Silly question of the day: is there some expectation/standard for what a
"Trip to ..." dance contains - other than the words "Trip to" appear in the
title?
<Can you do an initial impromptu lesson that lasts
about 15-20 minutes which then flows gracefully into your first contra
dance?
Woody>
Woody, I was able to ask for a lesson at the start, but will only do it if there are not enough experienced dancers to help. I’m told to expect new dancers rolling in throughout the evening, so we will have to just teach as we go.
Seth, Yes if there are lots of beginners and too few experienced contra dancers, I plan to bring barn dances, mixers for a fun time! I’m calling a family dance earlier in the day and will have a wide selection ready for various possibilities in dancers.
Nick, Yeah, too late to add a 50 minute intro to contra session, but I’ll give them the feedback for next year. I noticed at NEFFA they had an intro session every day. I didn’t notice any intro to contra at FolkLife, but wasn’t looking for it either…..
Jim, Thanks!! Great advice.
Thanks so much everyone !
Claire
Hi everyone.
I?m looking for advice. I?m calling a FFF next Sat and live in SF Bay Area, where the average person has never heard of contra dance. I got advice from Alan Winston, who called the contra dance a couple years ago when it was a 2 day event and the contra was Sunday evening. Now it?s a 1 day festival and the contra is Sat 630-10pm. The other dance that evening is Blues/Fusion, which I expect will have a HUGE crowd. There is also a contra dance about 30 minutes South of the venue and a waltz evening 30 minutes East, so I?m not confident that a bunch of experienced contra dancers will show up. I?m sure some will, as many are also musicians who will be volunteering that day.
I have several very easy contras (low piece count, connected, easy single progression, stays in minor set, etc) and plan to slip in brief reminders during each walk through (since new dancers can join at any time in the 3.5 hours). I?m sharing the contra calling with one person, and there is a caller for a couple squares, and a caller of 3/4 time contras. I don?t know how the eve will be broken down yet, but I?m likely to call 2-3 contras in each half.
It?s in a high school gym, so I know to keep calls short and clear due to acoustics.
I?m wondering about offering a 20 minute lesson before the dance???
Thanks for any advice about free folk festivals (assuming there won?t be a lot of experienced dancer ringers). I?m just back from FolkLife and NEFFA and they are full of experienced contra dancers??
Claire Takemori (SF Bay Area)
Hi everyone.
I’m looking for advice. I’m calling a FFF next Sat and live in SF Bay Area, where the average person has never heard of contra dance. I got advice from Alan Winston, who called the contra dance a couple years ago when it was a 2 day event and the contra was Sunday evening. Now it’s a 1 day festival and the contra is Sat 630-10pm. The other dance that evening is Blues/Fusion, which I expect will have a HUGE crowd. There is also a contra dance about 30 minutes South of the venue and a waltz evening 30 minutes East, so I’m not confident that a bunch of experienced contra dancers will show up. I’m sure some will, as many are also musicians who will be volunteering that day.
I have several very easy contras (low piece count, connected, easy single progression, stays in minor set, etc) and plan to slip in brief reminders during each walk through (since new dancers can join at any time in the 3.5 hours). I’m sharing the contra calling with one person, and there is a caller for a couple squares, and a caller of 3/4 time contras. I don’t know how the eve will be broken down yet, but I’m likely to call 2-3 contras in each half.
It’s in a high school gym, so I know to keep calls short and clear due to acoustics.
I’m wondering about offering a 20 minute lesson before the dance???
Thanks for any advice about free folk festivals (assuming there won’t be a lot of experienced dancer ringers). I’m just back from FolkLife and NEFFA and they are full of experienced contra dancers……
Claire Takemori (SF Bay Area)
So, a while back I was working with a band and they played a tune that was sort of new for them, and the A part was fine, but the B part was unusual anyway, and hard to know where the count was, in particular because they were unfamiliar with it, and I tried to count and call so the dancers could keep going, and it kept coming back together in the A, but falling apart in the B, until things snowballed and the dance completely fell apart. What is the best thing to do or say in a situation like that so that the band doesn’t feel too much as if it is their fault, and the dancers don’t feel it’s their fault? And yes, it’s always the caller’s fault, since I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what the heck was going on with that tune, but the dancers couldn’t find their way in it either. Anyway, back to what to do to make everyone feel a little better after that.
Martha
Ooh tricky - you definitely need to tell the band, maybe point out the odd
phrasing and that you'll need to see if you can find a really good specific
dance for it to work nicely. I'm intrigued as to what the tune is now -
maybe the list can suggest something useful if you let us know?
Bob
On Tue, May 30, 2017 at 10:43 PM, Martha Wild <mawild(a)sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> Next dance was rock solid, and easier, and tune was rock solid. So they
> did redeem themselves. I have listened to a version on line and it has a
> WEIRD B part - it is nominally 16 counts but the emphasis is kind of like
> 6, 6 and 4, and it is weird beyond belief. How do I ask them to never play
> it for me again?
>
> On May 30, 2017, at 2:38 PM, Bob Morgan <ceilidh.caller.bob(a)gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> In the moment, move right along. Next dance needs to be rock-solid, next
> tune needs to be rock solid. Drop the difficulty through the floor and get
> your dancers dancing again as quickly as possible. Don't dwell and let the
> dancers forget it ever happened.
>
> Afterwards either ask the band to play it for you again if you have time
> and see if you can work it out collectively or just say something on the
> lines of "It's a shame I just couldn't seem to get the hang of tune X, is
> there something unusual about it?" Ideally of course the band will have
> been paying attention and be suitably annoyed at themselves that they
> didn't get it right (the absolute optimal response of course would have
> been for the band to have changed tune).
>
> Bob
>
> On Tue, May 30, 2017 at 10:16 PM, Martha Wild via Callers <
> callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>
>> So, a while back I was working with a band and they played a tune that
>> was sort of new for them, and the A part was fine, but the B part was
>> unusual anyway, and hard to know where the count was, in particular because
>> they were unfamiliar with it, and I tried to count and call so the dancers
>> could keep going, and it kept coming back together in the A, but falling
>> apart in the B, until things snowballed and the dance completely fell
>> apart. What is the best thing to do or say in a situation like that so that
>> the band doesn’t feel too much as if it is their fault, and the dancers
>> don’t feel it’s their fault? And yes, it’s always the caller’s fault, since
>> I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what the heck was going on with
>> that tune, but the dancers couldn’t find their way in it either. Anyway,
>> back to what to do to make everyone feel a little better after that.
>> Martha
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Callers mailing list
>> Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net
>> http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net
>>
>
>
>
Wrote this over the last several months and called it last night in
Charlotte:
Swim at Round Pond, improper
A1 1's in the middle gypsy and swing
A2 Circle left 1x and neighbor swing
B1 Down the hall four in line, turn alone, come back
B2 Neighbor balance, 2's gate 1's down the middle, New neighbor mirror
do si do
The dance ends up being a bit on the ECD side. It was written in honor
of my literally hot week at the CDSS Pinewoods Camp last summer. I took
many swims at Round Pond right outside Nonesuch cabin.
Stephanie Marie
I wrote this earlier this month, and got to give it a national debut at
Catapult Showcase 2017 last night during by set with Tempest (awesome!)
Pete's Dark Roast by Andy Shore May 2017
Becket
A1 -----------
(8) Men allemande Left 1.5x
(8) Neighbor swing
A2 -----------
(8) Promenade across = face partner across
(8) Mad Robin - Women passing in front
B1 -----------
(4,4) Partner RH Balance and Box the Gnat
(8) Right & left through - COURTESY TURN SOMEONE NEW*
B2 -----------
(8) Women Do-si-do 1.5x
(8) Partner swing
Notes: when out with partner - cross over and get in with the balance & box
the gnat
(or just wait to turn/be turned)
* note that courtesy turn is with your new neighbor
this is the progression
It looks simple but the surprise factor of the R&L thru can be challenging.
The fact that there are 2 courtesy turning actions both ending facing
partner (promenade & R&L thru) add to the difficulty.
ENJOY!
Andy Shore
http://site.andyshore.com
Hi, I’ve recently written two dances. Both have been tested and called at regular contra dances (one in England, one in California!) to positive feedback from the dancers. I’m running it by the caller’s gauntlet to see if anyone knows if these dances have already been written. Please let me know if you’ve seen them before. Thanks! I’m also adding a couple of other simple dances that I wrote specifically to introduce a some figures in an easy way when I have many beginners. They aren’t fancy dances and I don’t usually announce the names of these dances but since I include my programs in my website, I thought I should probably give correct attribution if the dance has already been written. Thanks for any help!
Jacqui Grennan
A Stroll in the Hey
by Jacqui Grennan
Contra/Becket-CW
A1 -----------
(8) Gents allemande Left 1-1/2
(8) N Sw
A2 -----------
(8) LL F&B to P
(8) Ladies Chain to P, extra courtesy turn
B1 -----------
(8) w/P, Promenade the set clockwise, ladies in the middle, turn as couples
(8) Return promenade, go PAST current Ns <=PROGRESSION
B2 -----------
(8) 1/2 hey (NEW gents start passing left, NR, ladies L)
(8) P Sw
Zag It Back
by Jacqui Grennan
Contra/Becket-CW
A1 -----------
(8) w/P, slice on left diagonal, fall straight back <=PROGRESSION
(8) Ladies allemande Right 1-1/2
A2 -----------
(16) N B&Sw
B1 -----------
(Note: loose timing in the B1)
(8) Circle Left 3/4
(3,3) w/N, zig left, zag right to your shadows
(2) Shadow L allem. 1x
B2 -----------
(16) P B&Sw
Starlet
by Jacqui Grennan
Contra/Improper
A1 -----------
(8) N Allem. RIGHT 1x
(8) Ladies allemande LEFT 1-1/2
A2 -----------
(16) P gypsy R/Sw
B1 -----------
(6) Circle Left 3/4
(10) N Sw
B2 -----------
(8) LL F&B to P
(8) Star Left 1x <=PROGRESSION
Line Up the Square
by Jacqui Grennan
Contra/Improper/Easy
A1 -----------
(8)N DSD 1x
(8) N Sw
A2 -----------
(4) Balance ring
(12) Give and Take to gents side, P Sw
B1 -----------
(8) Promenade across the Set
(8) Ladies Chain to N
B2 -----------
(8) LL F&B to P
“INTERRUPTED SQUARE THROUGH”
(4) P RH balance across set
(2) Pull by P RH
(2) Pull by N LH
I am putting together a resume/CV with emphasis on my calling and music skills. I would be interested in seeing some models of how this is done, so if anyone is happy to share theirs with me, I would be very grateful
Kind regardsJeanette Jeanette Mill Contra dance caller, musician, workshop facilitatorCanberra, AustraliaPhone: +61 (0)449 686 077 Email: jeanette_mill(a)yahoo.com.au Skype: jeanette.mill "The piano - 88 little mistakes waiting to happen"Kate Barnes
Hey all,
I'm helping a friend out who is experiencing some serious (but
hopefully temporary) stress.
Would anyone be interested in calling a dance in Prov RI on Fri June
16? There may be other dates available at this series in the future,
for interested parties.
We are hoping to expand our go to list, so if you are up for some
travel and/or visiting area friends/family, this might be a good
dovetail.
We can provide a very comfortable couch (where many notable contra
personalities have spent a night, and don't worry, we are very good
about laundry:-) and at least breakfast the next morning.
Please contact me off list for more details. Thanks.
Virtual group hug,
Paul
