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2524 discussions

by Jerome Grisanti

I attempted to send Tom Hinds a private query today and got a message that his mailbox is full. I don't have his phone number. Can someone in direct contact with Tom let him know I'm trying to reach him? (Alternatively, share his phone number directly to me -- i.e., off list). Thanks in advance! Jerome -- Jerome Grisanti 660-528-0858 http://www.jeromegrisanti.com "Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius and power and magic in it." --Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

6 years

[Callers] CDSS web chat on organizing dances that include young children and all ages

by Emily Addison

Hi fellow Shared Weight callers, CDSS has a free web chat coming up this Thursday! The topic is organizing dances that include young children and all ages ----> there are some FANTASTIC speakers lined up. I know some of you mostly call and don't organize but I also know there's a fair bit of overlap among callers/organizers so I thought it appropriate to share here. Pre-registration is required in order to receive the online access information. See some of you there! Emily Addison * * * * *Next CDSS Web Chat on 4/4* It’s not too late to sign up for the next CDSS web chat on *Thurs Apr 4* from 8:30-9:30 pm EDT! It’s for *organizers of dances that include young children and all ages. *Organizers of four thriving family and community dances in CA, NC, PA, and ME will share their stories and advice. To register, submit the *online RSVP form <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdcA0RodctE8qX-h-yCIKKDjXN16fwtS6Z…>* ASAP (by 4/2 if possible). This live chat also includes time for Q&A, so bring YOUR questions. Hope you can join us!

6 years

[Callers] Another maybe-extant dance

by Maia McCormick

Tossed this together last night to go with one of my techno DJ's tracks, because I wanted petronellas in the B, but NOT Tica Tica Timing/Old Time Elixir. Does this exist? *Hold You In My Arms*, improper A1: (new) larks alle. L 1 1/4 (ish) partner swing A2: long lines forward and back ravens chain (to N) B1: bal. the ring and spin R (2x) B2: neighbor balance and swing (look on slight L. diagonal for new larks)

6 years

Re: [Callers] Calling techno?

by Maia McCormick

Thanks for the advice, all! While it's fresh in my mind, wanted to report back and call out a few pieces of advice from this thread that were particularly helpful (or that I ignored to my own detriment). Just my observations--hope this is helpful to someone! *1. Demos are indeed hard* I agree with everyone who warned me away from demos at a techno -- it's dark and hard to see, and dancers just want to groove. "If you need a demo for it, the dance is probably too hard" was a great yardstick for my programming, thanks Chuck! *2. Keep calling* Jonathan nailed it -- if the phrasing is at all hard to follow, dancers will tend to swing too long. I definitely found myself calling more than I would in a non-techno contra (by the end of the dances, my calls were all one beat, but I was often still calling at least some moves). Knowing to look out for over-long swings in particular was super helpful, thanks! *3. Choose easy dances* I got cocky in the second half and programmed some stuff that was above the level of the crowd, and had to fall back to Hey in the Barn when a weird box circulate dance fell apart. The advice that many people gave is super sound -- it's harder to see and harder to focus, dancers probably just want to groove etc., and so easier dances are the way to go. I want to add one more thing I noticed, which is that *I as a caller couldn't get a read on the hall because it was so dark*. If I'd been better able to see how ropy the previous dance had been, or that a lot of the experienced people had left at the break, I would have been better able to adjust my program. So there's another point in favor of calling easier dances -- not so much that they dancers can't handle it, as a rule, but rather that you as a caller can't tell as easily whether the dancers can handle it. *4. If you can, listen to the tracks in advance!* I worked with Mark Moore (DJ Flourish) from Philly--he's great! Among other things, he sent me his tracks in advance, which meant that I could get extra precise with the dance/track pairing--super helpful because it's much harder to request specific track features to go with a dance when working with a DJ than with a band. Also, I knew how many potatoes to expect for each track, if they were at all fake-out-y, etc. On Thu, Mar 28, 2019 at 5:17 PM Maia McCormick <maiamcc(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Ah, more specific questions! > > - have you found on-the-floor demos doable at techno, or should I not even > try? > - techno no-walk-through's: do they work? > > On Thu, Mar 28, 2019 at 5:13 PM Maia McCormick <maiamcc(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >> Hey folks, >> >> I haven't called all that many techno contras, and I'm slated to do so >> this weekend. Any tips or things to keep in mind about how techno differs >> from your standard contra evening? (Particularly curious about anything >> relating to dance choice and dance length.) >> >> Cheers, >> Maia >> >

6 years

[Callers] Samson earset for sale

by Bob Peterson

I have a brand new Samson SE10 (earset microphone) which comes with several connectors to work with different beltpack transmitters. I move around way too much when calling and the original broke. Samson sent me a replacement under warranty so this is completely new: it still has the plastic baggies on all the items in the brand new box. Contact me for pictures or questions. I’m hoping to get $60 for this. \Bob Peterson Billerica, MA, USA

6 years

Re: [Callers] Calling techno?

by Donna Hunt

Maia:Don't believe that. I called with a DJ who didn't know how long their tracks were and couldn't tell me how they started and often went down on the floor to dance once the music started. One track ended in the middle of the A2. And there was no clear "start" to any of the phrasing in most of the tracks. Not a fun evening for me. Donna Web Site: donnahuntcaller.com Email: dhuntdancer(a)aol.com Cell: 215-565-6050 -----Original Message----- From: Maia McCormick via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> To: jim saxe <jim.saxe(a)gmail.com> Cc: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net> Sent: Fri, Mar 29, 2019 1:06 pm Subject: Re: [Callers] Calling techno? I don't think you would ever play a random non-vetted techno track for contra, though. The DJs who get booked for these events are specifically techno contra DJs. On Fri, Mar 29, 2019 at 11:59 AM jim saxe via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: On Mar 28, 2019, at 2:39 PM, Bob via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > ... > Live or mixed recordings? If live then it should be perfectly square AABB. If mixed, the only thing you can count on is 8-beat phrases. ... Can you even count on 8-beat phrases if someone, such as a caller or a knowledgeable DJ, hasn't vetted the tracks? I know practically nothing about techno music, but recordings in other genres that aren't made for phrased dancing will not necessarily follow strict 8-beat phrasing. For instance ... It's pretty common for a folk singers accompanying themselves to play a few bars of guitar strums--and not always the same number--while trying to remember the first line of the next verse. While I haven't gone looking for examples, I'd be surprised if such variable inter-verse vamping didn't sometimes appear even on studio recordings. In some fiddle traditions, such as southern and Quebecois, besides straight tunes and wildly crooked tunes, there are also tunes that are mostly straight but have an occasional odd phrase. Even medleys of straight tunes can sometimes have some extra beats at the transitions between tunes, as heard around 0:59 in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLUyg173n_M Yo-Yo Ma - Fiddle Medley ft. Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer, Chris Thile Line dances are mostly choreographed to music that's in multiples of 8 beats, but exceptions are hardly unusual. Also, in order to fit recordings that were made for listening and not specifically for dance routines, line-dance step sheets may prescribe various irregularities in the routines. Here are just a few of the examples a little searching turned up: https://www.learn2dance4fun.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Boot-Scootin-Boo… Boot Scootin’ Boogie 38 count, 4 wall, beginner line dance https://www.copperknob.co.uk/stepsheets/every-little-honky-tonk-ID132260.as… Every Little Honky Tonk 32-count, 4 wall line dance with 12-count tag after wall 2 http://tinalinedancers.com/data/documents/Came-Here-To-Forget.pdf Came Here To Forget Description: Line Dance - 2 Wall (24ct.) - Intermediate 1 Restart, 2 Tags Sequence: 24, 24, Tag 1, 14cts- Restart, 24, 24, Tag 2 (6cts.), 24, 24... For some other examples of music that's largely, *but not entirely*, in chunks of 8 beats (or eight bars of triple meter), try listening to any of these while tapping your foot or fingers and counting along: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fg0kfd7kow4 Paul McCartney - When I'm 64 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33o32C0ogVM Julie Andrews - My Favorite Things https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbyAZQ45uww Nancy Sinatra - These Boots Are Made for Walkin' So here's my question, for those of you who are more familiar with techno music than I am: If you play a random track not already "vetted" for phrasing, if you find a place where there's sufficiently discernible phrasing to establish a starting point for your "mental metronome of 8 counts" (to quote Donna Hunt), if you use that mental metronome to carry you through a part where phrasing is less evident, and if you then get to another part with findable phrasing, how reliably (or not) can you expect that the phrases will still line up with your mental eight-counts? --Jim _______________________________________________ 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/

6 years

Re: [Callers] Calling techno?

by Bob

Choose easy dances. The music is usually hard enough, and fun enough. Easy can allow for extra flourishes to add even more spice. Live or mixed recordings? If live then it should be perfectly square AABB. If mixed, the only thing you can count on is 8-beat phrases. Also if mixed you need to listen in advance to know how long the intro is for the first phrase, and keep focus on which phrase you’re in somehow. The specific questions about demos and walk through, yes, sure, depends on the crowd. \Bob Techno DJ/caller > On Mar 28, 2019, at 17:17, Maia McCormick via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > > Ah, more specific questions! > > - have you found on-the-floor demos doable at techno, or should I not even try? > - techno no-walk-through's: do they work? > >> On Thu, Mar 28, 2019 at 5:13 PM Maia McCormick <maiamcc(a)gmail.com> wrote: >> Hey folks, >> >> I haven't called all that many techno contras, and I'm slated to do so this weekend. Any tips or things to keep in mind about how techno differs from your standard contra evening? (Particularly curious about anything relating to dance choice and dance length.) >> >> Cheers, >> Maia > _______________________________________________ > List Name: Callers mailing list > List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/

6 years

Re: [Callers] Leading a 1 hr contra dance

by Mac Mckeever

Here is a contra I have had success with new dancers - but only if they are doing really well on the other stuff - otherwise I avoid contras. A1 - Cir L - dosido neighborA2 ladies dosido, gents dosidoB1 Long Liine for & back - 1s swing in centerB2 Down hall line of 4 - don't let go - back up - centers (1s) arch - shoot 2s thru to new neighbors They really need to understand 1s & 2s and when t change and how to wait out at the ends With new dancers I only let them go down the hall 4 counts, back up 4 counts - then they have 8 counts to get the progression and get a new circle formed. Not how I would call it with experienced dancers. Mac McKeever On Friday, March 29, 2019, 12:53:24 PM CDT, Bree Kalb via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: Do Si Three by Linda Leslie is another excellent dance for newbies. It has progression and swings (I encourage elbow swings) and it doesn't matter a bit where one ends up. It's always been a great success when I've called it. On Fri, Mar 29, 2019 at 11:02 AM Rich Sbardella via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: Casey, In a one hour gig with lots of newbies, I would suggest not using any progressive contras. There are too many fun dances that usr similar basics without the complication of progression. I have been hired to call such contra dances, but found the most success calling dances likes "Rakes of Mallow", La Bastringue, Rural Felicity, Heel & Toe Polka, etc. Few people in the crowd understand what a "modern" contra dance is, they just want to move to the music. Goodluck,Rich SbardellaStafford, CT On Fri, Mar 29, 2019 at 10:05 AM Casey Carr via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: I would also start with a circle - teach giving weight, hand holds, 8 counts. Might teach La Bastringue (keeping partners and 2 hand turn instead of swing). I would definitely not teach swings in an hour - no ladies chains. Just circles, stars, allemandes, dos si dos. Depending on the crowd could start with Gallopede or Virginia Reel, then Family Contra would be perfect and end with another simple contra. Casey Carr On 3/29/2019 8:52 AM, Liz Burkhart via Callers wrote: I have a gig coming up at a library wherein I have one hour to teach and call contra dances. It's a mixed crowd, and I heard there may be a lot of tweens present. I think I'd like to focus on bigger picture things - moving up and down the line, swinging, interacting with their set. I imagine I may even cut out courtesy turns in order to minimize the time we spend on the lesson. I've taught for small, mostly inexperienced crowds before but I usually have a lot more time. I'd really rather get them moving than to get bogged down in teaching. Does anyone have insight, suggestions, or advice? Thanks, Liz Burkhart _______________________________________________ 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/

6 years

Re: [Callers] Leading a 1 hr contra dance

by Bree Kalb

Do Si Three by Linda Leslie is another excellent dance for newbies. It has progression and swings (I encourage elbow swings) and it doesn't matter a bit where one ends up. It's always been a great success when I've called it. On Fri, Mar 29, 2019 at 11:02 AM Rich Sbardella via Callers < callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > Casey, > > In a one hour gig with lots of newbies, I would suggest not using any > progressive contras. There are too many fun dances that usr similar basics > without the complication of progression. > > I have been hired to call such contra dances, but found the most success > calling dances likes "Rakes of Mallow", La Bastringue, Rural Felicity, Heel > & Toe Polka, etc. Few people in the crowd understand what a "modern" > contra dance is, they just want to move to the music. > > Goodluck, > Rich Sbardella > Stafford, CT > > On Fri, Mar 29, 2019 at 10:05 AM Casey Carr via Callers < > callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > >> I would also start with a circle - teach giving weight, hand holds, 8 >> counts. Might teach La Bastringue (keeping partners and 2 hand turn >> instead of swing). I would definitely not teach swings in an hour - no >> ladies chains. Just circles, stars, allemandes, dos si dos. >> >> Depending on the crowd could start with Gallopede or Virginia Reel, then >> Family Contra would be perfect and end with another simple contra. >> >> Casey Carr >> >> On 3/29/2019 8:52 AM, Liz Burkhart via Callers wrote: >> >> I have a gig coming up at a library wherein I have one hour to teach and >> call contra dances. It's a mixed crowd, and I heard there may be a lot of >> tweens present. I think I'd like to focus on bigger picture things - moving >> up and down the line, swinging, interacting with their set. I imagine I may >> even cut out courtesy turns in order to minimize the time we spend on the >> lesson. I've taught for small, mostly inexperienced crowds before but I >> usually have a lot more time. I'd really rather get them moving than to get >> bogged down in teaching. Does anyone have insight, suggestions, or advice? >> >> Thanks, >> >> Liz Burkhart >> >> _______________________________________________ >> 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/ >

6 years

Re: [Callers] Leading a 1 hr contra dance

by Casey Carr

I would also start with a circle - teach giving weight, hand holds, 8 counts. Might teach La Bastringue (keeping partners and 2 hand turn instead of swing). I would definitely not teach swings in an hour - no ladies chains. Just circles, stars, allemandes, dos si dos. Depending on the crowd could start with Gallopede or Virginia Reel, then Family Contra would be perfect and end with another simple contra. Casey Carr On 3/29/2019 8:52 AM, Liz Burkhart via Callers wrote: > I have a gig coming up at a library wherein I have one hour to teach > and call contra dances. It's a mixed crowd, and I heard there may be a > lot of tweens present. I think I'd like to focus on bigger picture > things - moving up and down the line, swinging, interacting with their > set. I imagine I may even cut out courtesy turns in order to minimize > the time we spend on the lesson. I've taught for small, mostly > inexperienced crowds before but I usually have a lot more time. I'd > really rather get them moving than to get bogged down in teaching. > Does anyone have insight, suggestions, or advice? > > Thanks, > > Liz Burkhart > > _______________________________________________ > List Name: Callers mailing list > List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/

6 years

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