14 Mar
2018
14 Mar
'18
11:32 p.m.
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
15 Mar
15 Mar
12:23 a.m.
New subject: [Callers] Programming a Dance
I almost always program a regular dance the day of. This has gotten a lot
easier since I now keep a digital record of every program I call -- I can
look through and find a program I called for a similar dance, pull out
those cards, and modify and make changes as necessary. I try to also make
notes on programs, like "Second half was great; first half was good except
I had three Gents Allemande Lefts in a row," etc. The ability to recycle
and modify old programs has been a life-saver!
This story isn't practical advice so much as it is A Weird Thing That
Worked for Me Once: Recently I was programming in a hurry for a six hour
advanced dance event. I went through my box and just haphazardly pulled out
everything I was excited to call, then counted to see if I had enough
dances. Once my numbers were good (4-5 dances/hour), I sorted them all into
five columns (Very Smooth - Smoothish - Neutral - Balancey - Very Balancey)
and then sorted the columns vertically by relative difficulty. I had
something like five or six dances in every column, which seemed perfect! So
then I just picked up cards from their spots in a particular order -- like
Easiest Smooth to Easiest Very Balancey to Third-Easiest Neutral, etc --
just to approximate a dynamic program. When I laid out the two programs I'd
made this way and checked them out, they were great! It was kind of magic!
That all said, definitely I almost always need to modify my programs on the
fly. I try not to sweat the details too hard; most dancers won't notice the
little things, and as long as they're having fun, all is well. :)
Angela
On Wed, Mar 14, 2018, 8:01 PM Woody Lane via Callers <
callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
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
_______________________________________________
List Name: Callers mailing list
List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
3:05 a.m.
New subject: [Callers] Programming a Dance
My approach to programming is exactly like Woody's for regular contra, barn dances,
and NEFFA type events.
In addition, a Challenging Contra session (prior to a regular contra dance) I might
program a week ahead with extensive walkthru in my living room (especially those dances
where you leave your partner...I want to know where everyone is supposed to be), because
those dances I've usually not danced or called prior and they require the extra time
to learn.
A dance weekend I might take up to a month (or more) to program depending on what kind of
workshops the organizer wants...writing medley's, special programming, and perhaps
coordinating with other callers.
Donna Hunt
-----Original Message-----
From: Woody Lane via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net>
To: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
Sent: Wed, Mar 14, 2018 8:01 pm
Subject: Re: [Callers] Programming a Dance
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
_______________________________________________
List Name: Callers mailing list
List Address: Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/callers@lists.sharedweight.net/
4:25 a.m.
New subject: [Callers] Programming a Dance
I usually program an evening dance the day before the event, since my mental and
metaphysical state will be closest to how I will be at the event, and I think it’s
important for my own energy and enthusiasm to be focused on the present. My programming
always has a “Plan A” set of dances, chosen to sculpt the shape of the event in terms of
energy, emotion, and musicality, and Plans B, C, and sometimes D. My advance communication
with the band includes something like this:
"Make it an interesting musical concert where the dancers can't keep their
feet still, and fortunately don't have to.
Combine irresistible music with the dances that makes them want to move their feet
and they can’t keep still."
If the band requests, I’ll send a proposed dance set, my “Plan A”, so they can choose tune
sets. This is long before the dance, sometimes weeks, so my “Plan A” might actually be
different by the time the day arrives, but the band doesn’t need to know that. Each dance
chosen also has “Plan B” and “Plan C” substitutes that will fit the same tune(s) selected
by the band, in case I have to dial it back a notch or kick it up, depending on who
actually shows up at the dance. That means the same energy, the same feeling
(bouncy/smooth), the same punctuation (e.g. balances in the same places, or similar
requirements for strong downbeats at certain points to help the dancers orient. Maybe a
"Plan D” of 3-5 couple dances if a storm, power outage, earthquake, or whatever might
be results in a tiny turnout; it’s important that EVERY dance event is fun for the
attendees, no matter how many or how few.
So, I guess my programming is done long before the dance, in terms of planning which
dances might be swapped in at the last second because of a busload of beginners or a
busload of hard-core experienced dancers, and in terms of how I want the emotional/energy
shape of the evening to flow.
For dance weekends and workshops, the emphasis is not so much on the emotional contour of
the evening as it is on the lesson/focus of each session. For example, I did a NEFFA
session “Buckets of Beckets” where each dance was Becket formation, and none of the dances
in that hour started with “Circle Left 3/4”. That kind of thematic planning takes more
time and meticulous care to do well.
Eric Black
eric(a)eric-black.com
See my Tune & Dance compositions at http://eric-black.com
2228
days inactive
2229
days old
import1@lists2.sharedweight.net
3 comments
4 participants
participants (4)
-
Angela DeCarlis -
Donna Hunt -
Eric Black -
Woody Lane