Hi,
I am new to this group and hope this has not been talked to dead.
I am interested in compiling a list of dance figures that have been
introduced into contra, the defining dance that brought the figure into use
(or the dance that is most often assigned this introduction) and the time
when it was introduced, especially if this occurred in the last 30-40 years
(i.e. but not "chestnuts" per say).
The only instance that comes to the top of my head is a chestnut:
"Petronella" the dance, appears in volume 1 of *The Scottish Country Dance
Book*, published by the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society
<http://www.rscds.org/shop.html?page=shop.browse&category_id=1>. David
Smukler has documented quite a few dance spin-offs on his website resulting
from this "chestnut" dance.
Thanks,
Terry
Well, here's some good fun! I just got word that I'm going to be traveling
around the UK next May. I have a couple of fixed points in my itinerary
and some musical friends to link up with, and now I'm wondering whether I
have any dance friends over there. If you might be interested in a visit
from a US contra and squares caller, I'd love to hear from you. Good
opportunities to dance are always welcome, and I wouldn't turn down an
opportunity to call a dance (or play for one) either.
Please touch base with me offline if you can help. I'd love to put faces
to some names.
Cindy
Exploring the Culture of Abundance
http://exploreabundance.tumblr.com/
Pittsburgh Threshold Choir
http://bridgeofvoices.org
==============
Hi all
I just got home late last night from the event (the Greenwood Fest), and
can now report back. I hugely appreciate all the tune suggestions.
They were really helpful for both me and the band. I sent them a list
of tune names, along with video links, and they settled on Turkey in the
Straw and St. Anne's Reel, which worked just fine for Margate Hoy and Le
Brandy, respectively. The 3rd dance was a big wind-up/spiral dance, to
the Crawdad Song. Traditional dance accompaniment is definitely not
what this band usually does but they dove into it with great energy and
attitude and we had a good time together. The one thing that I didn't
anticipate, though if I had given it some thought I should have, is that
this crowd was about 90% male. There were just a few who were willing
to partner with other men, and I chose dances where partner interaction
could be no more intimate than an elbow swing. The folks who joined in
had a good time and were asking for more (maybe we can do more at the
next event). The bulk of the crowd only joined in for the windup. All
in all, it went about as I'd expected for the dance part of it, and
better than I feared for the musical part.
Thanks, all of you, for your help!
Kalia
Hi all
I'm posting this to several different callers' lists (ECD,
trad-dance-callers and shared weight) in hopes of some speedy advice.
I'm heading off shortly (Weds. evening, 6/8) for an event that is not a
dance event, but at which I've been asked to lead a short community
dance session on "honky tonk night." The band for this is _not_ a
traditional dance band. They're more of a garage band with bar-band
aspirations. I wrote to them several weeks ago to check in about music,
and when I didn't hear back, wrote again about a week ago. Then again,
and finally heard back right as I was getting ready to leave for the
airport for a weekend gig, from which I've just returned.
Their contact person tells me that sheet music would be useful, which
puts me in the position of trying to figure out a very small assortment
of tunes to send them. We're doing about 1/2 hour of dancing, so at the
most it'll be 3 dances. With 2 jigs and 2 reels I can make this work.
The question is "which ones?" And that's where you all come in. I'm
looking for recommendations for a small assortment of simple, enjoyable
tunes for community dancing. As a non-musican, I have no idea which
tunes are easy to pick up quickly and which aren't, so I'm hoping some
of you can help me out.
Kalia Kliban
I say everybody knows this dance because back when the square dance (including contra chestnuts) was part of the New England fabric and cultureand Ralph Page was known as a singing caller, certain figures became associated with certain melodies (Americana) Perhaps the availability of
dance recordings helped. So folks knew Dip and Dive was Red Wing, Just Because was Ladies Chains and Golden Slippers had a cutaway figure.
It's been noted that My Little Girl was a sensation when it came out.
First Couple Promenade around the outside - around the outside of the ring.Head Ladies Chain right down the Center - and you Chain them back againYou Chain to the Right with the Right Hand Couple - and you Chain them back againYou Chain to the Left with the Left Hand Couple - and you Chain back home again
Dosado with the Corner Girl, Dosado go 'round Your Own - go back and Swing your Corner round
Runaway Home and Swing your Darlin' - She's the sweetest girl in town.
Allemande Left with the ole left hand - Partner Right with a Right and Left Grand - go all the way go 'round
It's all the way go 'round, you are homeward bound - to the... 2ND COUPLE TAKE A WALK.. don't stop at home...round the outside...---
The routine or route of the dance is simple and there is no partner change - a single couple goes round the outside as they may do to any music.
when they separate from each other or promenade together.. Then a little something at home and a finish using up a couple of phrases (or more) to go once around the set. It doesn't have to be Grand Rights and Lefts and it doesn't have to be Ladies Chains.For those who dance once a year dancers its Promenade once around - just some Forward & Backs or Dosadoes, etc at home and a Promenade.
Modify it but the music is great!
But for the dancers who dance this regularly in New England it's set in stone as above and on the old 78s.
The break may vary on record and in books I've seen, but this one I've typed here allows no recovery or stopping at home. The figure flows.Two Dosados in one phrase starting with left shoulders around the Corner and one large circle (not a figure 8) around the Partner -
back to a Corner Swing
It's the way I picked it up in Heath, MA (1st & 3rd Saturdays into the late '90s) and I still have Heath dancers.
Bob LivingstonMiddletown, CT
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I think that Chris K's advice is spot-on, but I would leaven it just a bit.
Take charge, but take charge of the _dancing_, not of the music. Don't try
to tell musicians what to play or how to play it when you don't know what
you are talking about. But you DO know what you are talking about with
dancing, and approach it from that perspective: This is what I need for the
dancing to be successful: no vocals, a constant tempo, play until I tell
you to stop, etc. If you respect their area of expertise, they will respect
yours.
I would be wary of providing sheet music; even if you give them the perfect
tune, what they will play may sound nothing like what you are expecting.
I've learned from experience that even when a band knows a specific tune,
you may still be very surprised by what you get.
Definitely try to get there very early and talk with the musicians. Find
out what they are comfortable doing, then modify whatever you do to fit in
with that. (I agree with Chris, from your description, the chances they
play any jigs are pretty minimal). Be ready with dances that do not need
standard-length As and Bs to work, e.g. the paddle dance, Edinburgh Rock, a
grand march.
Another reason to get there early is to figure out what the sound setup for
this gig is. Are you using a band mic? Are they expecting you to work from
the floor without a microphone? etc.
Good luck!
David
St Paul, MN
____________
> 1a. Need musical advice
> Posted by: "Kalia Kliban" kalia.kliban(a)gmail.com kalia(a)sbcglobal.net
> Date: Mon Jun 6, 2016 5:19 pm ((PDT))
>
> Hi all
>
> I'm posting this to several different callers' lists (ECD,
> trad-dance-callers and shared weight) in hopes of some speedy advice.
> I'm heading off shortly (Weds. evening, 6/8) for an event that is not a
> dance event, but at which I've been asked to lead a short community
> dance session on "honky tonk night." The band for this is _not_ a
> traditional dance band. They're more of a garage band with bar-band
> aspirations. I wrote to them several weeks ago to check in about music,
> and when I didn't hear back, wrote again about a week ago. Then again,
> and finally heard back right as I was getting ready to leave for the
> airport for a weekend gig, from which I've just returned.
>
> Their contact person tells me that sheet music would be useful, which
> puts me in the position of trying to figure out a very small assortment
> of tunes to send them. We're doing about 1/2 hour of dancing, so at the
> most it'll be 3 dances. With 2 jigs and 2 reels I can make this work.
> The question is "which ones?" And that's where you all come in. I'm
> looking for recommendations for a small assortment of simple, enjoyable
> tunes for community dancing. As a non-musican, I have no idea which
> tunes are easy to pick up quickly and which aren't, so I'm hoping some
> of you can help me out.
>
> Kalia Kliban
>
>
The gig itself is not on Wednesday, thankfully. That's just when I fly,
and thus my deadline for getting things sorted with the band. The gig
is on Saturday night. The structure is that we're tacking a half hour
of community dances onto the front of a full evening that this band was
already going to be playing. So they'll get plenty of time to shine
doing their own thing, and we'll only to work together for a short set.
There have been some excellent and very helpful tune suggestions. Thank
you all! I've sent the band a list of tunes and links, and will try to
connect by phone later today. They claim to have some "folk and
country" in their repertoire, and perhaps some of these tunes will be
familiar to them. The band's instrumentation is promising -- accordion,
banjo, bass, drums, fiddle, washboard, harmonica and guitar.
Once again, I want to say how much I appreciate these email discussion
lists. It's wonderful to be able to connect with the larger community
of callers, musicians and organizers. I'll keep you all posted as
things progress.
Thank you!
Kalia Kliban
Kalia, good morning. After thinking about this more and reading others' comments, and realizing you now have only one day.. here's what I think..
my original answer to you (below) just responded to what you were asking for, i.e... jigs and reels, sheet music, pretty easy, etc..
Unless the band is really good at reading music and has some basic understanding of the genre, you might want to go with something they know.. I think keeping with 32 bar tunes is still a good idea, why do this at all if you're not going to demonstrate 'what we do' right? and the band has indicated a willingness.. Maybe they do know Turkey in the Straw or other old-time tunes like that.. They certainly know the Chicken Dance (we call it "Danse de Canard" [duck dance] here in Maine). That tune actually IS 32 bars (of course dancers will probably not be able to resist flapping their arms, etc - not necessarily a bad thing I guess)..
Of course if it looks like the band can do it (actually read the music, keep a good tempo, etc) then pick out a few tunes, print up the sheet music, and give it a go.. what the heck.. I agree to ditch the jigs.. Just simple reels.. I still think the Maine Fiddle Camp archive might be of use because there are *simple* tunes on there and you can listen to the MP3 (to see if it works with dance you have in mind) and print out sheet music which has the chords as well as the "fly specks".. As I said before, a LOT of this depends on the band.. but.. they may surprise you.. not every aspiring garage band just plays rock and roll..
I realize "communications" hasn't been all that great with the band, so I suppose all this may get put together *at the gig*... whew.. anyway good luck with that!! (and as several have already said, let us know how this goes!!)
bill
From: callbill(a)hotmail.com
To: kalia.kliban(a)gmail.com; callers(a)sharedweight.net
Subject: RE: [Callers] Need musical advice
Date: Tue, 7 Jun 2016 00:51:31 +0000
Kalia, Go to the Maine Fiddle Camp web site www.mainefiddlecamp.org click on tunes.. There's an archive of dance tunes from the last 7 or 8 year's camps.. Take a look then take a listen to the MP3.. maybe select some "beginner" or intermediate tunes. there's sheet music here too with chords.. just a few possibilities: out on the ocean, jig 2008old favorite, jig 2013 spotted pony, reel 2011soldiers joy, reel 2011joys of quebec, reel 2010 lot of this will depend on the band.. there's a million to choose from good luck bill
> To: callers(a)sharedweight.net; trad-dance-callers(a)yahoogroups.com; ECD(a)bacds.org
> Date: Mon, 6 Jun 2016 17:19:52 -0700
> Subject: [Callers] Need musical advice
> From: callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
>
> Hi all
>
> I'm posting this to several different callers' lists (ECD,
> trad-dance-callers and shared weight) in hopes of some speedy advice.
> I'm heading off shortly (Weds. evening, 6/8) for an event that is not a
> dance event, but at which I've been asked to lead a short community
> dance session on "honky tonk night." The band for this is _not_ a
> traditional dance band. They're more of a garage band with bar-band
> aspirations. I wrote to them several weeks ago to check in about music,
> and when I didn't hear back, wrote again about a week ago. Then again,
> and finally heard back right as I was getting ready to leave for the
> airport for a weekend gig, from which I've just returned.
>
> Their contact person tells me that sheet music would be useful, which
> puts me in the position of trying to figure out a very small assortment
> of tunes to send them. We're doing about 1/2 hour of dancing, so at the
> most it'll be 3 dances. With 2 jigs and 2 reels I can make this work.
> The question is "which ones?" And that's where you all come in. I'm
> looking for recommendations for a small assortment of simple, enjoyable
> tunes for community dancing. As a non-musican, I have no idea which
> tunes are easy to pick up quickly and which aren't, so I'm hoping some
> of you can help me out.
>
> Kalia Kliban
>
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