Contra Callers February 2025

contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net

38 participants
16 discussions

by Harris Lapiroff

I wrote this up as a blog post <https://chromamine.com/2024/11/set-and-link-contras/>, but I also thought this list would appreciate it and have interesting thoughts to share. It occurred to me recently that I don’t think there are any contra dances that feature a set and link figure. This is a figure from Scottish Country Dancing which follows this sequence (assuming becket formation for this write up): 1. Couples face the other couple across the set, taking convenient hands with their partner along the side 2. All balance right and left (4 beats) 3. All turn over their right shoulder as they trade places along the side of the set with the robins going through the middle and larks going round the outside (4 beats) It could be thought of as a petronella twirl for two or, perhaps, as a mad robin halfway with twirling. If none of those descriptions work for you, there’s also a video of the figure in action <https://youtu.be/hI-ebAspZzY?si=gkIDl8WmCzFc5HO4&t=16>. (Note the video is to a leisurely Scottish strathspey, but it can be done to a jig or reel at contra tempo just fine.) I decided to write a couple: *Set And Link Contra* Harris Lapiroff Becket CCW A1 Set and link (trading with partner) Balance the ring Petronella twirl A2 Neighbor balance and swing B1 Set and link (trading with neighbor) Balance the ring Petronella twirl B2 Partner balance and swing Note A1: Each time through after the first, the set and link should start with a big balance to the right to progress to new neighbors And a slightly more complex, but still accessible, one: *Broken Link* Harris Lapiroff Duple Improper A1 Neighbor balance and swing A2 Set and link (trading with neighbor) Robins alle L 1½ B1 Partner right shoulder round Partner swing B2 Circle left 3 Pass through up and down Next neighbor DSD Note: Can also be done in becket by starting with B2, skipping the pass through, and changing to a slide left progression at the end. I danced these through with a few dancers in a living room and they worked. I was worried the “Set And Link Contra” wasn’t appropriate for any crowd, being too simple and repetitive for an experienced dance but too tricky for beginners. Some of my test dancers agreed, but others thought that it was satisfying enough to dance to work – which I could see maybe working for a late evening brain-off-dance-trance vibe. A few open questions I have about these dances: - In “Set And Link Contra,” is the big balance right to progress satisfying or awkward? We didn’t have enough dancers to test the progression. A different option might be to make it Becket CW and slide left, then balance back to the right. (I suspect slide right, balance right would feel too muddy.) - The balance right and then left sequence isn’t natural to contra dancers. Is there a way to lead into it that makes it more natural? (Notably: a couple of my test dancers had done at least a little Scottish and they both liked it, but one dancer who had only done contra found it awkward.) - Alternatively is there a different way of doing that balances that would be more at home in a contra? I think balancing together and away wouldn’t give good momentum into turning over the right shoulder, but perhaps balancing in and out in a ring would work? - In “Broken Link,” I’m still not sure if the set and link into a robins left hand allemande sequence feels good. When I tested it myself it felt flowy in a weaving sort of way, but some of my test dancers reported it was awkward. We didn’t take time to workshop it to see if the flow felt better once the set and link was more familiar.

4 months, 2 weeks

Re: working with inexperienced bands

by David Kirchner

I'd like to cosign nearly all of Greg's excellent response below. Don't tell people how to play their music. It's disrespectful. But you can say that in order to have them play for your dance, you have certain needs. Are they interested in working to meet those needs? If not, that's fine, it's not the gig for them. If so, focus on your bottom line needs and build from there. What is already in their repertoire that you can use? What is a "must-have" (e.g. distinguishable phrases, steady beat), and what can you do without if you have to? I once did a entire dance where I did without 2-part tunes -- the band just played tune after tune, medleys of 5, 6 or 7 tunes played two or three times each. Some were three-part, some half-length, some regular. Fabulous musicians (internationally known, actually), but in their style of music they had never thought much about how many parts their tunes had. It was going to be a huge lift for them to keep track of which tunes had how many parts, and so I just let go of it. (Happily, all of their tunes had square phrases, at least.) I recently did a dance with an Irish bar band that had somehow heard about contra dancing and managed to talk themselves onto the schedule without having a clue what they were supposed to be doing. I went to a rehearsal about a month out and told them a bunch of things about what would work and what wouldn't, but I also realized there was no substitute for experience. So I said, "which of the next few Saturdays could some of you go to one of our dances? I'll arrange to get you a free pass." Eventually two of them came the following week to a dance and simply watched what was happening for about 90 minutes. The band leader called me the next day (I had a conflict and could not be at the dance myself) and said "Ohhhh. Now we understand." They ended up doing a nice job and were asked back. David > > Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2025 16:09:40 +0000 > From: Gregory <glibguide(a)protonmail.com> > Subject: [Callers] Re: working with inexperienced bands > > Hi Joseph, > > What is your musical experience/skill? > > I have a music degree, have plied my trade in a few different areas of > professional musicianship, and I've been working with live musicians > (particularly young fiddlers who i see as the future and want to give > performance opportunities to) for 10 years as a dance caller in an area > with little-to-no contra dancing. > > First off, I would get a sense of your musicians interest in the gig. Are > they doing it for easy money? Are they genuinely interested to play for > dancers and don't care how much they get paid? Are they making their living > from gig work? Or is this something they do on the side for fun? Are they > old-time experienced players? Or are they new upstarts, still forming their > musical identity as a performer? Have they mastered their instruments or > are they better-then-average amateurs? Answers to these questions can help > set expectations for their commitment. > > I can confidently say that the suggestion of sending musicians new tunes / > resources a few weeks before the dance is not a welcome prospect and not > setting them up for success. You should, instead, encourage new repertoire > over a long period of time, and for the next show focus on what is in their > current repertoire that will suffice for dances (if you want them to play > for you again). It may seem an imposition, but if you can attend one of > their rehearsals or jams, and ask to go through their repertoire, that > would be best. Keep a few things in mind while doing so: > > - No matter how experienced a fiddler is, playing for contra dances is a > specific skill or knowledge base; don't be afraid to say that such-and-such > doesn't work > - Some tunes sound fine but they're actually crooked and will not work for > contra. You need to be able to detect these tunes to prevent them being > programmed and ruining one of the dances. Crooked tunes in the contra dance > realm take multiple forms: additional beats within a measure, yes, but also > additional measures on a phrase. Phrases that are 4 or 12 beats long, and > tunes that have more than 2 parts are particularly hard to detect. Your > musicians may or may not know the difference or whether this is important > or not (even if you're clear that 32 bars jigs and reels is what you're > after, before hand). > - Different kinds of tunes work if the band is willing to play with the > tempo. For example, jigs tend to be played faster than is comfortable for > the dancers, so they need to be slowed down a touch, and polkas can also be > played at a slower tempo. I suggest this to attempt to broaden the > potential tunes that can be programmed while working within what they > already know. > > Also be respectful of different musicians abilities... Dave Brubeck > couldn't read music, and some traditional musicians also never learned how > to read music, picking up tunes by ear instead. If this is the case, > sending tunes a few weeks before a show is simply not going to work. > Musicians have their own culture apart from dancers, so temper your > expectations and be patient and respectful. > > Consider not hiring a "band" but hiring a fiddler. I don't know what the > remote situation you're in is like, but if you have any professional > musicians in your area, they should know how the gigs work. If you can find > a single fiddler and hire them, they will find someone else to play with > them as a duo or trio, as long as you explain what you're looking for > (reels at 120 bpm, playing for dancers, etc.) and the pay. If you can pair > less experienced musicians with more experienced musicians, this will > benefit you in the long run, bringing up a new generation of fiddlers in > this tradition. For example, many musicians have students. Ask if one of > their students is up for the task of performing and they can join in on a > few tunes. It also broadens your dance base when the parents come out and > participate. > > You'll want to go over with whomever you hire a series of signals that > indicate "speed up", "slow down", "keep playing", "stop immediately" and > "stop at the end of the phrase / last time". > > You'll want to ensure that they start each tune with a 4 beat introduction > ("Four for nothing" as Winton Marsalis says, and "Four potatoes" as is the > phrase around here), which is a cue for you to cue the dancers. Musicians > are NOT in the habit of doing this on their own, and waiting once through > the tune instead is too long. > > Forcing a square peg into a round hole is not what i would consider > setting anyone up for success. Expecting your blue grass band to convert to > a contra dance band lickity-split is, in my opinion, not a good approach. I > would suggest letting it be what it's going to be. Maybe your group likes > blue grass tunes, and you form a contra/bluegrass syncretism. This is part > of the folk process. Everywhere, everyone, is different and cherishing that > and encouraging appreciation is what i would consider setting people up for > success - my previous recommendations and advice support this idea, I > think. For example, in my area, fiddling is heavily influenced by many > repertoires, particularly Metis, which was originally used for Metis step > dancing. I doubt the Metis fiddle tunes get played anywhere else, but they > make for excellent contra dance tunes with their own flare and feel. I'm > leaning into this, it's part of the Manitoba sound! > > Best of luck! Happy Dancing! > > Greg, Winnipeg >

6 months

Callers around Albany?

by Maia McCormick

Hey all, Got an inquiry from someone who enjoyed contra dancing at Flurry, has a big barn (120 people) at which they've held barn dances in the past, and is curious about holding a contra. Would anyone be interested in calling an event or two for them? Let me know, and I can put you in touch. Cheers, Maia (Brooklyn, NY) -- Maia McCormick (she/her) 917.279.8194

6 months

Classes for Callers

by Janine Smith

Hello Friends! Look what’s being offered at CDSS American Week at Pinewoods (July 19-26). Not one but 2 Callers Classes! Wheeeee! *Let’s Throw A Barn Dance! – Janine Smith* Ever been asked by a friend to call a dance at their wedding? Or are you in a community with a lot of 20- and 30-year-olds and you want to get them up and dancing *fast*? Want to dance some really fun, easy dances in the last period of the day? Well, come on down! Learn how to call simple but satisfying dances that build community and get everyone (including you) smiling and laughing and having a *big old time*. Dancers, callers, and musicians are welcome to attend this very happy workshop. On Thursday, we switch over to honky tonk line dancing to get ready for the big after-hours Roadhouse. This class is where the fifth period P-A-R-T-Y is! *Contra Caller’s Confab – Lisa Greenleaf* We love getting into the nitty gritty of calling and will explore a different theme each day. Participants can choose from such topics as: stellar walk throughs, working with musicians, programming secrets, gotta have stage presence, and practice-practice-practice! We will create a safe space to enjoy learning from each other, so get ready to boost your skill set and your confidence! All experience levels are welcome. ALSO, Pourparler is as magical as

6 months

SURVEY: Looking for YOUR ideas for Puttin’ on the Dance 3!

by Puttin' on the Dance Team

Dear fellow dance organizers, We’re very excited to be gathering with many of you this spring at Puttin’ On The Dance 3 - Dancing Forward Together! We want your input to help develop the conference program. Can you share your thoughts by completing this short survey by March 12th <https://forms.gle/Zy7ce7Aij2dhBte38>? Reminder that conference registration opens March 1st at www.puttinonthedance.org! We have some great news. We’ve heard from five organizations that have pledged funds to support the conference and reduce the cost for participants. We’re grateful to Country Dance & Song Society (CDSS), New England Folk Festival Association (NEFFA), DownEast Friends of the Folk Arts (DEFFA), Montpelier Contra Dance, and Belfast Flying Shoes for stepping up early with sponsorship grants. Plus, some organizations are offering partial scholarships. We will post the details soon on the POTD website - how to fund your attendance page <https://www.puttinonthedance.org/register/fund-your-attendance/>. Thanks again for completing the survey <https://forms.gle/Zy7ce7Aij2dhBte38> . Dance organizers like you are so important in this world. You give people an opportunity to connect in a positive and real way: face-to-face, hands joined, Dancing Forward Together. Thank you all! POTD3 Planning team (Patty, Chrissy & Emily) -- puttinonthedance.org facebook.com/PuttinOnTheDance *You're on the POTD email list because we think you're interested in conferences for dance organizers. Let us know if you want your address removed. *

6 months

working with inexperienced bands

by Joseph Erhard-Hudson

Hi all, I live in a relatively isolated community in the contra dance world. To the extent we have a house caller it's me. We are trying to foster and develop new callers, but you gotta have bands too. So, I'd welcome your thoughts on working with new bands. My motive for asking is, a couple of times in the last year we have had new bands come play for our monthly dance. One was a blue-grassey country band. Another was a family group playing predominantly Irish tunes. Their musical skills were fine and their repertoire was serviceable, and they did okay, but there were definitely some rough spots. New musical talent is a valuable commodity for us, and I want to set them up for success. So, how would you approach this? I'd especially love to hear from folks who have done this sort of thing before, but all thoughts are welcome. Joseph Erhard-Hudson Moscow, Idaho, USA

6 months

Change my email address for this list

by Carrie Dayton-madsen

I need to change my email address to sleepysunstudios1969(a)gmail.com How do I do this? Thank you! Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the wind longs to play with your hair. -Kahlil Gibran On Wednesday, February 19, 2025 at 10:00:15 PM MST, <contracallers-request(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: Send Contra Callers mailing list submissions to contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net To subscribe or unsubscribe via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to contracallers-request(a)lists.sharedweight.net You can reach the person managing the list at contracallers-owner(a)lists.sharedweight.net When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Contra Callers digest..." Today's Topics: 1. working with inexperienced bands (Joseph Erhard-Hudson) 2. Re: working with inexperienced bands (sjapartments(a)gmail.com) 3. Re: [External] working with inexperienced bands (Tepfer, Seth) 4. Re: Classes for callers? (Emily Addison) 5. Re: working with inexperienced bands (Gregory) 6. Re: working with inexperienced bands (Robert Matson) 7. Re: working with inexperienced bands (Mac Mckeever) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:45:40 -0800 From: Joseph Erhard-Hudson <josephatthecoop(a)gmail.com> Subject: [Callers] working with inexperienced bands To: Shared Weight Contra Callers <contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> Message-ID: <CANVBvvNTmA3dpUVqtZpTZ5P9Nge4ch0ymurzcy7xOq0AvRiAAw(a)mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="00000000000057db26062e79f201" Hi all, I live in a relatively isolated community in the contra dance world. To the extent we have a house caller it's me. We are trying to foster and develop new callers, but you gotta have bands too. So, I'd welcome your thoughts on working with new bands. My motive for asking is, a couple of times in the last year we have had new bands come play for our monthly dance. One was a blue-grassey country band. Another was a family group playing predominantly Irish tunes. Their musical skills were fine and their repertoire was serviceable, and they did okay, but there were definitely some rough spots. New musical talent is a valuable commodity for us, and I want to set them up for success. So, how would you approach this? I'd especially love to hear from folks who have done this sort of thing before, but all thoughts are welcome. Joseph Erhard-Hudson Moscow, Idaho, USA

6 months

Re: Classes for callers?

by Stacy Rose

6 months

Silly (and deliberately ambiguous) dances

by Luke Donforth

Hello all, A comment someone made at a recent dance festival about not liking the current bird language in contra dancing got me thinking about the "Birds Aren't Real" movement, a fake conspiracy theory <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birds_Aren%27t_Real>, with a founder who wants to address the desire for belonging <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VEkzweBJPM> (that I think relates to why we contra dance). Anyway, I decided I should write a dance called "Birds Aren't Real"; and that there should be deliberate ambiguity in the dance. Similar to Schrödinger crossword puzzles <https://blog.brightsprout.com/examples-schrodinger-puzzles/> with multiple solutions <https://www.xwordinfo.com/Quantum>. I'm not saying this is a good dance, or that it should even be danced, I'm saying it was a puzzle that I had fun with while processing, and wanted to share: Birds Aren’t Real by Luke Donforth Contra/Improper A1 ----------- (8) Circle 3/4 (8) Back to Back on the side 1x A2 ----------- (16) Partner balance and swing B1 ----------- (4) Balance the Ring (4) Roll neighbor away across the set (8) Catch and swing partner on the other side of the set B2 ----------- (8) Other Way Circle 3/4 (4) Balance the Ring (4) California Twirl with Partner A circle right in A1 sets up a see-saw, then a balance and swing with your partner in the A2, whereas a circle left in A1 would probably work better with a do-si-do before the balance and swing; hence the back-to-back language. It's a double partner swing, reflecting the unfortunate echo chamber of conspiracy theories. Because the swings are only with your partner, who ends on the left and right doesn't have much impact on the dance, and bird language is optional. But then I wanted a partner and a neighbor swing, and (building on the birbs meme <https://www.audubon.org/news/when-bird-birb-extremely-important-guide>) this fell out: Birbs Aren’t Real by Luke Donforth Contra/Improper A1 ----------- (8) Circle 3/4 (8) Back to Back on the side 1x A2 ----------- (16) Partner balance and swing B1 ----------- (4) Balance the Ring (12) Neighbor swing (middle of the set) B2 ----------- (8) Other Way Circle 3/4 (4) Balance the Ring (4) Turn alone to face new neighbors Again, not one I anticipate calling, but there it is. As Asher Elbein says for Audubon: "*regardless of birb-status—all birds are good."* And much like Peter McIndoe has to break character at the end of his TED talk, I feel I should be explicit about where I stand: I first and foremost want safe and inclusive dance spaces. I prefer the language of Larks and Robins while acknowledging it is not flawless; and am willing to use other terms at the request of the community. Happy Dancing!

6 months

Classes for callers?

by Brian Roberts

Long time dancer, first time caller. Anyone know of any courses / workshops to improve my calling (in person or online)? I'm willing to travel for the right course. (E.g. Meet Me in St Louis had a calling workshop in 2024, but the schedule isn't out yet for 2025.) My wife and I were long-time Boston-area contra dancers who are now trying to bring the tradition to our adopted city in Austria. Almost all the dancers are new, I'm a new caller, and I believe it would help me to attend a class to learn more and get feedback on my technique. Thanks, Brian ---- Bringing contra dance to Graz, Austria https://contradance.at/

6 months

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Contra Callers February 2025