What is the difference between a dance caller and a savings bond?
A savings bond eventually matures.and makes money! (said with a grin, of
course!)
On a more serious note, I would like to get my local dance series doing
more-well, actually some!-triple minors. Eventually I'd like to get them to
at least tolerate some of the traditional dances, but the learning curve of
triple minor +plus unfamiliar figures + no swing has always been just too
steep for them to manage. I've gone through Zesty Contras for more modern
triples but so far haven't found one that I think will work-so, what are
your favourite triple minors? What worked-and what didn't-in introducing
them to a crowd used to at least one swing in every dance, and everybody
moving most, if not all of the time?
Can include contra corners as they are pretty proficient-thanks to 3 years
of including it every time I call!
Thanks everyone,
Judy Greenhill
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For me, the obvious problem with the do-si-do analogy is that mad robins
can go in either direction, and if it's counterclockwise, it's the path of
a see-saw instead of a do-si-do (and I don't teach see-saw if I can help
it).
My experience is that the important parts are:
- It's a sideways sliding figure
- You're sliding around neighbor while looking at partner (or vice versa)
- You return to where you started
So this might sound like:
"Don't do it yet. We're about to do a sideways sliding figure called a mad
robin."
(Maybe, add something about returning to starting place if it seems like
it'll help this audience)
"You'll be looking at your partner the whole time but sliding sideways
around your neighbor."
"It starts with, ravens slide to the right in front as larks slide to the
left behind," (dancers are now moving)
"then larks slide to the right in front as ravens slide to the left
behind." (continue moving)
"And you're back where you started."
Also, some people - some beginners, but also some experienced dancers - are
not able to confidently move sideways while keeping their eyes on their
partner, or maybe it's too much staring for them, so they do the motion
without the eye contact. At my local dances I'd say this happens at least
1/3 of the time. Does this feel satisfying? No. Does it work fine? Yes.
I've learned to manage my expectations.
Yoyo Zhou
On Mon, Sep 24, 2018 at 9:57 AM Don Veino via Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> Your numbered list approach is just what I did that night (but Gents and
> Ladies). I do like your stressing point 2.
>
> -Don
>
> On Mon, Sep 24, 2018 at 12:49 PM, Maia McCormick <maiamcc(a)gmail.com>
> wrote:
> [snip]
>
>>
>> When teaching it from the mic, I've taken to doing it like this:
>> 1. "This is another of those fancy moves that gets you right back where
>> you started. *At the end of this move, you'll be right back here*."
>> 2. "So it's important to *stay on the side of your set*. Lots of people
>> feel like they should cross. Don't."
>> 3. "Lock eyes with your [partner]. You're going to walk a little circle
>> around your [neighbor], while looking at your partner.
>> 4. "[Ravens] take a small step forward, [larks] take a small step back."
>> 5. "Keep your eyes on your partner. Ravens, step to your left and larks
>> step to your right, sliding past your neighbor."
>> 6. "Now larks step forward and ravens step back; larks step right and
>> ravens step left, sliding past your neighbor again."
>> 7. "You're back where you started, hooray! Now let's try that up to
>> speed..." etc.
>>
>> On Mon, Sep 24, 2018 at 12:39 PM Don Veino via Callers <
>> callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>>
>>> As may be obvious, I love Mad Robins. I'm still working on what is the
>>> best way to teach them.
>>>
>>> [snip]
> _______________________________________________
> List Name: Callers mailing list
> List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
> Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
>
What's orange and sounds like a parrot?
A carrot!
On Mon, Sep 24, 2018 at 6:24 PM Polly Minstrel via Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> My latest fave: what does the family of cows have for dinner?
> Hay-for-four.
>
> *groan
>
> On Mon, Sep 24, 2018, 3:50 PM Isaac Banner via Callers <
> callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>
>> Hey everyone,
>>
>> Improbably, I've found that I've reached the bottom of my barrel of jokes
>> to tell while calling!
>> Part of it might be that I go through more than just 1 or 2 on some
>> nights....
>>
>> Regardless, I've found that I need to restock my box of dance-safe humor
>> a bit if I'm going to keep up my infamous taste for humor. What are some of
>> your favorite dance-safe jokes that are short enough to pepper in-between
>> dances or before a walkthrough?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Isaac Banner
>> _______________________________________________
>> 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/
>
My latest fave: what does the family of cows have for dinner? Hay-for-four.
*groan
On Mon, Sep 24, 2018, 3:50 PM Isaac Banner via Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> Hey everyone,
>
> Improbably, I've found that I've reached the bottom of my barrel of jokes
> to tell while calling!
> Part of it might be that I go through more than just 1 or 2 on some
> nights....
>
> Regardless, I've found that I need to restock my box of dance-safe humor a
> bit if I'm going to keep up my infamous taste for humor. What are some of
> your favorite dance-safe jokes that are short enough to pepper in-between
> dances or before a walkthrough?
>
> Thanks,
> Isaac Banner
> _______________________________________________
> List Name: Callers mailing list
> List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
> Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
>
Hi Judy,
I like Alamo Triad from Give-and-Take.
Hands Six from the top. #1s Improper, #2s and #3s Becket, now
hold hands in a circle of six - #1s keep your backs to the band.
It is Double Progression, so you don't spend so long out at
the end. It has a swing. The #2s and #3s keep switching sides, but do the
same movements so there is less confusion. They are all standard contra
moves.
You just need to really make sure that they understand that
only one of the two couples out at the top can become the next #1s!
It may help them to start understanding some of the concepts.
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
From: Callers <callers-bounces(a)lists.sharedweight.net> On Behalf Of Judy
Greenhill via Callers
Sent: 24 September 2018 22:35
To: callers discussion list <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net>
On a more serious note, I would like to get my local dance series doing
more-well, actually some!-triple minors. Eventually I'd like to get them to
at least tolerate some of the traditional dances, but the learning curve of
triple minor +plus unfamiliar figures + no swing has always been just too
steep for them to manage. I've gone through Zesty Contras for more modern
triples but so far haven't found one that I think will work-so, what are
your favourite triple minors? What worked-and what didn't-in introducing
them to a crowd used to at least one swing in every dance, and everybody
moving most, if not all of the time?
Can include contra corners as they are pretty proficient-thanks to 3 years
of including it every time I call!
Thanks everyone,
Judy Greenhill
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Hi All,
The main band that I worked with years ago loved to pull “tricks” on me. The fiddler used to refer to “ring around the caller” whenever I taught a dance from the middle of the circle.
John B. Freeman SFTPOCTJ.
Here's one that's good for a groan:
I was once in a band called The 999 Megabytes.
We were pretty good, but never got a gig.
On Sep 24, 2018 3:50 PM, "Isaac Banner via Callers" <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
Hey everyone,
Improbably, I've found that I've reached the bottom of my barrel of jokes
to tell while calling!
Part of it might be that I go through more than just 1 or 2 on some
nights....
Regardless, I've found that I need to restock my box of dance-safe humor a
bit if I'm going to keep up my infamous taste for humor. What are some of
your favorite dance-safe jokes that are short enough to pepper in-between
dances or before a walkthrough?
Thanks,
Isaac Banner
_______________________________________________
List Name: Callers mailing list
List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
This is a nice topic, one that I’ve toyed with for a long time, and I also have a set of cards to draw on, as I have terrible memory for jokes.
At Friday night’s dance, when sound person was having a problem prior to start of a dance, I found no jokes came to mind, so asked the dancers. One came up with this:
What do you call a cow that has just given birth?
… pause …
De-calf-inated (roars of laughter and groans)
chuck
_________________________
Charles (Chuck) Galt
Petaluma, CA
From: Isaac Banner via Callers
Sent: Monday, September 24, 2018 12:50 PM
To: Callers(a)Lists.Sharedweight.net
Subject: [Callers] A Call for Caller Jokes
Hey everyone,
Improbably, I've found that I've reached the bottom of my barrel of jokes to tell while calling!
Part of it might be that I go through more than just 1 or 2 on some nights....
Regardless, I've found that I need to restock my box of dance-safe humor a bit if I'm going to keep up my infamous taste for humor. What are some of your favorite dance-safe jokes that are short enough to pepper in-between dances or before a walkthrough?
Thanks,
Isaac Banner
Hey everyone,
Improbably, I've found that I've reached the bottom of my barrel of jokes
to tell while calling!
Part of it might be that I go through more than just 1 or 2 on some
nights....
Regardless, I've found that I need to restock my box of dance-safe humor a
bit if I'm going to keep up my infamous taste for humor. What are some of
your favorite dance-safe jokes that are short enough to pepper in-between
dances or before a walkthrough?
Thanks,
Isaac Banner
Here is the definition of Half Sashay from the square dance world. A Mad
robin is simply two half sashay. The direction may change, and it may be
"neighbor" instead of "partner", but the simplicity of definition may help.
(a) HALF SASHAY
Starting formation - couple.
Partners exchange places without changing facing directions.
Dancer on the right sidesteps to the left, while the other dancer on the
left steps back, sidesteps to the right, then steps forward to rejoin
partner.
Rich Sbardella
Stafford, CT
On Mon, Sep 24, 2018 at 1:33 PM Linda S. Mrosko via Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> That's why I use the term "sashay around" rather than "mad robin".
> Sashay means move sideways, and around is pretty obvious.
> tell them who to go around and who to focus their attention on and no one
> has too much trouble doing it correctly.
> Besides, "sashay around" or "sashay round" feels better to say than "mad
> robin" -- which sounds angry or confused, IMO.
>
> On Mon, Sep 24, 2018 at 11:39 AM Don Veino via Callers <
> callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>
>> As may be obvious, I love Mad Robins. I'm still working on what is the
>> best way to teach them.
>>
>> I know about the "Dosido/now face your Partner/on the same path as the
>> Dosido, do a Mad Robin" approach and have used it.
>>
>> I've heard other callers I admire admonish to not use the "wrong" move as
>> a teaching tool for the "right" move - as it's that much harder to
>> "unlearn" the original bit.
>>
>> What I've observed is that newer dancers may end up focused on the wrong
>> person, facing the wrong direction, and possibly doing the "Dosido Twirl"
>> when using the Dosido teach. But they *do* follow the correct path (so
>> long as the caller remembers to say SeeSaw vs. Dosido as the correct
>> analogue) on the floor. Some can make the facing adjustment and some
>> persist in facing the wrong way. If the dance tolerates the facing
>> differences, all is OK.
>>
>> As a practice, I actively solicit feedback on my calling at each gig. Out
>> of a recent one I got into an extended discussion about the Mad Robin teach
>> with a dancer whom had struggled with their beginner partner in a sequence
>> that evening. I had read that crowd as highly experienced so did only a
>> basic teaching of the move, which they reported having not got through to
>> this beginner. They freely offered that all was well around them, it was
>> just a frustration in their own experience. We touched on the merits and
>> drawbacks of the Dosido teach (which I chose not to use in that situation
>> as it appears to annoy experienced dancers, plus because of the above
>> points).
>>
>> I'm trying to evolve to something that teaches both the correct motion
>> and the facing direction at the same time - *without* taxing experienced
>> folks' patience. I have my own ideas on this but welcome others'.
>>
>> So, how do *you* teach a Mad Robin most effectively and efficiently? Do
>> you vary it by context, crowd composition, other factors?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Don
>> _______________________________________________
>> List Name: Callers mailing list
>> List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
>> Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
>>
>
>
> --
>
>
>
> *Looking forward,Linda S. Mrosko*
>
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>
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>
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