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@comcast.net
Education
book & CD at www.humankinetics.com
Performance Calendar at
www.laufman.org
Sent: Monday, March 07, 2016 5:57 PM
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