It might be a good idea, but failing that the simple question 'have you done this sort of thing before', or 'where do you usually dance' would be a helpful starter. That's what I say when someone new comes to club, and might get an answer 'not for years', or the name of another club or sort of dance which gives a clue. I don't know about newcomers 'selecting' partners, I think they often either dance with those they come with or hang back and wait to be asked to dance - it is up to club members to recognise new faces and include them. Some would say that it's the callers job to explain the basics (though when I'm calling I try to pace my walk-through so that experienced dancers can show their neighbour a figure if most know it). ----- Original Message ----- From: karendunnam(a)gmail.com [trad-dance-callers] To: trad-dance-callers(a)yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, November 23, 2015 8:24 PM Subject: [trad-dance-callers] "Frequent Flyer" ID badge or item Twice in as many months I've attended out-of-town events that included a pin or button used to identify experienced dancers. One was at a Jane Austen ball, where the local ECD group brought in acetate convention name badges that contained an illustration of two dancers. The other was a Civil War event where the dance troupe floor managers wore small cloisonne badges. This seems like a good idea to have at events with lots of visitors. At the Austen event, everyone who "knows what you're doing" was invited to wear a badge, and newcomers were encouraged to select them in partnerships. At the other event, dance troupe folks were busily explaining the basics to folks who already knew the drill, and having something available for the public could have advanced the conversation along. If you were designing something to use in this regard, what would it look like, and be made of? Thanks for ideas! --Karen D.

----- Original Message ----- From: karendunnam(a)gmail.com [trad-dance-callers] To: trad-dance-callers(a)yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, November 24, 2015 2:37 PM Subject: Re: [trad-dance-callers] "Frequent Flyer" ID badge or item At the first event (acetate badge holders), the caller requested that anyone who was an experienced dancer come up and get a badge to wear. As there were probably 150 people attending, from all over the country, it was helpful to see lots of folks wearing this. I had several newbies ask me for a dance as they felt it would be beneficial for them. At the second event, the "floor managers" stood near the sets and interpreted the caller's instructions. For the Virginia Reel, my set had two of them, one at each end. The caller let this become self-guided after the first time through, relying on the floor managers to remember the figures. One FM turned away, and missed prompting the "first corners do-si-do" when her companion FM skipped it. (No one died.) Often I will have a new partner inquire if I've done this before. Um, yeah, once or twice. Back in the early 80s I remember a regular dancer who'd always wear a T-shirt with a conversation-starter design (and no, not one of Steve Gold's toilet paper graphics). He'd been to Worlds Fairs and other fun places. For the second ball I attended last weekend, I added an antique lyre pin to my kit, and that worked well -- new partners would see it and we'd talk about playing music. Since posting my question, I have found a source of replica ferrotype CW-era badges (custom designs available) and some other suitable things from the scrapbooking world. And cool graphics from the LOC (Library of Congress) dance manual site. Playing at memorial events, I've noticed all the veterans slathered with commemorative items. I'm not wanting to create more business for the plastic engraved badge sellers (somewhere I have a "yellow rock"), but to assist the companionship of the room. --Karen D.