Martha wrote:
>But you are right. I'm not aware of any regularly scheduled dances for
>basically non-dancers, unless you count Family dances. But a Family dance
>that goes on for a while begins to resemble a contra dance - those darn kids
>learn so fast!
Since my first contra dance I have considered contras to be:
"...regularly scheduled dances for basically non dancers...." This
perception is based upon the fact that there are no separate lessons,
and the events are open to the public. I understand that "barn
dances," might fit this definition more closely. Still, I think
contras are as close as we come to this definition in this
country. More to the point, this might be the best frame from which
callers can view these events. It would certainly place the task of
integrating first-timers into the dance event at the forefront of the
caller's job.
I consider contra dances to be, primarily, social events. The contra
dance form is used because it is so effective at sweeping in
newcomers. Once you begin to re-frame a contra dance as an open
public social event...the task of the caller changes and, I believe,
the event becomes more fun for everyone.
Just a thought.
- Greg
Hi Martha,
You said "Wouldn't it follow that sometimes some of the 1.5
square yards will have to be wasted if the width isn't a multiple of 10
feet (for contra) or 15 feet (for English)?"
Absolutely, it is just a quick rule of thumb to get an idea
of the capacity of a hall, i.e, No you can't get 150 people doing a
dance at the same time!
I susepct a wedding party will be happy to squeeze two lines
into that space, especially if you can push the chairs back a bit to
make it slightly bigger.
And of course, for a wedding party, I wouldn't be calling
modern American contras, or what you call English Country Dancing
(Playford-style). I would be selecting simple barn dances such as you
will find at:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/greenery/BarnDances/http://www.mts.net/~jinks%20/fd/menu.htmhttp://www.ceilidhcalling.co.uk/dancelist.php
I'm not sure if you do this sort of stuff much in America;
when I visit I only ever seem to find contra and ECD (which is fine, as
I love both). But here in England there is a whole other stream of
social folk dance known as Barn Dance or Ceilidh.
Hope that helps.
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
Contra Dancing in Kent
I thought I had heard about Bob doing DTBS in Brasstown. I might just have to take a trip there - it's only been 20 years since I was last there. Thanks, David!
-----Original Message-----
>From: David Millstone <David.Millstone(a)valley.net>
>Sent: Jun 17, 2010 3:15 PM
>To: suzanneg(a)wolfenet.com, callers(a)sharedweight.net
>Cc: Tony Mates <CKittyroo(a)aol.com>
>Subject: Re: [Callers] Dare to Be Square Archive
>
>--- Suzanne Girardot wrote:
>If you are curious about DTBS, we will be having another DTBS weekend in Seattle
>on November 4-7.
>--- end of quote ---
>
>And Bob Dalsemer is organizing one for the following year at the John C.
>Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC. Dates are November 18-20, 2011. That's
>the weekend before Thanksgiving. Full details coming soon.
>
>David Millstone
--- Suzanne Girardot wrote:
If you are curious about DTBS, we will be having another DTBS weekend in Seattle
on November 4-7.
--- end of quote ---
And Bob Dalsemer is organizing one for the following year at the John C.
Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC. Dates are November 18-20, 2011. That's
the weekend before Thanksgiving. Full details coming soon.
David Millstone
Thanks, David, for filling in the blanks on those dances. I know that Tony Mates is out of town right now, and would have provided names if he knew them, so now he can update those videos with the correct dance titles.
This was a huge labor of love by Tony and other volunteers at Dare To Be Square (DTBS), and I really appreciate having such a wonderful archive available for us to refer back to.
If you are curious about DTBS, we will be having another DTBS weekend in Seattle on November 4-7. It is still in the planning stages, but more information can be found at http://www.bubbaguitar.com/d2bs/.
Suzanne
-----Original Message-----
>From: David Millstone <David.Millstone(a)VALLEY.NET>
>Sent: Jun 17, 2010 11:20 AM
>To: callers(a)sharedweight.net
>Subject: Re: [Callers] Dare to Be Square Archive
>
>Jack asked about the two Ted Sannella dances shown here:
>
>> The Dare to be Square 2009 Archive is on the air! Go to
>> http://vimeo.com/ and find the search box, click on "channels" and
>> enter "dtbs". Have a look around.
>
>Both of these dances appear in print in Ted Sannella's book "Swing the Next."
>The first one is "Pass Through and So-si-do," for which Ted suggests the tune
>Ronde de Voyageur. The second one is "Gents Three-Quarter Star," for which Ted
>suggests the tune Brenda Stubbert's Reel, written by Jerry Holland.
>
>For callers on this list who do not already own copies, I highly recommend Ted's
>book and his earlier one, "Balance and Swing." In addition to presenting lots of
>material (contras, squares, triplets) written by Ted as well as by others, the
>books offer excellent tips on how to present each dance, suggested wording of
>calls, notes on challenging transitions... in short, a master class on how to
>present each dance.
>
>Both books are available online from CDSS:
>
>http://www.cdss.org/north-american-dance.html?order_by=&per_page=20&filters…
>at&format=bk&for=sannella&search=
>
>David Millstone
>Lebanon, NH
>_______________________________________________
>Callers mailing list
>Callers(a)sharedweight.net
>http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
I agree with David. My worst calling experience (quite a long time ago) was when I tried to call a contra dance at a wedding. It was not a good choice for me to make. The top couple was drunk, no one had ever done a contra dance before, and it was an unmitigated disaster. Unless it is a contra dance crowd (which it sounds like Joy will not have), I would do the easy, fun dances that David sugests. Many of those types of dances can be done in individual couples, 2-couple sets, circles, or simple longways sets that can accommodate a lot of people.
I also agree with Richard in that the edges of the dance floor can be dangerous. In addition, if people are dancing on or near grass, I would advise anyone with high heels to be quite careful (or take them off).
Another thought about small dance floors is that the people who want to dance will get up first, and when the dance floor is full, the others who are less interested often just stay put, so overcrowding might not happen. Of course, we would love to have everyone get up and dance, but that probably can't happen with a too-small dance floor.
Suzanne Girardot
-----Original Message-----
>From: David Millstone <David.Millstone(a)VALLEY.NET>
>Sent: Jun 17, 2010 12:28 PM
>To: callers(a)sharedweight.net
>Subject: Re: [Callers] dance floor capacity
>
>My aim at such outdoor events is to have as many people participate as possible,
>regardless of the size of the dance floor. In fact, if it's a party of 150-200
>people, and it's going to be under a large tent, I encourage the wedding couple
>not to get a dance floor if ours is the only dancing. Participants at such
>events don't do a buzz step swing; they'll be just as happy to walk/hop around
>their partner with an elbow swing. I'll call simple dances-- rarely any that are
>actual contras in lines-- that allow maximum participation with minimum
>instruction. Having the dance floor in the center can send the wrong message
>that this is only for the few people who can squeeze onto that space.
>
>And if that decision has already been made and there's a floor there, then
>simple longways dances (such as Galopede) can and do extend off the floor
>allowing many more to participate. A Sicilian circle such as Haste to the
>Wedding can go all around the open space in the tent, crossing over the official
>dance floor as needed but not limited to that space.
>
>David Millstone
>Lebanon, NH
>_______________________________________________
>Callers mailing list
>Callers(a)sharedweight.net
>http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
Hi Joy,
We usually plan 1.5 square yards / person. 35 feet x 16
feet = 62 sq.yds. so 40 people will be able to dance comfortably. 60
people is starting to get tight.
Hopefully you can get them to push some of the tables back
when you start dancing, or at least get rid of some of the chairs.
Good luck!
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 Contra Dancing in Kent
My aim at such outdoor events is to have as many people participate as possible,
regardless of the size of the dance floor. In fact, if it's a party of 150-200
people, and it's going to be under a large tent, I encourage the wedding couple
not to get a dance floor if ours is the only dancing. Participants at such
events don't do a buzz step swing; they'll be just as happy to walk/hop around
their partner with an elbow swing. I'll call simple dances-- rarely any that are
actual contras in lines-- that allow maximum participation with minimum
instruction. Having the dance floor in the center can send the wrong message
that this is only for the few people who can squeeze onto that space.
And if that decision has already been made and there's a floor there, then
simple longways dances (such as Galopede) can and do extend off the floor
allowing many more to participate. A Sicilian circle such as Haste to the
Wedding can go all around the open space in the tent, crossing over the official
dance floor as needed but not limited to that space.
David Millstone
Lebanon, NH
A space conundrum for you all.
I'm calling a wedding reception for approx 150-170 guests with a
designated dance dance space of 35 feet x 16 feet. No options for
expanding or last minute venue switches.
(Also note that the band rather than myself was consulted on venue
space. I've seen the diagram, and the space is at least well-used.
The dance space is arranged lengthwise at the end of the large hall
next to the tables. )
How many people (non dancers) would you realistically expect to get
onto this floor at once?
I'm contemplating some circle dances, some scatter mixers and some
longways sets. Maybe a single file spiral around the perimeter of the
room. The guests are mostly non-dancers, occasional contra dancers
and a few Scottish/ceili dancers thrown in for spice. I don't think
I can get all 150+ people into that space at once.
Thoughts? Calculations?
Joy Greenwolfe
Durham, NC
Jack asked about the two Ted Sannella dances shown here:
> The Dare to be Square 2009 Archive is on the air! Go to
> http://vimeo.com/ and find the search box, click on "channels" and
> enter "dtbs". Have a look around.
Both of these dances appear in print in Ted Sannella's book "Swing the Next."
The first one is "Pass Through and So-si-do," for which Ted suggests the tune
Ronde de Voyageur. The second one is "Gents Three-Quarter Star," for which Ted
suggests the tune Brenda Stubbert's Reel, written by Jerry Holland.
For callers on this list who do not already own copies, I highly recommend Ted's
book and his earlier one, "Balance and Swing." In addition to presenting lots of
material (contras, squares, triplets) written by Ted as well as by others, the
books offer excellent tips on how to present each dance, suggested wording of
calls, notes on challenging transitions... in short, a master class on how to
present each dance.
Both books are available online from CDSS:
http://www.cdss.org/north-american-dance.html?order_by=&per_page=20&filters…
at&format=bk&for=sannella&search=
David Millstone
Lebanon, NH
