I like to have a program of dances selected and laid out for my gigs.
Of course I know that sometimes the prepared program has to be
departed from, or completely replaced, but I like to at least start from
the point of having a prepared program.
For a typical contra dance I will spend an hour or so selecting
dances and getting them in order. This may be a bit longer if I'm
trying any new dances that need to be written up. Then I always
practice all of the dances, even old familiar ones and especially any
new ones. I practice both the walk-through and calling to music. This
usually takes an hour or so as well. I usually do the preparation a day
or two before the day of the dance. Extra time, and more advanced
planning, may be needed if I'm coordinating with the band on any of the
dances.
The process is similar for English dances, but often takes more
time. It also needs to be done well in advance so that the band can be
informed of the dances.
Jonathan
-----
Jonathan Sivier
Caller of Contra, Square, English and Early American Dances
jsivier AT illinois DOT edu
Dance Page: http://www.sivier.me/dance_leader.html
-----
Q: How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?
A: It depends on what dance you call!
On 3/13/2018 12:58 PM, Rich Sbardella via Callers wrote:
> I am curious how much time you all plan programming a dance before
> arriving at a venue. If you do not preprogram, what is your approach
> for on the fly programming?
> Rich Sbardella
> Stafford, CT
I agree, but the problem is more serious than “it’s just too close to gypsy”. If we’re not going to use “gypsy” because it’s an ethnic slur, then we have to avoid obvious code words for the ethnic slur. There’s a long history of slightly altering socially unacceptable race and ethnic slurs, and pretending that this makes it all right. It doesn’t make it all right, period.
The fact that we really don’t have any ill intent is irrelevant; we didn’t have any ill intent when we were using the word gypsy either.
> On Mar 13, 2018, at 2:32 PM, Yoyo Zhou via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>
> On Tue, Mar 13, 2018 at 1:07 PM, Martha Wild via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net <mailto:callers@lists.sharedweight.net>> wrote:
> I don’t think right shoulder round is going to make the grade. It’s descriptive, certainly, but it is long and unwieldy and can’t be easily shortened to anything recognizable as you eliminate calls in the dance. So, I’m sorry, but I’m not going to be using it.
>
> Personally, I use "right shoulder turn" in teaching, and when prompting, I shorten it to "right shoulder". This is already shorter than "right allemande", which I don't think can get any shorter.
>
> Also personally, I would find it hard not to cringe when I hear "kipsie" (and, not being from New York, I would have never made the Poughkeepsie connection without the help of this list). I feel similarly about "jets" as a dance role replacement term. It's just a little too close and reminds you too much of what you're trying to avoid.
>
> How dancers respond to new terms is shaped by their attitudes, which can range from "I don't want this to change" to "I think this needed changing but the new thing is awkward" to "I like the new thing" to "I don't care either way" to "I'm new, what is this?" So different things may work for different crowds, though you'll hear a lot of feedback from a few vocal dancers, whereas most dancers I think are closest to feeling "I don't care either way". But the whole reason we're on this topic is that enough dancers want it to change.
>
> Yoyo Zhou
>
> _______________________________________________
> List Name: Callers mailing list
> List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
> Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
Hi, Rich,
I come to almost all of my gigs with a program prepared in advance. For
each dance slot, I have multiple choices of dance compositions that all
fulfill the same purpose (same key figure, same type of progression, same
type of orientation, etc.), from which I choose depending on what I think
the crowd will enjoy most. I usually leave two slots open for on-the-fly
choices of glossary dances that I can call without a walk-through.
When I come to an event without a program already prepared, it is usually
because I anticipate moments when my choices of dance compositions may be
influenced by an insufficient number dancers for a contra line.
Dugan Murphy
Portland, Maine
dugan at duganmurphy.comwww.DuganMurphy.comwww.PortlandIntownContraDance.comwww.NufSed.consulting
> From: Rich Sbardella <richsbardella(a)gmail.com>
> To: "Caller's discussion list" <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
> Subject: [Callers] Programming a Dance
>
> I am curious how much time you all plan programming a dance before arriving
> at a venue. If you do not preprogram, what is your approach for on the fly
> programming?
> Rich Sbardella
> Stafford, CT
>
Usually from 2-4 hours, I’d say. I plan in alternatives for harder dances, and I also provide suggestions to the band for what sorts of tunes are needed, smooth, bouncy, marchy, where the balances are. I always pre-program. Occasionally I have to change something on the fly, but not usually an entire dance.
Martha
> On Mar 13, 2018, at 10:58 AM, Rich Sbardella via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>
> I am curious how much time you all plan programming a dance before arriving at a venue. If you do not preprogram, what is your approach for on the fly programming?
> Rich Sbardella
> Stafford, CT
>
> _______________________________________________
> List Name: Callers mailing list
> List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
> Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
I am curious how much time you all plan programming a dance before arriving
at a venue. If you do not preprogram, what is your approach for on the fly
programming?
Rich Sbardella
Stafford, CT
You might also consider how to make a test as to whether there is UV in
your environment.
I did a little research and turns out there is a little trick you can
perform.
Highlighter markers rely on UV to make them glow.
So if you use one to write on a dark or preferably black piece of cardboard,
under non-UV you can't see anything, but under UV the lettering glows.
It would be nice to know how good a test this is under real conditions.
Maybe you want to put one in your deck of cards.
Bill
Anne Lutun via Callers wrote:
> When was the last time you got a tan at an *indoor* contradance?
>
> No, this is not a joke. I got sunburned while calling this past
> Saturday (March 3rd, in Pennsylvania).
>
> How is this possible? Probably a damaged metal halide bulb in the
> community center gym where the dance was held. Apparently this is a
> problem that occurs sporadically in gyms all over the country, as I
> found out after a google search:
>
> https://news.vanderbilt.edu/2004/05/19/damaged-metal-halide-lamps-can-cause…
> <https://news.vanderbilt.edu/2004/05/19/damaged-metal-halide-lamps-can-cause…>
>
> https://www.fda.gov/Radiation-EmittingProducts/RadiationSafety/AlertsandNot…
> <https://www.fda.gov/Radiation-EmittingProducts/RadiationSafety/AlertsandNot…>
>
> I'm very fair-skinned and burn easily, but I'm not the only one who
> was affected — the musicians got sunburns as well, and two of them
> have (mild) eye irritation symptoms. It's only when we compared notes
> yesterday that we realized what had happened.
>
> We will all be ok, and thankfully there haven't been any reports of
> dancers being affected — it was a large and lively crowd, and we kept
> them moving! Other than the burns, it was an absolutely wonderful dance.
>
> The problem had not occurred before at this monthly event because the
> bank of lights that we now think the culprit bulb is a part of is not
> usually on. It was needed that night because some of the other lights
> had burned out.
>
> I would like to commend the dance organizers for taking the problem
> very seriously. Once informed, they immediately contacted the
> community center management, who in turn promised to address the issue
> right away.
>
> I don't mean to alarm anyone, but next time you call in a gym, you may
> want to wear sunscreen!
>
> Anne Lutun
> Philadelphia, PA
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> List Name: Callers mailing list
> List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
> Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
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Hello
I am devising a workshop for a festival here in Australia, and have long been of the opinion that there are no "leaders" in contra dance couples. Moves should be executed with mutual consent, especially embellishments such as turning under out of a ladies' chain. Conventions such as waltz hold swings are really useful here. In Australia, other related dance forms use a variety of swing holds, which lead to confusion and interruption of flow. I plan to place some emphasis on conventions of holds, such as allemande and star holds.
I would value people's opinions on this, as it may ruffle some long-held conventions. Any words of wisdom from the gender free dance community would be especially welcome.
Also, I believe that if dancers are to enjoy embellishments, they must be by mutual consent. This is so difficult to establish in a microsecond. I would value any thoughts on how to advise reaching this consent in the context of a contra dance.
Looking forward to your thoughts
cheersJeanette
Jeanette Mill
Contra dance caller, musician, workshop facilitator
Canberra, Australia
Phone: +61 (0)449 686 077
Email: jeanette_mill(a)yahoo.com.au
Skype: jeanette.mill
"The piano - 88 little mistakes waiting to happen"Kate Barnes
Angela’s point about managing your weight is really important.
I hate the term “give weight”!
I really don’t want your weight, in swings or allemandes or anything else.
I am happy, though, to counterbalance your mass in order to stop centrifugal force pulling us apart. It is dancing, not wrestling!
Good connection is all you need.
Leaning backwards or sideways actually slows you down (check your physics) – all it does is tire your partner out as they try to stop you falling over.
Strength and lack of weight control can also mess up flourishes.
A strong lead is about clarity, not strength. I often demonstrate by getting someone to blow on my hand – as their breath hits my hand I spin – I don’t need their help to spin – I just need to know that they want me to spin. (Though, with two good dancers and good technique, a little help can generate multiple spins.)
Another good rule is: whenever your hand gets up to eye-level relax all your arm muscles – tension in moves like that slows the move down or even prevents it working.
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802 940 574
http://www.modernjive.com for Modern Jive Events & DVDs
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
I don’t see the advantage of using the terms lead & follow here, and I do see disadvantages. There are dance styles that have true leading and following (most ballroom, swing, etc.), and some new-to-contra people already know those true-leading/following dance styles, and will know that the leader is the man (or perhaps the left/lark/jet) and the follower is the woman (perhaps right/raven/ruby). This is not only at odds with the idea that either role can initiate a flourish (and the other can accept or decline it), but can also easily lead to an idea that throughout the entire dance there’s one leader and one follower per couple. (Not that that belief is limited to newbies, but at least where I dance it’s decreasing, and I don’t want to be encouraging it.)
Yes, teach initiating flourishes, from either side, and yes teach accepting and declining, from either side. Don’t call it leading and following—those words already mean something else.
Read Weaver
Jamaica Plain, MA
http://lcfd.org
> On Mar 11, 2018, at 12:39 PM, Maia McCormick via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>
> Hi Jeanette,
>
> Exciting workshop! I'm glad to see this discussed!
>
> So if I'm understanding you correctly, you seem to be contrasting the idea of a "leader" with the fact that moves must be "executed with mutual consent", which I find interesting. For me, those ideas are not at all at odds. I see the "leader" as the person who initiates, or offers, the embellishment, and the "follower" as then deciding to execute it or not. To put it another way: in my opinion, all embellishments are composed of an offer (the "lead") and either an acceptance or declination. In this framework, designating one person the "leader" is not at odds with consensual twirling--the "follower" has agency every step of the way!--and it can be helpful to establish "right of way" in twirling.*
>
> I teach a workshop on dance floor communication, and I am happy to talk more if you like! But my initial suggestion for a workshop activity/focus is: break down non-verbal communication of flourishes. What does an offer look/feel like? An acceptance? A declination? Have people practice physically declining flourishes: when the lead lifts an arm to offer a twirl, the follow gently tugs down, rather than following that upward twirly momentum. (Note that the twirlee can also do the offering -- e.g. I am a lady doing a chain, and I get to the gent and lift my arm up over my head to indicate that I want to twirl. But the gent still gets to accept or decline! Maybe they have a bad shoulder and can't lift their arm up that far, etc. So that's an idea to put in people's heads as well.)
>
> Many follows aren't aware that they're allowed to decline flourishes, and many leads have no idea what a declination feels like! So this is a GREAT thing to practice. Emphasize to folks that they can decline a twirl for any reason; and that if someone declines your twirl, not to take it personally. (Cuz boyyy I have seen some men get huffy when I don't want to twirl for them.) And then PRACTICE so people get really aware of what signals to physically "listen" for. (In my workshop I had the crowd do a dance** with lots of flourish opportunities for both roles, and encouraged participants to play with whether they offered flourishes or not, whether they accepted or declined, and to really listen for their partner's signals.)
>
> Hope some of that was helpful! Like I said, I have lots of ideas on this topic and am happy to talk further. Thanks for teaching this, and best of luck -- let us know how it goes!
>
> Cheers,
> Maia
>
> * As John mentioned, twirls etc. can be initiated by either role, and I've certainly danced those dances where both roles are twirling all over the place! They're delightful, but I also find them super confusing because I never know if I should be in "initiate" or "respond" mode -- I appreciate designating one person the "leader", i.e. the person who initiates flourishes (and then switching around the "leader" if need be).
>
> ** Apogee <http://chrispagecontra.awardspace.us/dances/#apogee> by Chris Page, though in retrospect I might have picked something easier... maybe PB&J <http://chrispagecontra.awardspace.us/dances/#apogee> by Bill Olson? If you don't have a crowd that's up for a gent's chain, though, most any dance with a lot of flourish opportunities (chains, balance and swing's, lines down the hall, etc.) will do.
Hello Jeanette!
So excited about this topic. I help run a genderfree dance in Boston, and
love what happens to a community with genderfree terminology*.
Firstly, I agree with everything Maia has already said, particularly their
point about finding it confusing if there isn't a clearly delegated
"leader" at a given moment. Even though contra doesn't need to be a
lead/followed dance in the conventional sense, it remains true that several
of the most common moves are asymmetric (like swings or chains), so some
leading and following is simply par for the course. Further, it's
unavoidable that many dancers will spice up their dancing with strictly
lead and followed flourishes.
My favorite way of indicating role is via palm direction; if you're in the
traditionally "gent" role, your palms face up; "ladies" palms face down.
This is preferable to me over visual signifiers like arm bands or neck
ties, because you can more easily switch roles with your partner mid-dance.
As a woman-type person who enjoys being in charge (it's like I'm a caller
or something), the opportunity to lead (or follow!) in contra dance is
important to me. I totally agree with Maia's thoughts on teaching consent,
and the mechanisms by which a "lead" or "followed" move occur. I would
further encourage you to teach *all *dancers to better hold their own
weight; I've found that most women who have traditionally danced in the
Lady's role take for granted the upper body strength of a traditional male
gent, such that if I'm leading, I find myself hurting from supporting their
weight during swings. It's worthwhile to call back to what John has already
said about physics, but with the important caveat that body
size/weight/height are the more important factor, not gender.
In short, I would encourage you to teach not only symmetric swing holds
like you mentioned, but also teach techniques by which lead/followed
dancing may be more comfortable and safe for everyone involved, regardless
of whether their gender identity correlates to their chosen dance role.
These methods include the accept/decline system Maia discussed, the issue
of shared weight, the use of palm direction to indicate role intention, and
the use of genderfree or inclusive language**.
Good luck!
Angela
*Our community was already relatively young, queer, and prone to role
switching. After officially switching to genderfree terminology, however
(we use Larks and Ravens), the number of long-time and novice dancers alike
trying new things or dancing in unfamiliar roles had increased drastically!
Not only do I firmly believe that this means our dancers are more skilled
(they're more equipped to understand and deal with confusion in the line,
on the whole), but I also believe that our community is stronger, since
partnering isn't limited.
**By "inclusive language," I mean saying things outright like, "We use the
terms Gents and Ladies to differentiate between dance roles, but those
traditional trends ate totally non-binding! Please feel free to dance in
either role at any time, and see which one you like better. Some days I
like dancing in both roles; other times I want to dance just in one role or
the other!" (Side bar: when I'm teaching a beginners' lesson, I make a
point to model this behavior; sometimes I'll deliberately ask a novice of
the same gender presentation as me to demo a swing; sometimes I'll
deliberately call upon a gender-queer community member to model the "which
role do you prefer?" conversation, and follow through by using their
pronouns as I describe what we're doing to the beginners, i.e., "They are
in the Raven's role, I am dancing as a Lark" etc).
On Sun, Mar 11, 2018, 12:40 PM Maia McCormick via Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> Hi Jeanette,
>
> Exciting workshop! I'm glad to see this discussed!
>
> So if I'm understanding you correctly, you seem to be contrasting the idea
> of a "leader" with the fact that moves must be "executed with mutual
> consent", which I find interesting. For me, those ideas are not at all at
> odds. I see the "leader" as the person who initiates, or *offers*, the
> embellishment, and the "follower" as then deciding to execute it or not. To
> put it another way: in my opinion, *all embellishments are composed of an
> offer (the "lead") and either an acceptance or declination*. In this
> framework, designating one person the "leader" is *not* at odds with
> consensual twirling--the "follower" has agency every step of the way!--and
> it can be helpful to establish "right of way" in twirling.*
>
> I teach a workshop on dance floor communication, and I am happy to talk
> more if you like! But my initial suggestion for a workshop activity/focus
> is: *break down non-verbal communication of flourishes*. What does an
> offer look/feel like? An acceptance? A declination? Have people practice
> physically declining flourishes: when the lead lifts an arm to offer a
> twirl, the follow gently tugs down, rather than following that upward
> twirly momentum. (Note that the twirlee can also do the offering -- e.g. I
> am a lady doing a chain, and I get to the gent and lift my arm up over my
> head to indicate that I want to twirl. But the gent still gets to accept or
> decline! Maybe they have a bad shoulder and can't lift their arm up that
> far, etc. So that's an idea to put in people's heads as well.)
>
> Many follows aren't aware that they're *allowed* to decline flourishes,
> and many leads have no idea what a declination feels like! So this is a
> GREAT thing to practice. Emphasize to folks that they can decline a twirl
> for any reason; and that if someone declines your twirl, not to take it
> personally. (Cuz boyyy I have seen some men get huffy when I don't want to
> twirl for them.) And then PRACTICE so people get really aware of what
> signals to physically "listen" for. (In my workshop I had the crowd do a
> dance** with lots of flourish opportunities for both roles, and encouraged
> participants to play with whether they offered flourishes or not, whether
> they accepted or declined, and to really listen for their partner's
> signals.)
>
> Hope some of that was helpful! Like I said, I have lots of ideas on this
> topic and am happy to talk further. Thanks for teaching this, and best of
> luck -- let us know how it goes!
>
> Cheers,
> Maia
>
> * As John mentioned, twirls etc. can be initiated by either role, and I've
> certainly danced those dances where both roles are twirling all over the
> place! They're delightful, but I also find them super confusing because I
> never know if I should be in "initiate" or "respond" mode -- I appreciate
> designating one person the "leader", i.e. the person who initiates
> flourishes (and then switching around the "leader" if need be).
>
> ** Apogee <http://chrispagecontra.awardspace.us/dances/#apogee> by Chris
> Page, though in retrospect I might have picked something easier... maybe
> PB&J <http://chrispagecontra.awardspace.us/dances/#apogee> by Bill Olson?
> If you don't have a crowd that's up for a gent's chain, though, most any
> dance with a lot of flourish opportunities (chains, balance and swing's,
> lines down the hall, etc.) will do.
>
> On Tue, Mar 6, 2018 at 12:21 AM, Jeanette Mill via Callers <
> callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>
>> Hello
>>
>> I am devising a workshop for a festival here in Australia, and have long
>> been of the opinion that there are no "leaders" in contra dance couples.
>> Moves should be executed with mutual consent, especially embellishments
>> such as turning under out of a ladies' chain. Conventions such as waltz
>> hold swings are really useful here. In Australia, other related dance forms
>> use a variety of swing holds, which lead to confusion and interruption of
>> flow. I plan to place some emphasis on conventions of holds, such as
>> allemande and star holds.
>>
>> I would value people's opinions on this, as it may ruffle some long-held
>> conventions. Any words of wisdom from the gender free dance community would
>> be especially welcome.
>>
>> Also, I believe that if dancers are to enjoy embellishments, they must be
>> by mutual consent. This is so difficult to establish in a microsecond. I
>> would value any thoughts on how to advise reaching this consent in the
>> context of a contra dance.
>>
>> Looking forward to your thoughts
>>
>> cheers
>> Jeanette
>>
>> Jeanette Mill
>>
>> Contra dance caller, musician, workshop facilitator
>>
>> Canberra, Australia
>>
>> Phone: +61 (0)449 686 077 <+61%20449%20686%20077>
>>
>> Email: jeanette_mill(a)yahoo.com.au
>>
>> Skype: jeanette.mill
>>
>>
>>
>> "The piano - 88 little mistakes waiting to happen" Kate Barnes
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> List Name: Callers mailing list
>> List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
>> Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
>>
>>
> _______________________________________________
> List Name: Callers mailing list
> List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
> Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
>
