[Callers] Dances for Novice Crowds

[Alan Winston via Callers]

On 5/19/15 1:08 PM, Ben Hornstein via Callers wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> I'm calling a dance this weekend at Comicpalooza, a large comic book 
> convention. The crowd will be at least 95% people who have never 
> danced. What are some dances that you all recommend for this sort of 
> crowd?
>
> -Ben
>


If you're in a hotel ballroom, try to keep them from laying down a tiny 
dance floor in the middle of your space.  Short-pile ballroom carpet is 
a lot better than mostly-short-pile-ballroom-carpet with a wooden lump 
with raised edges in the middle. Dancers hate dancing on carpet; 
non-dancers don't care.  They're going to have the wrong shoes in any case.

Give up on any idea of doing modern contra dances with duple minor 
progression.  Things are different form when I first got involved with 
sf fandom, but I'm imagining you'll likely have a gender imbalance.  
Don't require or try to teach ballroom swings; elbow turns or two-hand 
turns are probably good.

These will typically be very in-their-heads people; you want to 
circumvent that at first by getting them moving right away, and not 
having to do any language processing.  Make them successful immediately.

Get one long line of people holding hands, you at one end.  Lead the 
line snaking around the room, doubling back sometimes so that everybody 
sees everybody.   Wind up the ball of twine by bringing the line into a 
circle and then doing progressively smaller circles until just before 
you can't turn around.  Turn around and trace your path back.  Bring the 
line around into a big circle, with you next to the person at the end of 
the line.  Bring them into the center and back on out, do it again with 
a great big shout.  Applause.

(If you have adequate gender balance or willing people, you could pair 
them up and do a Grand March instead of the "wind up the ball of twine" 
you have above, and if you're leading a Grand March you can turn it into 
a wind-up-the-ball-of-twine as well.  The thing above is great for 
getting hold of people too shy to find partners, and there's no partner 
stuff so even people who don't want to dance with the same sex don't 
generally freak out.)

If you have partners, do Circassian Circle mixer (Into the center and 
out twice, ladies in and out, gents in and go to the lady who was on 
their other side (next neighbor); balance and swing (can be two-hand 
turn, elbow swing, whatever) and promenade.  Reform the ring, repeat) or 
La Bastringue (Into the center and out twice, circle left, circle right, 
swing the next lady/gent, promenade).

Squish the circle into two facing lines.  (If there's an extra person, 
step out, if you're needed make sure you're in at the top.)

Orcadian Strip the Willow (google it).  Top couple elbow turn right one 
and a half, left elbow turn the neighbor in line, turn partner once, 
left elbow turn the next neighbor, etc, etc.  A new couple starts every 
16 bars of music or when they have enough running room to do it.

Break up into smaller sets (four or five couples).  Virginia Reel/Roger 
de Coverley.

Another good five-couple set dance is "Up the Sides and Down the 
Middle", but don't do it as your first small set dance. - Take hands in 
lines, step-swing balance  right and left and right and left, drop 
hands, cross right should with partner and loop to make lines on the 
other sides. Repeat all that to return.  Tops make an arch and lead down 
the middle while second couples cast off, leading their lines down the 
outside; they meet and lead up the middle under the arch, finishing with 
original tops at the bottom, original seconds at the tops.  Swing to the 
end of the phrase and repeat from new places.

By this time everybody who isn't aerobically fit is resting.  Make 
squares for Cumberland Squares / Square 8.

By now there should be some understanding of phrasing, especially if 
you've been pointing out how figures fit to the music.

If you still have enough people and they are are reasonably gender 
assorted you could do a Sicilian Circle.  If you have gender balance, 
Spanish Waltz is good.  (Couple facing couple, gent on the left, waltz 
time.  Take near hand with partner.  That hand (gent's left, ladies 
right) is the only hand used for the first sixteen bars.
Balance forward and back; take neighbor's only hand with your only hand 
and change places, turning the lady under.  Face partner, repeat with 
partner.  Face neighbor, repeat with neighbor.  Face partner, repeat 
with partner, all are home.  Right hand star, left hands back.  Facing 
neighbors, lead forward, fall back, drop hands, pass through, bow or 
curtsey to next neighbors.  Repeat with new neighbors.)

-- Alan


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