Re: Contras for One Nighters

Hey Rich: Actually, in my entire “career” as a caller/musician, never has anyone at a ONS come to me with a request for a “contra’, that is to say, a duple improper. I just assume that at an ONS, most folks do not know what a contra is, or, if they do, realize that it wouldn’t fly at that event. I have had folks, sort of wearing MWSD outfits come up to me all smiles and say proudly “We square dance.” But they never ask if we can “do one.” Also had a couple sidle up announcing that they go to the Greenfield dance, and do “real” contras. But they don’t ask for one. They aren’t wearing blinders. I have had a few folks ask if we can do anything “harder”. I ask them to name one, but they can’t. Just “harder”. Brainy? I ask. Something like that they say. Not tonight I reply. Actually I get Jacqueline to handle it, myself getting a little bristley. Isn’t that Haste To The Wedding dance similar to if not the same as the Irish ring dance The Siege of Carrick? Speaking of Irish, I usually do a routine of Irish (American) celi dances in the month of March...Siege of Ennis (twice) Siege of Carrick, Bridge of Athlone, Waves of Tory, to chunes like Maggie In The Wood, Molly in the Wood, Finnegan’s Wake, Kesh Jig, Haste To the Wedding, Rakes of Mallow, Dusty Bob and the like. Had a great little dance last Saturday, March 5, in Cornwall, Ct, part of an ongoing community dance series with The Homespun Band. I drove the four hours down from Canterbury, NH, stopping only at the Red Lion in Stockbridge for a half pint of the local IPA, only to find when I got to Cornwall that I had left my melodeons and fiddle at home. I was cryink. But the concertina player said he had a G/D box like mine, and would I mind borrowing it? You bet says I, and the day was saved. So we got through the Irish dances. There were three other callers there, so I asked Bob Livingston to do a square which he did. Pat Campbell did a fine whole set dance...( how does that go Pat? and then Rachael. Rachael plays fiddle in the band. A few years back she asked Jacqueline about playing fiddle and calling at the same time. Jacqueline said Do it, just do it. Just start. Rachael practiced at home and bi god the other night she sang a call do some Connectioncut folk song maybe a CW, and played her fiddle at the same time. She did it. She did it. Yeah Rachael. Maine has 8, maybe more caller/fiddlers. (That’s another story.) New Hampshire has Jacqueline and myself, and Carolyn Parrot. Vermont has Fred Bruenig. Maybe there is another? Massachusetts has the Kaynors. (There is a chap from the Boston area who can play fiddle and dance the morris Knuckle Down while he plays. Probably he could call and play) Poor little RI has none. Ct has Ralph Sweet who can play accordion and call...Peter Leibert who plays accordion and calls. But no fiddler. Until Rachael. Dudley Dudley & Jacqueline Laufman PO Box 61, 322 Shaker Rd Canterbury, NH 03224 www.laufman.org 603-783-4719 jdlaufman(a)comcast.net Education book & CD at www.humankinetics.com Performance Calendar at www.laufman.org From: mailto:trad-dance-callers@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, March 07, 2016 5:57 PM To: trad-dance-callers(a)yahoogroups.com Cc: ppalum(a)googlegroups.com Subject: Re: [trad-dance-callers] Contras for One Nighters Dudley, I posed the question because sometimes I am asked to include contras in a ONS. I had one this past Saturday night. When contracting to such a dance, I often dissuade the organizer of including contras. I was not able to do that for this this Saturday's dance. (As it turned out, I did not call any contras, or squares, but stuck to wholesets and circle dances, along with two waltzes.) My own experience has shown reasonable success with Haste to the Wedding (proper) and Family Contra. The more ONS dances I call, the easier the program becomes. The only difficulty Saturday was with an easy variation of Snowball, and I attribute that difficulty to the effect of a "Cash Bar". I should have picked a mentally easier dance. Rich On Mon, Mar 7, 2016 at 5:14 PM, jdlaufman(a)comcast.net [trad-dance-callers] <trad-dance-callers(a)yahoogroups.com> wrote: The question of “contras” being called at ONSs has been raised before, and fairly recently, and several of us chimed in quickly with “WHY?” If the gig is a one nighter, and 95% of the folks there have not been exposed to contras before, then no matter what you choose for a dance, it will have to be taught and walked through, which, even if done well, can throw a damper on that kind of a party. So, why? There are so many other good dances, whole set, sets, circles. We played for a rowdy barn dance near here once for another caller. After a few fairly successful whole sets and circles he said “Oh, we haven’t done a duple contra yet.” and proceeded to spend the next half hour trying, unsuccessfully, to do A-Roving. Train wreck and end of evening. What happens is that the musicians are having a great time playing the chunes and the dancers appreciate that, and the dancers are having a great foot stomping time, but the poor caller is sometimes not getting much attention and so cooks up a figger too complex so that the dancers have to work too hard to get it which they might not, so they don’t feel successful..... But if you must do a “contra” at an ONS Jefferson & Liberty is the one. Even ONSers like to swing, so I sometimes leave out the star, just call it A1 circle left & right,/ A2 down the outside and back/ B1 Down the center 4 in line, inside arch, outside under/ B2 All swing partners.. Or, do it with the stars, and do the swing at the end, adding an extra 8 bars of music, making it a 40 bar dance. You can look around for a 40 bar chune, or just roar into it and have it come out right occasionally. Dudley Dudley & Jacqueline Laufman PO Box 61, 322 Shaker Rd Canterbury, NH 03224 www.laufman.org 603-783-4719 jdlaufman(a)comcast.net Education book & CD at www.humankinetics.com Performance Calendar at www.laufman.org From: mailto:trad-dance-callers@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, March 05, 2016 1:44 PM To: trad-dance-callers(a)yahoogroups.com ; Caller's discussion list Subject: [trad-dance-callers] Contras for One Nighters I rarely call a contra at a One Night Party Dance, but occasionally I am asked to. I have a few in my cards, but can anyone make some sure fire recommendations. Assume 95%-100% non dancers. Thanks, Rich Stafford, CT