Ah, long ago I suggested "bine" (from binary star) for the same reason. It didn't catch on.
Richard
> On Mar 14, 2018, at 10:51 PM, Darwin Gregory via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>
> I just heard a scientific term that I think would be a great, and concise, name to replace the g-word...
>
> There is a term for when celestial bodies orbit, and always have the same side facing the other. It is "tidal lock". It could be described in fun ways, and the word "lock" would be a built in reminder to lock eyes, which to me is a fun part of the movement.
>
> I must be honest, the term when both bodies stay facing each other it is technically a dual tidal lock, but surely scientists would forgive this inaccuracy to allow concise calls. :-)
>>
> List Name: Callers mailing list
> List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
> Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
Thanks, Jack.
I think we, as callers, ought to acknowledge there are 2 camps of dancers,
believing either:
1. Gents/Larks role is implicitly "led", and ladies/Ravens role is
implicitly "follow" (along with all of the good comments about consent,
such as Maia's)
2. Contra is implicitly not lead/follow, and any initiating can be done
from either role.
Either way to dance can be valid. Because both are valid, then we cannot
assume either is default. Thus, technically both viewpoints are wrong.
Contra is not *implicitly* one or the other. And in fact, I dance both
styles, depending on partner. Sometimes, I feel like one style and the very
next dance I might feel like the other. Options!
Neither viewpoint is universal, nor is either rare. Thus, if we don't
acknowledge that these both exist, we are doing a huge disservice by
denying dancers to dance the way they want to dance.
Thus, as callers, the view we should treat lead/follow are *style* choices.
And while some areas may have dominant styles, it's not right to stifle
either. Thus I have several practical recommendations:
1. Refer to it as style choice.
2. Get to know what your dance partners' preference is. Don't presume one
or the other.
3. Lead/Follow are not appropriate role terms, because they dismiss people
whose style is not that.
4. Teach leading tips for both roles. Like, you have a long lines, and then
a mad robin or gents/larks allemande left? The ladies/Ravens are leading
the move by easing the gents/Larks into those moves.
In dance,
Ron Blechner
On Mon, Mar 12, 2018, 10:09 AM Jack Mitchell via Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
> My friend Ron Blechner wrote a wonderful piece
> <http://contradances.tumblr.com/post/132380206885/lead-and-follow-as-styles-…> a
> few years ago about "lead" and "follow" as being how one can dance
> whichever role in contra you are dancing. I commend it to your attention.
> It's tangentially related, but that's not really what you were asking
> about.
>
> A few thoughts on that:
>
> Any lead *offered *from one dancer to another should be just that -- an
> offer -- and not a command. It shouldn't be so forceful that it can't be
> refused. Additionally, the person leading the flourish should be ready for
> the person to refuse (or not to respond) and be ready to continue with
> whatever courtesy turn or completion of a swing would have normally been
> expected.
>
> I believe that the response to any lead can be one of three (or possibly
> more) response: "Yes!", "No!" and "What was that??!" and that if you get
> either of the latter two responses those should be taken as a "no" and the
> one leading that move should continue on with whatever the default version
> of that move might be.
>
> So, how do you ask that "question"?
>
> - You can just ask verbally. A long time dancer in our local
> community will, when he encounters me in the line dancing the lady's /
> right side role, ask me "Twirling today?" And we've been dancing in the
> same community for approaching 20 years now. I have had others ask as we
> start swinging if I am ok being dipped. (The answer is almost always yes,
> but occasionally it's not, and it only takes a second.)
> - A lot of swing exits / flourishes, can be "pre-led". There is some
> part of the lead that you can start just a couple of counts before you
> would actually do it. This can be a way of asking that question. It also
> allows your partner to be ready to change which direction they're going,
> and generally to use much less force in the lead. A few examples....
> Starting to bring the joined hands in a swing up just a bit a few counts
> before the twirl would happen, or bringing the "gent's" left hand to the
> "lady's" shoulder, and then using very light pressure on the back of the
> "lady's" left shoulder and the front of her right to cue the twirl out of
> the swing.
> - We will frequently say in the newcomers lesson that a sign of an
> offered twirl is for the twirling person's partner to lift their joined
> hands (either the "pointy end" hands in a swing or the left hand in a
> courtesy turn, and that if one is not desiring a twirl at that particular
> moment, that one should pull that hand back down. To that I would just add
> that as the person leading the twirl raises the appropriate hand, no
> reaction / limp arm probably is best to take as a "No" or at least as a
> "What was that??" and move along. If it's your partner, you can always
> talk about the various flourishes and try again.
>
> So I suppose what it mostly comes down to is:
>
> 1. Many leads should be able to be able to be refused / ignored
> 2. If you're dancing with someone you don't know, and you want to lead
> something that is difficult to do in a refusable way (dips come to mind),
> ask.
>
>
> - Even if you encounter someone you do know if you don't have time to
> ask (and haven't made previous arrangement), try to make sure your leads
> are refusable. [I'm thinking particularly of the various ways that the
> same role dancer can twirl a neighbor as they pass in a hey, and the time
> on the friday of a dance weekend when someone forced a twirl in a hay on my
> wife when she had already planted her foot and wasn't ready to be
> twirled....messed up her knee for the rest of the weekend and that was the
> last dance she did.]
>
>
> I can give you other examples if you'd like, but this is already getting a
> bit rambling. Hope that some of it is useful! Let us know how the
> workshop goes!
>
> Jack
>
>
> On Tue, Mar 6, 2018 at 12:22 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/
>>
> --
> Jack Mitchell
> Durham, NC
> _______________________________________________
> List Name: Callers mailing list
> List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
> Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
>
This morning I received an update to this list that was entirely
unintelligible. Not because it was long, or that it had several replies on
a topic (substitute terms for gypsy) but because the submissions were made
without removing all that had gone before.
It was one long mass of words which I had no desire to parse.
This is a shortcoming of the mailing list software, to be sure, but please,
when you reply on a topic, take the time to remove all but the most
necessary of previous words that will form part (the annoying bulk?) of
your message.
I really appreciate being able to hear many voices on this list but when it
is gibberish, I am simply frustrated.
Thanks for reading.
Ken Panton
Hi fellow shared weight callesr
I just put this message out on the organizers list-serve but I know some of
us callers are also organizers so I wanted to share here with you. Plus
you know lots of organizers! (I'll also share with the musician group.)
============================================
Some of you may have heard about this but I wanted to share some exciting
organizer information from CDSS.
*Please share it with other organizers in your area! *This information is
for ANY traditional dance, music or song organizers (e.g., contra dance;
old time jam sessions; scandinavian dance; trad song circles; etc).
*SURVEY of TRADITIONAL DANCE, MUSIC and SONG ORGANIZERS in the US:*
CDSS wants to hear from you in order to inform their work in supporting
local organizers throughout the US! What you are organizing? What
challenges do you face? What support/connections would help you in the work
you do?
CDSS recently conducted a study of Canadian organizers (article here
<https://www.cdss.org/images/newsletter_archives/columns/CDSS_News_Spring_20…>)
and has taken the findings to further improve their support of local
organizers.
The US survey available until April 13th:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DCSRMZG
Note that multiple individuals from the same organization can fill out the
survey.
Please share widely with organizers in many traditions!
*NEW CDSS E-MAIL BLASTS for ORGANIZERS*
CDSS has just launched a new organizer email newsletter to support local
organizers of traditional dance music and song. The e-news will be emailed
out four times a year. Expect notifications about new resources, upcoming
training opportunities, inspiring success stories and more.
To join the email list, click here:
https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001l2jBILRzRVh_qG9X8…
Again - please spread widely!
Emily Addison
CDSS Canadian Initiative+
I might be a bit different than most of the replies to your question.
For a regular contra dance, I usually set up a program on that day or
one day prior. Sometimes in the car enroute to the dance (if someone
else is driving). I may be thinking of dances that I'd like to call
during the previous week or two, but I actually put things on paper (or
lay out cards) within 48 hours of the actual event, usually within 12
hours . Frankly, I don't want to get my head into an ownership mindset
that would result if I invest so much in the program. My approach leaves
much to flexibility and nimbleness. Of course, for some slots I'll have
2 or 3 dances listed on the paper -- depends on the dancers/music/heat
in the room/etc -- and then make those choices on-the-fly while calling
the previous one or two dances. Always watching the dancers and
listening to the music.
Of course, everything can change in an evening, depending on so many
things. Dances, dance sequence, tempos, musical requests to the band,
musician preferences of the musicians and their skills for
communication, etc. I also have a couple of back-pocket dances for
just-in-case situations. I also have a couple of dances that I could
call as No-Walk-Throughs, depending on the timing of the program and
many other on-the-spot judgements. In the end, I think it's all about
the dancers -- I want them and the musicians to have a very fun time.
Sometimes I like to have a small table at the back/side of the stage
where I can lay out a few other cards that are not in my program. These
I can see quickly and possibly use them if necessary. Again, the
judgements are made on the fly.
Community dances (like barn dances, Grange dances, square dances, etc.)
are different. I rarely do any preparation. I bring my cards, talk to
the organizers, watch the crowd, listen to the music, and choose dances
on the fly. Again, always watching the crowd.
And hot-house gigs like NEFFA, Northwest Folklife, the Portland
Roadhouse, etc. are again different. Those are highly-organized programs
well in advance, but they are also short (slots of 50-90 minutes). I'll
think of dances weeks in advance, work up a program two weeks in
advance, send it to the band, and then coordinate with them intensively.
These gigs are kind of like Las Vegas Shows, and IMO they require
careful preparation. Only rarely do they include on-the-fly changes.
Woody
------------------------------------------------------------------------
On 3/13/2018 10:58 AM, 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
Interesting discussion on the Portland Country Dance Community Facebook page. Lots of great suggestions. A lot of people really don’t like “right shoulder round” (I’m one of them). I tried one of their suggestions last night - Kipsey - and it worked amazingly well. Easy to say, particularly when you are cutting down the calling to one word (what do you do with right shoulder round? shoulder? Ick.) And everyone can hear the similarity and knows what to do. I had tried spiral for a while and people just seemed confused. The other suggestion that I noticed today was from Susan Michaels - “look-see” That has the virtue of a similar rhyming two syllable call, and it’s upbeat and fun and has emphasis on facing the other person. Check out the discussion. https://www.facebook.com/groups/62950211264/permalink/10155943260651265/ <https://www.facebook.com/groups/62950211264/permalink/10155943260651265/>
My approach varies considerably depending on what kind of dance it is, and it also depends on my attitude about it and the musicians attitude about it. I work with a lot of different musicians in my different dance worlds (English, contra, Civil War, Regency, Early American, Victorian, occasional barn dances and family dances).
In contra land, some bands want the program a few days ahead so they can match tunes or even rehearse the specific tunes they’ve chosen. So for those bands, I program ahead, and that’s much easier if it’s in a venue I’m used to and know what to expect. If I don’t know pretty well how it’s going to go and the band wants a program, I either spend 2-4 hours making up a coherent program with alternates, etc, or give them a program that’s already worked for me in another venue with different dancers. If the band doesn’t want it in advance, I’m very likely to pick on the fly based on my reading of the room. I use a little code to make a very abbreviated representation of the dance and put that in an index and eyeball that to make sure I’m not picking something with the same transitions as the last thing and only introduces as many new figures as I want to introduce for this crowd at this moment. I may be a victim of Dunning-Kruger but I think I’m pretty good at prompting on time without doing extensive rehearsal.
For Regency balls - well, we usually have a specific historic or literary theme, and I may spend a few hours cruising through historic dance manuals looking for dances that seem to fit the theme, trying out those dances at our regular dance parties, getting the bandleader’s opinion on those tunes (in this period, many of them kinda suck) before locking down a program, so a ball program could be 16 hours of prep. On the other hand, for the second-Friday Regency dance parties, where attendance is unpredictable, I just pick on the fly; my band is willing to sight read.
For English Country Dancing it’s usually on me to organize a program that suits the particular band’s talents - don’t ask most bands for “Vivaldi in Paradise!” - provides significant variety in mood, meter, tempo, key. - as well as having an agreeable progression of figures and climax in difficulty around half way through, that will give a newcomer a chance to succeed and not to bore experienced dancers, and that also doesn’t repeat too many of the dances done recently at that venue. So that’s usually about a two-hour effort. Sometimes I can pull out an old program and change a few dances on it, which is less painful.
For family dances, I need to know whether the band knows “Sasha!” But otherwise I’m calling from the floor, reading the room, and picking stuff on the fly. For Civil War dances, if I’m working from my iPad it’s the same thing and I pick tunes. If I’m working with a brass band, which I’ve done several times, I get their repertoire first, set dances to the things they have arranged and can play (that took three or four hours the first time) and then pull stuff out in the moment. (My Civil War gigs are all for reenactors after hours and rather informal. If they were taking place in East Coast ballrooms with Spare Parts playing, I would certainly study their repertoire and organize a program to take advantage of it, and I’d expect that to be about four hours of effort.)
Sent from my iPad
> 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 appreciate the point that several have made that a term that sounds
just like gypsy isn't a reasonable substitute. Fair enough. The search
continues...
Kalia in Sebastopol
Or simply not do it as it's been covered many times before? Please, let's
not travel down this hole again.
Michael, search is your friend, for example
https://www.google.com/search?q=contra+dance+gypsy+slur gets you a couple
of top results. Other terms may yield more info.
On Wed, Mar 14, 2018 at 4:51 PM, Chris Page via Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ---------
> From: Chris Page <chriscpage(a)gmail.com>
> Date: Wed, Mar 14, 2018 at 1:51 PM
> Subject: Re: [Callers] More substitute terms for the g-word
> To: Michael Barraclough <michael(a)michaelbarraclough.com>
>
>
> And could we please do this under a separate thread so it doesn’t drown
> out the original question?
>
> -Chris Page
> San Diego
>
>
> On Wed, Mar 14, 2018 at 1:44 PM Michael Barraclough via Callers <
> callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>
>> Could someone please explain to me why the word gyp*** is considered a
>> racial slur. I note that the body that represents gyp***s in the USA calls
>> itself the Gypsy Council USA and in the UK it is the Gypsy Council. This is
>> the term they have chosen to represent their ethnicity and they seem to be
>> proud of it. Who are we to disagree?
>>
>> Michael Barraclough
>> http://michaelbarraclough.com
>>
>>
>> On 03/14/2018 01:33 PM, Rich Sbardella via Callers wrote:
>>
>> I think having a word that sounds similar is an asset, not a liability.
>> I have used look-see quite successfully. In years, few will know that a
>> "look-see" used to be called as a G... I have also used Walk 'round with
>> no problem.
>>
>> My initial attempt was Hipsy, but Linda Leslie quickly, and prudently
>> discouraged such usage.
>>
>> Rich
>>
>> On Wed, Mar 14, 2018 at 4:25 PM, Martha Wild via Callers <
>> callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>>
>>> I don’t see that if you substitute a term that ends with a long e it
>>> should be nixed just for that reason. OK, maybe kipsy might be considered
>>> just a euphemism. But "Look-see", as described by Susan Michaels, has the
>>> virtue of involving the fact that you are looking at the other person, and
>>> seeing them. Why shouldn’t we choose a term that’s easier to substitute and
>>> remember to use like “Look-see” instead of the bland, cold, bulky,
>>> impossible to shorten, “right shoulder round” (or left shoulder round).
>>> Martha
>>>
>>> > On Mar 14, 2018, at 1:11 PM, Kalia Kliban via Callers <
>>> callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>>> >
>>> > I appreciate the point that several have made that a term that sounds
>>> just like gypsy isn't a reasonable substitute. Fair enough. The search
>>> continues...
>>> >
>>> > Kalia in Sebastopol
>>> > _______________________________________________
>>> > 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/
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> 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/
>>
>
> _______________________________________________
> List Name: Callers mailing list
> List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
> Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
>
>
