10 Aug
2018
10 Aug
'18
2:59 p.m.
My calling partner Ken Sharp and I used reds and yellows, too, at a Unitarian Universalist
summer camp's contra-dance workshop the past 2 years. I like the wristband idea. We
used sports pinneys that I got cheap online. I'll try to attach a picture. Ken and I
found the visual clues help both the dancers and the callers.
We encouraged everyone to be both red and yellow during the week.
We were using reds and yellows to avoid gender terms in general. We used these terms both
during our workshop and at the all-camp dance each Wednesday night of the weeks.
Laurel Spahn
On Friday, August 10, 2018 9:30 AM, "Rich Sbardella richsbardella(a)gmail.com
[trad-dance-callers]" <trad-dance-callers(a)yahoogroups.com> wrote:
When I call for children, and sometimes teens, I use talls and shorts once they are
paired up. It has always worked well.Not sure how adults would respond.I have been using
Larks and Ravens since Pinewoods camp a few weeks ago, and it too has been very
successful.Rich SbardellaStafford, CT
On Fri, Aug 10, 2018 at 8:18 AM, diane(a)diane-silver.com [trad-dance-callers]
<trad-dance-callers(a)yahoogroups.com> wrote:
I find that the various terms currently being bandied about (Larks and Ravens, Jets
and Rubies, etc.) create an additional level of confusion for both experienced and new
dancers. Not only do you have to process in a split second WHAT to do, you now also have
to process which role is yous. If you're going to call dances in which it matters
(e.g.,contra dances, rather than beginner-level community dances where it doesn't
matter which role is on the right or left), then I prefer Reds and Yellows for R and L
terms that relate to the right and left positions. (I know, yellow doesn't START with
L, but the double L in the middle serves the purpose). I then use red and yellow
wrist-bands as visual cues. Red on the right wrist for the person on the right; yellow on
the left wrist for the person on the left. It's cheap and easy to buy a skein of yarn
in each color, and cut them up into appropriate lengths. It's then easy to say
upfront that if the wrist-bands are next to each other (on your joined hands), you're
on the wrong side and need to quickly switch, assuming you want to dance the same role
consistently, because switching is much more challenging. I don't have hard data, but
my personal experience is that the visual cue makes a BIG difference in response time for
all dancers, and there is a higher level of success, and therefore fun..
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