6 Feb
2017
6 Feb
'17
2:07 p.m.
re:
Sun Feb 5, 2017 3:45 pm (PST) . Posted by:
"Dale Wilson" bird_weaver
<mailto:dale.wilson@gmail.com?subject=Re%3A%20Open%20Calling%20at%20Chance%20Dance%202017>
<<You lose the well crafted programming that you can get when one caller
does the whole evening or the whole event, but you get a lot of fun
dances and occasional awkwardness ...>>
Our (Asheville's) annual dance weekend, SplashDance, has always had open
calling all weekend long, but dancers complained on the evaluations
about the qualities described above, which often result from an open
calling format. So for several years I've been facilitating the
open-calling: callers sign-up with me ahead of time via email to get on
the list to call. There's a deadline a few days before the weekend
starts. On that day, I take the whole list and figure out how many
dance slots each caller can have, based on how many want to call, and I
do a line-up. (When they sign up, they let me know if they aren't
available any particular times during the weekend -- e.g., not arriving
til Sat.) Then, we have a programming meeting prior to each dance
session (one for Friday night, one for Sat. night, one for Sunday
afternoon). These take place at Fri & Sat dinners, and Sun. brunch --
required attendance for those on the line-up for that session, although
anyone else can sit in if they want. We all eat together and get out
our cards and put together the program. This creates a much better flow
for the dance session. It's better for the dancers, and it also takes
the pressure off all the callers from having to really attend to what
was called before their turn. The programming meetings have taken the
place of having a caller's workshop at the weekend -- basically, it's a
hands-on workshop on the art of programming. There's a lot of good
discussion about how dances do or don't fit well together, and it's a
chance to discuss ideas about mood and flow and other programming
considerations beyond the basics of not repeating signature moves too
many times, and having a good balance of smooth vs. bouncy. A few folks
have actually opted to sit in on the programming meeting just to listen,
even though they don't want to call.
It's an evolving process, and I keep tweaking it every year, but I think
it's generally worked well the last few times. It IS a lot more work
for me, but it's my contribution to the weekend, to try to help make the
calling as good as possible while still providing an open format to give
lots of participants a chance to call.
Maybe this model will be useful to others with an open-calling format
for a whole dance weekend.
Diane Silver
Asheville, NC