar 5, 2016 at 12:44 PM, Rich Sbardella via Callers < callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > I rarely call a contra at a One Night Party Dance, but occasionally I am > asked to. I have a few in my cards, but can anyone make some sure fire > recommendations. > > Assume 95%-100% non dancers. > > Thanks, Rich > Stafford, CT > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net > > -- *Looking forward,Linda S. Mrosko* *102 Mitchell Drive* *Temple, Texas 76501* *(903) 292-3713 (Cell)* *(903) 603-9955 (Skype)*

8 years, 1 month

[Callers] Does anyone have updated contact info for Colin Hume?

by Amy Cann via Callers

I have a phone message from him (about gigs in July) that says "My regular email isn't working, use kbg%mdhweue%$$%^ -- and the way his phone # displays doesn't work in the opposite direction. I've tried a bunch of combinations but they keep bouncing. If you've got a working cell number or a good email, cc this on or tell him to contact me at this address and give me the good stuff in writing? Thanks, Amy 802-22-7598

8 years, 1 month

Re: [Callers] Contras for One Nighters

by Martha Wild via Callers

At one nighters I start with non-contra dances and if there is time work up to Family Contra which is a good one for easy progression, and then to this one: Ellen’s Green Jig by Roy Dommett (doesn’t matter if it’s proper or improper) A1 Do-si-do neighbor Ones do-si-do A2 Ones balance (sometimes I have them do it twice) and swing (if they do it twice I have them 2 hand turn) and face down (and it doesn’t matter which side they end on, it can still work) B1 Circle left with twos, circle right back to where you started the circle (important point, once a foursome ended up facing across instead of up and down and did the B2 part across the set - and that does not work) B2 Keeping hands, Duck for the oyster figure (Ones duck under twos' arch, twos duck under ones' arch, ones pass through twos and face new neighbors This was the dance I went to when I called for about 200 girls at a Catholic girl’s school and wanted dances where gender roles wouldn’t matter. It really doesn’t matter if people end up on the other side of the set after they swing, they’ll just eventually do-si-do whoever they come to so it works. > On Mar 5, 2016, at 10:44 AM, Rich Sbardella via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > > I rarely call a contra at a One Night Party Dance, but occasionally I am asked to. I have a few in my cards, but can anyone make some sure fire recommendations. > > Assume 95%-100% non dancers. > > Thanks, Rich > Stafford, CT > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net

8 years, 1 month

Re: [Callers] Contras for One Nighters

by Kalia Kliban via Callers

On 3/5/2016 10:44 AM, Rich Sbardella via Callers wrote: > I rarely call a contra at a One Night Party Dance, but occasionally I am > asked to. I have a few in my cards, but can anyone make some sure fire > recommendations. > > Assume 95%-100% non dancers. Just getting to the duple minor progression can be quite a process. The simplest duple minor I've got is not technically a contra (it's an English ceilidh dance), but works well as a mine-sweeper to see whether more complex duples will work. It's called the Itchington Long Dance (Hugh Rippon, 1990). Star L/R; cnrs dosido; 1s down/bk/cast; 1s swing and look down for new Ns. If your crowd is up for it and you've got room, the B2 can be a general P swing, but I like to do it just for the 1s to make the progression clearer. Washington Quickstep (a contra chestnut) is good too, and if the 1s lose track of who needs to be on the right after the swing, nothing terrible happens. Star R/L, 1s dn/bk/cast; R&L thru over/bk; LLFB, 1s sw. Kalia

8 years, 1 month

Re: [Callers] Best gigs

by Alan Winston via Callers

I would like to associate myself with Rich's sentiments here: On 3/3/16 10:28 AM, Rich Sbardella via Callers wrote: > Although I have had many good nights as a square dance and/or contra > dance caller, My best gigs are often one night stands/party dances. > It is a thrill to see non dancers learn to move with the phtrase of > music and see those great smiles when they succeed. 40-100 people are > a good size for such a gig, and great music is always a plus. Success > is much more important than challenge. > > Most of these parties are for a "community" that is already > established, so the dancers are already among friends. I am simply > bringing them a new, and joyful, way to interact. > > No matter what kind of venue I call, a good way for me to judge a good > dance is to look at how many dancers stick around to the end. > > Rich Sbardella > Stafford, CT > The kind of gig that makes me feel like I'm bringing new good into the world is this kind of gig, which for me is usually more often people with some kind of historical interest (Civil War, Regency, academics at the Dickens Universe conference). Get people who think they can't dance to try it and enjoy it - I feel like that's fulfilling my mission. That's sometimes hard work - and in some ways easy, because you don't have to make up a new program for every gig - and it requires close engagement with the crowd and continual attention, but is' quite rewarding. On an entirely different front, I've had some pretty great nights leading English with great bands whose strengths I know when I make the program / pick the tunes and when I know what level the dancers will be at and push them just enough; there's a huge collective high and I've also gotten to deploy all my artistic judgment and make an evening that's just how I wanted it - I had the fun of planning a menu with an intention to delight and watching the meal get eaten. I've also really enjoyed leading contras for mixed crowds where the more experienced dancers were good at sweeping in the newcomers. Doing that kind of a night where the music's good and communication with the band is easy and my read of the floor is really working - it kind of feels like Mickey Mouse in "Sorceror's Apprentice" before he realizes he doesn't know how to stop the brooms from carrying water, during the early euphoria. But those things - dances for dance hobbyists - while I think valuable, are mostly helping people have a kind of fun they already know they want to have. They're fun to do and fun to plan, but I don't think they're as big a contribution to general happiness as the dances for non-dancers. -- Alan

8 years, 1 month

Re: [Callers] Fw: Contras for One Nighters

by Kalia Kliban via Callers

On 3/5/2016 1:02 PM, Tepfer, Seth via Callers wrote: > Hard to beat Sherry Nevin's fabulous > > Family Contra > > A1: Bal ring 2x (8); Circle Left (8) > > A2: Bal ring 2x (8); Circle Right (8) > > B1: Neighbor DSD (8); Partner DSD (8) > > B2: As couples, DSD 1.5 to progress (16) I enjoyed watching a group of extremely mixed ages doing this in Berea this winter. One of many great things about this dance is that an "individual dancer" can be a parent with a child or two attached, or a couple of kids dancing close together as a team, and it all still works really well. Kalia

8 years, 1 month

Re: [Callers] Contras for One Nighters

by Kalia Kliban via Callers

On 3/5/2016 1:01 PM, Rich Sbardella wrote: > Kalia, > You make a good point. My most successful contra for such applications > has been Haste to the Wedding in a proper line. > I have had trouble with the cast at Party Dances. Do you demonstrate > it? How do you describe it? A demonstration is the easiest, and I'll often demo it more than once to be really clear. Do it with the music, too, so folks get an idea of when everything happens and when they need to be done. > I like your suggestion of Washington Quickstep. I might try it with 1.s > DSD, then 2s DSD instead of R&L Thrus. Super smart. R&L through is a tough move for a ONS situation. Anything you can do to simplify it is a good idea. Kalia > On Sat, Mar 5, 2016 at 3:54 PM, Kalia Kliban via Callers > <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net <mailto:callers@lists.sharedweight.net>> > wrote: > > On 3/5/2016 10:44 AM, Rich Sbardella via Callers wrote: > > I rarely call a contra at a One Night Party Dance, but > occasionally I am > asked to. I have a few in my cards, but can anyone make some > sure fire > recommendations. > > Assume 95%-100% non dancers. > > > Just getting to the duple minor progression can be quite a process. > The simplest duple minor I've got is not technically a contra (it's > an English ceilidh dance), but works well as a mine-sweeper to see > whether more complex duples will work. It's called the Itchington > Long Dance (Hugh Rippon, 1990). Star L/R; cnrs dosido; 1s > down/bk/cast; 1s swing and look down for new Ns. If your crowd is > up for it and you've got room, the B2 can be a general P swing, but > I like to do it just for the 1s to make the progression clearer. > > Washington Quickstep (a contra chestnut) is good too, and if the 1s > lose track of who needs to be on the right after the swing, nothing > terrible happens. Star R/L, 1s dn/bk/cast; R&L thru over/bk; LLFB, > 1s sw. > > Kalia > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net <mailto:Callers@lists.sharedweight.net> > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net > >

8 years, 1 month

[Callers] Fw: Contras for One Nighters

by susanelberger via Callers

For me the absolute, guaranteed never to fail contra (as opposed to a longways dance such as Gallopede), is Jefferson and Liberty. I assume it's derived from a traditional dance of the same name created in Colonial times. Jefferson and Liberty (duple,no need to worry about who's on which side) A.1. Circle 4 left and right ("It doesn't matter if you get all the way to the left as long as you finish where you started.")A 2. Star right and left (Same instruction.)B. 1. Ones down the outside and back.B.2. Down the center, 4 in line, ones in the middle. Ones make an arch, twos duck under ("Twos take hands with your partner so you don't lose each other!") Everybody comes back up the set, everybody look to the nexy couple.. If they're able, you can suggest that the ones not turn around to come back up the set, but come backwards so they can get acquainted with their new neighboring couple. Susan ElbergerLowell, MA From: Rich Sbardella via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> To: trad-dance-callers(a)yahoogroups.com; Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net> Sent: Saturday, March 5, 2016 1:44 PM Subject: [Callers] Contras for One Nighters I rarely call a contra at a One Night Party Dance, but occasionally I am asked to. I have a few in my cards, but can anyone make some sure fire recommendations. Assume 95%-100% non dancers. Thanks, RichStafford, CT _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net

8 years, 1 month

Re: [Callers] Contras for One Nighters

by Erik Hoffman via Callers

Add the Clap and Rich's House Dance Special turns into the simple version of Haste to the Wedding (for which that tune works great: A1 Circle left, then right A2 Star right, then left B1 Partner DSD; Clap, Partner two hand turn once B2 Neighbor DSD; Clap, Neighbor two hand turn one-and-a-half Or, as below: B2 Neighbor DSD; Clap, Pass Neighbor, bow to next ~erik hoffman oakland, ca On 3/5/2016 11:00 AM, Jacob or Nancy Bloom via Callers wrote: > Hi Rich, > > On such occasions, I use what I think of as my House Dance Special, > which is just a Sicilian Circle straightened out. > > Duple, and don't say a word about who is supposed to be on which side > of the set > > Circle left, circle right > Right hand star, left hand star > Dosido partner, two hand turn > Dosido neighbor, pass through and bow to new neighbor > > > Jacob > > > On Sat, Mar 5, 2016 at 1:44 PM, Rich Sbardella via Callers > <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > <mailto:callers@lists.sharedweight.net>> wrote: > > I rarely call a contra at a One Night Party Dance, but > occasionally I am asked to. I have a few in my cards, but can > anyone make some sure fire recommendations. > > Assume 95%-100% non dancers. > > Thanks, Rich > Stafford, CT > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net <mailto:Callers@lists.sharedweight.net> > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net > > > > > -- > jandnbloom(a)gmail.com <mailto:jandnbloom@gmail.com> > http://jacobbloom.net/ > > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net

8 years, 1 month

Re: [Callers] Contras for One Nighters

by Jacob or Nancy Bloom via Callers

Hi Rich, On such occasions, I use what I think of as my House Dance Special, which is just a Sicilian Circle straightened out. Duple, and don't say a word about who is supposed to be on which side of the set Circle left, circle right Right hand star, left hand star Dosido partner, two hand turn Dosido neighbor, pass through and bow to new neighbor Jacob On Sat, Mar 5, 2016 at 1:44 PM, Rich Sbardella via Callers < callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > I rarely call a contra at a One Night Party Dance, but occasionally I am > asked to. I have a few in my cards, but can anyone make some sure fire > recommendations. > > Assume 95%-100% non dancers. > > Thanks, Rich > Stafford, CT > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net > > -- jandnbloom(a)gmail.com http://jacobbloom.net/

8 years, 1 month

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Import1 March 2016