Hi Dudley,

Years ago, I told you that I had square danced in summer camp at Wellfleet on Cape Cod to a caller who accompanied himself on fiddle.  Sometime later you told me who it must have been, but I didn't write the name down.  Do you remember there being a fiddling caller on or near the Cape?

The last time that I was asked for a duple minor contra for a ONS was for the wedding of two people who had met contra dancing.  They had just danced a few times, and none of their guests had danced, but they really wanted a duple minor contra dance, and it was their wedding.  I called my usual Sicilian Circle figures to the longways set, with a pass through up and down for the progression.  The bride and groom kept the people they were dancing with progressing past them, the people who weren't near the wedding couple often didn't progress but didn't care, everyone was happy at the end, and I went back to doing whole-set dances.

Jacob

On Tue, Mar 8, 2016 at 10:17 AM, <jdlaufman@comcast.net> wrote:
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
 
 
On Mon, Mar 7, 2016 at 5:14 PM, jdlaufman@comcast.net [trad-dance-callers] <trad-dance-callers@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@comcast.net
Education book & CD at www.humankinetics.com
Performance Calendar at www.laufman.org
 
Sent: Saturday, March 05, 2016 1:44 PM
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
 

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