Contra Callers

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4391 discussions

Re: [Callers] "Affective Filters", was: Heys for new dancers

by Greg McKenzie

James wrote: > However, if a dancer asks a specific question such as "Do > we pass by right or left shoulders in the middle?" during > a walk-through, I don't think the caller should refuse > to answer in the dancer's terms. This, I believe, would > create the impression that the caller either didn't actually > know the answer or was disrespecting the dancer or both, > thereby raising the dancer's affective filter and making it > harder, rather than easier, for the caller then to help the > dancer learn a different way to think about things. > "Affective filter." That could be useful. It comes from Krashen's theory of second language acquisition. It describes an anxiety-triggered feeling of incompetence that prevents a student from acquiring new information. As in: "When a caller steps down from the stage when wearing a head mike and follows a novice dancer while gesturing and giving them verbal instructions over the PA system it is likely to raise an affective filter that will make it nearly impossible for the novice dancer to learn the dance." It's a good term to use in discussions here. Just a thought, - Greg McKenzie

13 years, 6 months

Re: [Callers] Heys for new dancers

by John Sweeney

Sometimes I first do a circle mixer such as Lucky Seven which has a Grand Right & Left to the 7th person, or a square with a Grand Right & Left (or Grand Chains as we call them over here in the UK) to get used to the weaving flow of a hey. I heard the expression "swimming through people" from someone and like using it. I find using hands can really help, but then a lot of beginners offer the wrong hand when they turn, so I emphasise that they shouldn't offer a hand when you turn; the person coming out of the set has the right of way and knows which way to go - take the hand they offer you. The momentum from the hand contact usually makes people turn the right way; when you drop the hands then eye contact is great - just keep your eyes on the last person you pass and you will turn the right way. There are a lot more heys than the ones listed earlier: three-person (e.g. #1 man with the two ladies in a Proper dance) occurs in longways sets, and in other formations any number of people can be involved! There are also Ricochet Heys, Tapsalteerie Heys (only one couple doing the ricochet each time), Dolphin Heys and so on. That is why it helps to teach the principles: swim through the people, only turn at the end of the line, use eye contact to turn the right way, loop on the turns to give room for the other people. Happy dancing, John John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802 940 574 http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent

13 years, 6 months

Re: [Callers] Heys for new dancers

by David.Millstone＠valley.net

Donna mentioned Delphiniums and Daisies, which is one I use often when teaching a hey. I'll just mention that the Tanya Rotenberg, author of the dance, strongly prefers dancers in B1 to move directly into a long swing rather than interrupting the flow with a balance. That allemande left in A1 does a nice job of undizzifying the continuous clockwise motion of the swing/circle/allemande R sequence at the end of the dance. David Millstone

13 years, 6 months

Re: [Callers] Heys for new dancers

by Dhuntdancer＠aol.com

I like Delphiniums and Daises to teach the Hey for beginners. I try to introduce the Hey in the third or fourth dance which means that I've already introduced all the other figures in this dance to the dancers so that they only have one new figure to learn. (And the other figures in this dance are easy). I like the ease of having all the dancers facing across the set to begin the hey and that the dancers are anchored by being with their partner at the start and finish of the move. I verbally say "Go across the set, turn around and come back without bumping into anyone." (humorous moment breaks any tension about learning a new figure) And then we walk it through "Ladies cross the set passing each other by the right and pass your neighbor (Gent) by the left, Gents cross the set passing each other by the right and pass your Partner (the Ladies) by the left" and so on. Sometimes I just tell the Gents to follow their partner If they are still having trouble with that then I don't hesitate to do a demo (reminding dancers to only watch one person so they can see the individual's path). I personally don't like to compare the Hey to the Ladies Chain because I've seen men try to Courtesy turn the lady approaching them when hearing it's like the Ladies Chain. Delphiniums and Daises Tanya Rotenberg Improper A1. 8 Neighbor allemande L 1½ 8 Ladies chain to partner A2. 16 Hey (LR, NL, GR, PL) B2. 4,12 Partner balance, & swing B1. 8 Circle L ¾ 8 Neighbor allem R 1½ Donna Hunt In a message dated 2/19/2012 4:03:10 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, holt.e(a)comcast.net writes: Hey all, Can you think of other dances that meet all or most of the criteria that have been listed in this thread, including Dan's, and that are generally good dances for beginners? Thanks for your suggestions, Rickey Holt, Fremont, NH -----Original Message----- From: callers-bounces(a)sharedweight.net [mailto:callers-bounces@sharedweight.net] On Behalf Of Dan Pearl Sent: Sunday, February 19, 2012 3:21 PM To: callers(a)sharedweight.net Subject: Re: [Callers] Heys for new dancers Yes, Flirtation Reel is a lovely dance, but there are a few things about it which make it a bit less than ideal for dancers' first exposure to heys. First, the transition from the up-the-center to the hey provides no momentum/flow guidance about which shoulder to pass to start the hey. For the first hey dance, I'd prefer one with stronger flow at the moment of initiation. Second, the series of passes (NR, 2's L, Same sex R, 1's L, etc.) is not only different from most heys (which have same-sex in the center [because they are equal dances]), but the series of passes seems to be a bit harder to grasp in the same way that the differing roles of unequal dances bumps up the complexity of the sequence a bit. For my money, a hey dance that satisfies my requirements is a modified "Roll in the Hey". The original is: A1 circle left; swing neighbour A2 circle left three quarters; swing partner B1 long lines go forward and back; half ladies chain across B2 hey for four, ladies pass right to start Lately, I have been calling it A1 Dosido neighbor; swing neighbor. This is much more forgiving than the Hey/Circle (full) left combination. This dance features a Ladies Chain immediately before the hey, and the women's track is essentially the same as the hey. I use this similarity when I walk through the dance. Dan _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)sharedweight.net http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)sharedweight.net http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers

13 years, 6 months

Re: [Callers] Tripled Chestnuts?

by David.Millstone＠valley.net

As the caller for the chestnuts session, I simply should have broken the long lines for all the dances in half, as we did with Money Musk, the next to last dance. With that dance, we were able to get everyone to be an active couple. I was impressed with the relative ease at which this setting up the sets took place; last year, we used small orange cones-- thank you, Linda Leslie-- to make a separation between the top set and the bottom set in a line, but dancers managed to create a space with no visible marker, and hold on to that separation. I should have done that with the other dances, too. It would have made it possible for everyone to be active without resorting to the solution that Luke suggests. Lesson learned. Notorious played some terrific music for the session. I was struck with the final times through Hull's Victory, where the band went from key of D to Eb to E to F. Whew! For those interested, we danced: Petronella Rory O'More Hull's Victory Morning Star Money Musk Chorus Jig David Millstone

13 years, 6 months

Re: [Callers] Tripled Chestnuts?

by David.Millstone＠VALLEY.NET

--- Beth wrote: The key to not having the sets re-merge is to make sure that the first set has an odd number of couples in it. --- end of quote --- True, if the dance is a duple minor; I don't think that's the case, though, for triple minor dances: Money Musk, Sackett's Harbor, British Sorrow, Market Lass, Jamie Allen, Careless Sally, Doubtful Shepherd, older versions of Lamplighter's HP, and so on. For duple minor dances, in conditions such as the packed floor at the Dance Flurry, it might be possible with the assistance of a few skilled floor managers to set up long lines, have dancers take hands four, break the sets midway down the hall, and then bring the last couple from the far end of each set in the back of the hall to become last couple in the front set, still maintaining that wide alley between the sets. David Millstone

13 years, 6 months

Tripled Chestnuts?

by Luke Donforth

Hello all, I've just returned from the Flurry, where among other wonderful things, I got to dance a Cracking Chestnut's session. I was struck by the constant need to shorten the sets and make more sets. The Chestnuts are popular. Even using the width of the hall, I know there were some 2s that never became 1s for some dances. Several of the Chestnuts end with a Right and Left across and back. If you changed that to a pass through, with new neighbor courtesy turn; pass through, with new new neighbor courtesy turn; you'd add two more progressions to the dance, moving dancers up and down the hall much more quickly. Adding a new move to a Chestnut might seem the most egregious of anachronisms, and/or it might help dancers enjoy them when the sets are long. I imagine the idea of adding progressions to Chestnuts is not new. Is it important to dance the Chestnut as close to form as possible, and any deviation defeats the purpose? Or is the joy of Chestnuts the time-tested match of moves with tune? I'd really like to hear others thoughts. Thanks -- Luke Donforth Luke.Donforth(a)gmail.com <Luke.Donev(a)gmail.com> www.lukedonev.com

13 years, 6 months

Re: [Callers] Foreshortened Hold for a Swing

by John Sweeney

Read said "Perhaps I'm not picturing this correctly, but anything that encourages dancers to give weight with the outstretched arm is something I would discourage. When I teach the swing, I go out of my way to teach that the outstretched hand is purely decorative, that you're not giving any weight there." Perhaps looking at the picture will help. You can find it at http://www.amazon.com/Zesty-Contras-Selection-Provocative-Explanatory/dp /images/B00072379M Click on the picture a couple of times and wait for it to load the higher resolution version and you can see it clearly. The arms that would normally be outstretched are NOT outstretched! No, you don't give weight there. You should keep your own balance in a swing. Centrifugal force is what generates pressure against the areas of connection - primarily the man's right hand on the lady's left shoulder-blade. Having the connection at each other's elbows provides another area where the centrifugal force can be resolved. It is very comfortable and very easy to swing faster in this hold. Happy dancing, John John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802 940 574 http://www.modernjive.com for Modern Jive Events, Instructional DVDs and Interactive Maps http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent

13 years, 6 months

Re: [Callers] Foreshortened Hold for a Swing

by David.Millstone＠valley.net

I'm with John Sweeney. I love to swing in more-or-less the position that is depicted on the Zesty Contras cover. I'd encourage the women not to rest their hand where it's shown in that illustration, though; a better place in most situations is somewhere in the vicinity of my right shoulder blade, so that the woman's left hand and arm are supporting herself as much as my outstretched right ones. I keep my left thumb closer to my other fingers, too, to avoid a death grip squeezing on my partner's right arm. I love this swing for many reasons. With our joined arms, we can make a small circle and I like the rounded feeling. Also, as Larry Jennings pointed out, such a swing is much better for crowded halls; your outstretched arms won't smash into someone else (or be smashed into), you're taking up less space, and that circle of arms and bodies that you make is sort of a protected zone that you and your partner inhabit. David Millstone Lebanon, NH

13 years, 6 months

Foreshortened Hold for a Swing

by John Sweeney

When I learnt contra dancing (after 30 years of dancing other forms of traditional dancing) I was shown the swing hold from "Zesty Contras" - depicted on the cover and described on page 15 as "a modified ballroom position with the man's left hand near the woman's right elbow as shown in the "Zesty Contras" logo". I would describe it more as the man's left hand cupping the lady's right elbow, with the lady's arm lying on the man's arm, and her hand curving round his upper arm just above the elbow. I find it an excellent way to swing because: - it brings you closer together - it reduces the angle between your bodies and makes it easier to look at each other - it provides more support for the lady by holding her elbow - it takes up less room on a crowded dance-floor I just spent a weekend in America dancing with 350 people. I use this hold all the time in a standard swing, but when I initiated this hold most of the ladies didn't seem to know where to put their arm and hand. When I watched other dancers I didn't see anyone else doing it. Can anyone tell me why this wonderful hold, which appears to have been the standard 30 years ago, has virtually disappeared? Thanks, Happy dancing, John John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802 940 574 http://www.contrafusion.co.uk <http://www.contrafusion.co.uk/> for Dancing in Kent

13 years, 6 months

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