Contra Callers

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21 participants
4391 discussions

by Hilton Baxter

Is there a compilation (online or printed) of birthdays, anniversaries of notable events, death dates, etc. related to contradance, notable contra choreographers and musicians, dance series, and so on? There are such resources for general events, classical music, and other categories. If there isn't already one for contradance, English country dance and related traditions, it would be interesting to start one. Hilton Baxter

12 years, 11 months

Storage solutions for dance cards

by tavi merrill

Hi neighbors, partners, and peers, On a quest to deepen my bench of dances, my collection has much outgrown the handy little recipe box i store them in. Shopping around i find that the majority of boxes for 3x5 cards only hold 250-350. I'm wondering what sorts of nifty 3x5 storage solutions - durable, portable, and at least a little bit classy - other callers have come up with... and where you might have found 'em. thanks for sharing the weight! tavi merrill

12 years, 11 months

Wanna teach polka (and maybe call one dance) at Harvard Divinity School next Friday afternoon for free?

by Alan Winston

Boston-Area callers: Harvard Divinity School has an annual Oktoberfest where a professor's German band plays mostly polkas for two hours. I have a dancing friend from California now attending HDS, and she's bummed that nobody knows how to polka so there's never any dancing, and is hoping to scare up somebody who can come and give a quick lesson to give people confidence to get up and dance. (I asked if that person could maybe lead a country dance to polka music too and she says fine.) There's no funding, so the pay is in beer, sausages, pretzels, and karma. It's on the Harvard Campus, October 19. The whole event is 3-5 pm, and I assume a half-hour polka lesson is most useful at the beginning. If interested get in touch with me and I'll pass your info on to my friend. Thanks! -- Alan

12 years, 11 months

Re: [Callers] Storage solutions for dance cards

by colin＠colinhume.com

I got up to 5 boxes of 3 x 5 cards, decided that was getting silly, and bought a briefcase such as you can see at http://tinyurl.com/9nug8o7 I put in two cardboard dividers to make three columns and it will take all 2,500 cards plus microphone, cough sweets, Ibuprofen and anything else I need! Now my eyes have got to the stage where I need glasses to read the cards, and then I can't see the dancers. So now I use a lap-top with my Dance Organiser program which you can download from http://www.colinhume.com/download.htm - it has a full-screen option which is what I need when I'm calling. Colin Hume -------------------------------------------------------------------- mail2web - Check your email from the web at http://link.mail2web.com/mail2web

12 years, 11 months

How to not contra dance safely

by Tepfer, Seth

Does anyone remember a booklet/flyer entitled "How to not contra dance safely?" Anyone have an electronic copy floating around you could pass on? Seth Tepfer Director of Administrative Computing Oxford College 770-784-8487 seth.tepfer(a)emory.edu ________________________________ This e-mail message (including any attachments) is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this message (including any attachments) is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please contact the sender by reply e-mail message and destroy all copies of the original message (including attachments).

12 years, 11 months

Rochester Contradance

by bobfab＠aol.com

Hi All, I have been asked to take responsibility for booking bands and callers for our great Weekly Thursday Night dance in Rochester, NY, for 2013. If any of you are looking to be in the Finger Lakes area, please let me know -- our schedule for next year is virtually blank. We are situated for a nice little tour of Fredonia, Buffalo, Syracuse, Ithaca, and some Southern Tier dances on Friday and Saturday nights and even another Sunday English dance. Please contact me directly so we don't fill up the forum with scheduling details... bobfab(a)aol.com

12 years, 11 months

Square Dance History Project launches website

by David.Millstone＠valley.net

[apologies for duplicate postings. We're trying to spread the word as widely as possible. Please share this news and the link with others who might be interested.] David Millstone Square Dance History Project Launches New Website A group of square dance enthusiasts has launched a digital library and website (SquareDanceHistory.org) that takes a broad look at square dancing now as well as the historical antecedents of today's squares. The project's primary focus is to collect good examples of moving images--more than 400 videos so far--that document square dancing in its many forms. This includes New England dosido and western docey-do, barn dances and hoedowns, stately quadrilles and rip-roarin' squares of the 1950s, as well as modern square dance programs from Mainstream to Challenge. The site also includes interviews, text, photographs, audio files, and much more. Among the many treats awaiting you: * Rare footage of the Lloyd Shaw's Cheyenne Mountain Dancers, plus a black and white silent film (1955) showing square dances in Central City, Colorado * A set of 100 high-definition videos filmed at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC, with six nationally-known square dance callers * 25 additional videotaped interviews with those callers, plus videotaped interviews with Kathy Anderson and Sandy Bradley * More than 150 items related to MWSD, including an article by Jim Mayo looking at the early years, illustrated with live recordings from the 1940s and 1950s * Elizabeth Burchenal's silent footage of southern Appalachian mountain squares from the early 1930s * A curated assortment of videos showing dancing from Newfoundland and Quebec to the American Southwest * Exhibits showcasing items in the collection, on such diverse topics as the pioneering work of Lloyd Shaw in Colorado to an in-depth look at dances from Maryland Line, Virginia The site is a work in progress, and additional material will be added regularly to the collection. The home page offers a way to contribute additional items; the organizers are especially interested in locating home movie footage from decades past. Financial support for the project comes from Country Dance and Song Society, CALLERLAB, the Lloyd Shaw Foundation, and Arts-Dance - Alliance of Round, Traditional, and Square-Dance. CDSS has also announced the release of a CD-ROM of the Dare to be Square mega-event held November 18-20, 29011 at the John C. Campbell Folk School, Brasstown, NC with callers Bob Dalsemer, Larry Edelman, Phil Jamison, Bill Litchman, Jim Mayo, and Tony Parkes. Contains page PDF with transcription of all 80 dances taught at the weekend, plus teaching, and discussions. CD with 158 cuts, and 10.2 hours of content, both walkthroughs and calling for all dances taught at the weekend. Available for pre-order from the CDSS Store http://www.cdss.org/product-details/product/dare-to-be-square-syllabus-pre-…

12 years, 11 months

ONS Squares from Beth

by Jerome Grisanti

Beth, I enjoyed picturing all those squares you shared -- sure sounds like a fun program. I do have a question about Kitchen Lancers. Since you indicated well-phrased New Englandy tunes, does that break evenly into an AABB structure? If so, can you indicate those phrases? I also presume that after the sides jump in, the formation resembles a longways proper set as for Virginia Reel. Is the sliding across the hall (couples), or up and down the hall (lines)? Kitchen Lancers - well phrased New Englandy tunes First couple promenade inside the square, face out Sides jump in behind the ones into lines. Forward & Back Slide right & left Lady one lead the line of ladies around the line of gents Gent one lead the line of gents around the line of ladies Face partner, lines go BACK and forward Swing partner home to place in square All forward & back twice -- Jerome Grisanti 660-528-0858 http://www.jeromegrisanti.com For the good are always the merry, Save by an evil chance, And the merry love the fiddle And the merry love to dance. ~ William Butler Yeats

12 years, 11 months

Re: [Callers] ONS Squares

by Martha Wild

Birdie in the Cage is an easy one. I tell couples to choose who is the birdie and who is the crow, then I don't care what genders they are or if they open up with the woman on the right, and the calls are all "birdie in the cage, birdie hop out and crow hop in" anyway. I do a break figure where I call "crows" (or birdies) to the center with a right hand star, back by the left, see your partner do-si-do, swing (elbow or two hand turn if regular swing is too complicated), promenade around. If I have five couples that want to dance, I just do it with a five couple "square", have them number themselves 1-5, and it all works. Martha On Sep 23, 2012, at 10:10 PM, callers-request(a)sharedweight.net wrote: > Send Callers mailing list submissions to > callers(a)sharedweight.net > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > callers-request(a)sharedweight.net > > You can reach the person managing the list at > callers-owner(a)sharedweight.net > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Callers digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Re: Quiet or am I no longer getting posts? (Robert Livingston) > 2. Re: Hmmm (Kalia Kliban) > 3. Re: Hmmm (James Saxe) > 4. Re: Quiet or am I no longer getting posts? (James Saxe) > 5. ONS Squares from Beth (Jerome Grisanti) > 6. Re: ONS Squares from Beth (James Saxe) > 7. Re: ONS Squares from Beth (James Saxe) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2012 09:03:12 -0700 (PDT) > From: Robert Livingston <rlivngstn(a)yahoo.com> > To: "callers(a)sharedweight.net" <callers(a)sharedweight.net> > Subject: Re: [Callers] Quiet or am I no longer getting posts? > Message-ID: > <1348416192.54369.YahooMailNeo(a)web112605.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 > > Lots of circle lefts, forward & backs and? promenades as you would in a circle dance > Single active couple; out to the right and circle 4 - leave that couple (important that you say this) > on to the next and circle 4, etc? All home with forward and back and/or promenades.? Use fiddle tunes or simple songs: Red River Valley, You Are My Sunshine > All forward and back, ladies (gents) center back to back, gents go right single file. goin' wrong, other way back.? Swing corner, whatever;? Use fiddle tunes, maybe Comin' Round the Mtn. > > Last night at a wedding reception: 1st couple back to back separate around the outside of the set? (could swing each other as they pass half-way round)? All the way around swing into the center while we circle 6 hands around? All home swing and promenade.? Fiddle tune or Wabash Cannonball, something like that. > > Also did Little Sisters Make a Ring - added the men using arm turn/stars rather than a circle (rings) > in the center > > Buffalo Gals / Marching Through Georgia / Cage the Bird, 7 Hands round / Grapevine Twist > A simple Forward 6 - all F& B, head or side gents bring back the ladies held in each hand - do something simple here, not right hand high left hand under. > > Using heads or sides, make up your own quadrille but rather than using chains, do something like heads forward, gents bring back opposite lady, or gents cross to swing. > > > Cutaway dances 6-4-2 - Dancers with one couple is working and no partner changes are good. > > Grand right and left without allemandes. > > Lots of circle lefts, forward and backs and promenades; show 2 hand swings (a swing is just a 2 person circle left for all ages)? if the dancers are getting disorientated and jumpy with elbow swings. > > The bonding can be deeper between couples in a square set - you can't drop out - you are recognized individually and as being responsible to the rest - so you pull for each other.? I'm glad to see squares getting more attention in Country Dance. > > Bob Livingston > Middletown, CT > > > > > > > > ________________________________ > From: Delia Clark <deliaclark8(a)gmail.com> > To: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net> > Sent: Sunday, September 23, 2012 10:03 AM > Subject: Re: [Callers] Quiet or am I no longer getting posts? > > Which squares did you do?? I find that some of my squares fall apart as easily as duple minors with new dancers, but it may just be my calling :-)? My stand-bys for less experienced dancers are: Simple Square, Cumberland Square 8 and Redwing.? Can you recommend others?! > > > On Sep 23, 2012, at 9:58 AM, beth(a)hands4.com wrote: > >> I have not seen a post on this list since May. I'm wondering if I have been dropped or are you all just being very quiet? Or is something else going on? >> >> To keep this on topic just in case it gets posted: I had a wonderful one nighter last night. Three squares in a large garage. All circles and squares and the Virginia Reel. I would never try to do a duple minor at an event like that. The group was very, very happy. Squares rule! >> >> Beth Parkes >> <winmail.dat>_______________________________________________ >> Callers mailing list >> Callers(a)sharedweight.net >> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers > > > <>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<> > > Delia Clark > PO Box 45 > Taftsville, VT 05073 > 802-457-2075 > deliaclark8(a)gmail.com > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > Callers(a)sharedweight.net > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2012 09:19:42 -0700 > From: Kalia Kliban <kalia(a)sbcglobal.net> > To: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net> > Subject: Re: [Callers] Hmmm > Message-ID: <505F369E.3050509(a)sbcglobal.net> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed > > On 9/23/2012 8:10 AM, beth(a)hands4.com wrote: >> I just noticed that I have gotten lots of messages this late summer/fall. But it has been quiet for the last couple of weeks. Sorry to mislead on my original post. >> Beth > > I know what you mean though, it was awfully quiet for a while. I > noticed it too. > > Kalia > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 3 > Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2012 12:13:02 -0700 > From: James Saxe <jim.saxe(a)gmail.com> > To: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net> > Subject: Re: [Callers] Hmmm > Message-ID: <EC04F764-79A8-49AC-B112-8F4F491C93A6(a)gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes > > If anyone ever wonders whether their mail from (or to) > this group--the SharedWeight callers forum--isn't getting > through, one way to check would be to look at the archive > > http://www.sharedweight.net/pipermail/callers/ > > and see whether the latest archived messages have reached > your inbox (or whether the last messages you've sent have > been archived). > > It's also easy to navigate from the SharedWeight home page > to the archives for the other SW forums. > > --Jim > > On Sep 23, 2012, at 9:19 AM, Kalia Kliban wrote: > >> On 9/23/2012 8:10 AM, beth(a)hands4.com wrote: >>> I just noticed that I have gotten lots of messages this late summer/ >>> fall. But it has been quiet for the last couple of weeks. Sorry to >>> mislead on my original post. >>> Beth >> >> I know what you mean though, it was awfully quiet for a while. I >> noticed it too. >> >> Kalia >> _______________________________________________ >> Callers mailing list >> Callers(a)sharedweight.net >> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 4 > Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2012 14:15:43 -0700 > From: James Saxe <jim.saxe(a)gmail.com> > To: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net> > Subject: Re: [Callers] Quiet or am I no longer getting posts? > Message-ID: <EC7C10F7-7F85-4C63-9D2B-CB2A8C18CD78(a)gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes > > On Sep 23, 2012, at 8:05 AM, beth(a)hands4.com wrote: > >> Here's my program for last night: >> >> ... >> >> Since private party dances are first and foremost a party, the >> breaks are longer than at other dances, and the dancing shorter. .... > > I'd be interested in hearing what Beth, or anyone else, does > to get people back onto the floor after a break (or at the > beginning of the dancing) at ONS events. > > * * * * * * * * * * * * > > One of the few ONS gigs I've called was a company party where > the band's repertoire included songs as well as dance music. > The format for the event, announced well in advance, was dinner > followed by dancing. I don't recall whether the dancing was > described as "square" dancing, "barn dance" or what, but I'm > pretty sure people were expecting some kind of dancing with > a caller/teacher/leader, not jut a band playing current popular > music that they could bop around to. > > Anyway, when people were pretty much finished with dinner, the > band started with a song. This helped get people's attention > and let them know that the dancing was about to start. (There > might also have been some announcement by someone from the > company before or after the song.) Then we did two or three > dances, and took a break for a few minutes. I decided that > starting with a song had worked well, and the band had more > songs that they were interested in playing, so we followed > the same pattern for the rest of the evening, using a song to > mark the end of each break and the start of the next set of > dances. > > The pattern of song, dances, break, song, dances break, ... > seemed to work very nicely on that particular occasion. I > don't have enough experience with ONS gigs to say when and > would or wouldn't be good in general. Obviously, it wouldn't > work with a non-singing band. Also, I think the songs helped > connect the band and the attendees in ways that would have been > irrelevant for an event where the caller was using recorded > music. > > * * * * * * * * * * * * > > One topic I've always discussed with event organizers before > taking on a ONS gig is whether the organizer is committed to > helping get people onto the dance floor, including by getting > onto the floor him/herself and also by making sure that the > dance aspect of the event is well publicized in advance > (including, btw, the fact that it's a kind of dancing where > high heels are strongly discouraged). > > * * * * * * * * * * * * > > At weddings, a grand march led by the bride and groom (with > caller and a partner as the couple just behind) can be an > effective way to gather people for dancing. You can meander > around past all the tables, etc. and people will see a that > there's something going on that (a) involves the wedding couple > and (b) is clearly simple enough for everyone to join in. Once > you've got a nice long parade of couples, you can lead them > around into a circle and--poof!--you're set up for a simple > circle dance. > > One word of caution, though. The first time I did this, the > band (an Irish band that I hadn't worked with before, hired > by the wedding couple) played rahhther faster than I was > expecting for the circle dance (a mixer), and it didn't seem > as if slowing them down on the fly was going to be a happening > thing. I noticed an older woman (perhaps an aunt of the bride > or groom?) who looked like she might be tiring and wanting to > drop out, but not doing so lest she abandon her partner of the > moment. I was just about to signal the band to go out when a > woman on the sidelines also noticed and stepped in to take the > place of the tiring dancer. So I let the dance run a few more > rounds (still not as long as I'd have run it, even for a > "non-dancer" crowd, if the tempo were more moderate), before > stopping. And then I talked with the band about keeping the > tempo more moderate for the remaining dances. > > --Jim > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 5 > Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2012 22:24:38 -0500 > From: Jerome Grisanti <jerome.grisanti(a)gmail.com> > To: callers(a)sharedweight.net > Subject: [Callers] ONS Squares from Beth > Message-ID: > <CAD6SnUTG3gHgjF7mNhuTTw=pwW-TkEB4PioSRM1eEJFnGTRUgw(a)mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 > > Beth, > > I enjoyed picturing all those squares you shared -- sure sounds like a fun > program. I do have a question about Kitchen Lancers. Since you indicated > well-phrased New Englandy tunes, does that break evenly into an AABB > structure? If so, can you indicate those phrases? I also presume that after > the sides jump in, the formation resembles a longways proper set as for > Virginia Reel. Is the sliding across the hall (couples), or up and down the > hall (lines)? > > Kitchen Lancers - well phrased New Englandy tunes > > First couple promenade inside the square, face out > Sides jump in behind the ones into lines. > Forward & Back > Slide right & left > Lady one lead the line of ladies around the line of gents > Gent one lead the line of gents around the line of ladies > Face partner, lines go BACK and forward > Swing partner home to place in square > All forward & back twice > > > -- > Jerome Grisanti > 660-528-0858 > http://www.jeromegrisanti.com > > For the good are always the merry, > Save by an evil chance, > And the merry love the fiddle > And the merry love to dance. ~ William Butler Yeats > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 6 > Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2012 22:07:05 -0700 > From: James Saxe <jim.saxe(a)gmail.com> > To: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net> > Subject: Re: [Callers] ONS Squares from Beth > Message-ID: <71C345BE-06DB-439B-A47A-82374D8CD556(a)gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed > > On Sep 23, 2012, at 8:24 PM, Jerome Grisanti wrote: > >> Beth, >> >> I enjoyed picturing all those squares you shared -- ... > > I enjoyed seeing the descriptions of Beth's squares also, > and I have different question for Beth than Jerome had. > > Beth, you described the square "Ladies Chain" (named after > a featured figure) as a "quasi-singing call" and you described > "Heads Arch" as done "with Midwestern patter calling" but your > descriptions of both dances simply state the choreography > without giving the calls. Could you share the "quasi-singing" > words you use for "Ladies Chain" and the patter you use for > "Heads Arch"? If so, it could be helpful if you would also > give some indication of the timing, for example by writing out > the calls 4 or 8 beats to a line with black lines lines > separating 8-bar or 16-bar chunks. > > I recognize that call timing can sometimes involve syncopations > or other nuances that are very hard to communicate in print > without the aid of an audio recording. I also recognize that > any caller who wanted to use one of these dances would have the > responsibility of adapting the calls, if necessary, to a form > that he or she could deliver comfortably and effectively to > dancers present. But I'd still be interesting in seeing call > lines that you might use. > > --Jim > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 7 > Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2012 22:10:44 -0700 > From: James Saxe <jim.saxe(a)gmail.com> > To: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net> > Subject: Re: [Callers] ONS Squares from Beth > Message-ID: <9934B32B-D776-46A6-9D14-513ABA68A76D(a)gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed > > On Sep 23, 2012, at 10:07 PM, I (Jim Saxe) wrote: > >> ... some indication of the timing, for example by writing out >> the calls 4 or 8 beats to a line with black lines lines >> separating 8-bar or 16-bar chunks. > > Ooops. The words "black lines lines" should have read > "blank lines". > > --Jim > > > > ------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > Callers(a)sharedweight.net > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers > > > End of Callers Digest, Vol 97, Issue 13 > ***************************************

12 years, 11 months

Hmmm

by beth＠hands4.com

I just noticed that I have gotten lots of messages this late summer/fall. But it has been quiet for the last couple of weeks. Sorry to mislead on my original post. Beth

12 years, 11 months

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