Hi folks -
Great thread; very useful.
Along these same lines, I've been wanting to add singing squares to my contradance eve repertoire, but keep finding either ones too difficult for contradancers to easily enjoy, OR ones aimed at boy scout groups, which they'd likely find dull or too corny. Can you cross-over callers offer suggestions?
Thanks!
Tina
There's a fun "square" for five couples, I'm not sure of its name or
origin. Nice if you have 10 people, so everyone gets to dance. You
might need a good-sized kitchen. It's a good dance for kids,
weddings, and "one-night-stands", too:
Number the couples 1-5 in a circle to start.
All couples circle left.
Number 1 couple into the center and swing, others circle right.
Number 1 couple face the "sides" (all couples stop, square up on the
outside, #1s choose to face a couple - they are now facing one couple
in the square with another behind them)
Dip and dive across the set (Number one's make an arch and the couple
they are facing dives under it, dip and dive across the set)
All back home, face the other sides (Number one's dip and dive with
the couples they didn't yet)
Number 1s swing, all forward and back (Outer couples form a circle
and go forward and back while the 1s swing)
Into the middle and make them stop! (Outer couples go forward and
mash the 1s so that they stop swinging- this is not as dangerous as
it might sound, I've never seen any problem, just a lot of laughter
as everyone presses in)
All join hands and circle left. (The 1s join in the circle - it
really doesn't matter where as long as everyone remembers their number)
Dance repeats with the 2s etc.
Can end with an everyone circle left, and everyone swing.
You could throw in a grand right and left break at some point if you
wanted, but the dance is usually long enough as is.
If anyone knows its name or origin, I'd be interested.
Martha
You can't beat First Night Quadrille by Bob Dalsemer
A1 Heads go forward and back
Heads circle left.
A2 Heads circle right.
Heads star right.
B1 Allemande left corner, grand right and left.
B2 Swing partner and promenade.
Repeat for the sides, the women and the men. Of course if they are
experienced contra dancers, you shouldn't need to walk it through for
the sides, women and men. Part of the fun of this dance is being
surprised.
On Jan 17, 2010, at 12:00 PM, callers-request(a)sharedweight.net wrote:
> Send Callers mailing list submissions to
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> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. squares for house parties of mostly contra dancers? (Jeff
> Kaufman)
> 2. Re: squares for house parties of mostly contra dancers?
> (Alan Winston - SSRL Central Computing)
> 3. Re: squares for house parties of mostly contra dancers?
> (Jeff Kaufman)
> 4. Re: squares for house parties of mostly contra dancers?
> (Jack Mitchell)
> 5. Re: squares for house parties of mostly contra dancers?
> (Richard Allen Fischer)
> 6. Re: squares for house parties of mostly contra dancers?
> (Richard Allen Fischer)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Sat, 16 Jan 2010 21:15:07 -0500
> From: Jeff Kaufman <jeff(a)alum.swarthmore.edu>
> To: Shared Weight <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
> Subject: [Callers] squares for house parties of mostly contra dancers?
> Message-ID: <20100117021507.GA29640(a)melfpelt.swarpa.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> I'm looking for some squares to learn to do at house parties. The
> dancers would probably be contra dancers who haven't done many
> squares, but squares work a lot better in kitchens. Easy stuff that
> wouldn't need to be walked would be best. Looking online (probably
> not in the right places) I'm mostly finding pretty complicated squares
> or ones with lots of easy-for-square-dancer stuff like "separate, go
> around two". Any suggestions?
>
> Jeff
>
Alan Winston - SSRL Central Computing wrote:
>
> Not what you were asking, but if the reason you want to do this is
> space limitations rather than an interest in getting into square
> stuff, why not do triplets? They're aimed at contra dancers
> already, and they take up even less room.
>
Triplets are good too. Squares just allow another two people to
dance in the same kitchen.
Jeff
I too have concerns about the type of music that is played for contra
dances. It's not hard to not see a trend when looking at the last 50
year of contra dance music. What I think happens is that there's
competitiion between bands. If a band want gigs, especially gigs
playing for dance camps, their music has to stand out. So, over the
years the music tends to get wilder and wilder, and at the same time
straying from what the dancers really need.
I peronally know several fiddlers whose only concern is to wow the
dancers. They have absolutely no awareness of what's going on on the
dance floor. They are really not dancers themselves!!!! If there's
good phrasing and a good beat it's often the result of chance.
Likewise, the music at many of the dance camps I've called to often
don't seem to support the dancers which is a shame. I usually enjoy
calling to the 'lowly' workshop bands more than with the featured
act. But the bands that play wild and crazy stuff get the good
gigs. That sends a message to the others for sure.
It is possible to play exciting music and at the same time support
the dances. We all probably know of many musicians who can do this.
I've toyed with the idea of interviewing many of these fine musicians
and making an instructional video. But, would the other musicians
watch it?
The whole thing driving the contra dance revival is the dancers
themselves. Their tastes and inputs are a compass not only for the
music but the choreography as well. I'm thinking that those who
value good solid music are in a minority. The majority of the
dancers like what they hear but may not connect good solid music with
good dancing.
My experience is that folks who have called, played or danced for a
significant amount of time tend to come to this same conclusion about
what makes for good dance music. It's also my experience that some
of our dances and dance camps are run by relatively inexperienced
dancers. So the question is, how to spread some wisdom around?
Tom
On Jan 12, 2010, at 12:00 PM, callers-request(a)sharedweight.net wrote:
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> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
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> than "Re: Contents of Callers digest..."
>
>
> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. Re: Caller's opinions on non-contra music at dances
> (Mark Hillegonds)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Tue, 12 Jan 2010 00:30:56 -0500
> From: "Mark Hillegonds" <mhillegonds(a)comcast.net>
> To: "'Caller's discussion list'" <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
> Subject: Re: [Callers] Caller's opinions on non-contra music at dances
> Message-ID: <008e01ca9348$6b95d3b0$42c17b10$@net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Hi all,
>
> As a dancer with a wide range of musical tastes, I enjoy dancing to
> a wide
> variety of music. As a few of the respondents said, as long as
> there is
> clear phrasing and an appropriate, steady tempo, I'm happy contra
> dancing to
> just about anything. I actually prefer really interesting music
> instead of
> the same tune played the same way at the same volume for the entire
> dance.
>
> As a musician who plays for contra dances, I also enjoy playing a wide
> variety of music. My band ranges from celtic to classical to old-
> timey to
> Eastern European to jazz and blues and swing. We tend to stray
> quite far
> from the original melody. Having said that, as three of the
> members of the
> band are also callers and dancers, we are extremely aware that we
> need to
> clearly define the 8 bar and A1, A2, B1, B2 phrases for the
> dancers. On the
> occasion that we get feedback from dancers that they had to count
> during one
> of our tunes, we assume responsibility for adjusting our playing
> such that
> we restore any missing structure to our tunes.
>
> On the other hand, we've had many dancers say they sometimes forget to
> concentrate on dancing because they so enjoy the music we're
> playing. Even
> though it's a compliment, we try to reserve those moments for our
> concert
> performances and not in dances. People come to a dance to dance
> and not
> listen to us give a concert.
>
> Great conversation.
>
> Mark Hillegonds
> Phone: 734-747-7148
> Cell: 734-756-8441
> Email: mhillegonds(a)comcast.net
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: callers-bounces(a)sharedweight.net
> [mailto:callers-bounces@sharedweight.net] On Behalf Of Marian and
> Parker
> Mann
> Sent: Sunday, January 10, 2010 10:54 PM
> To: callers(a)sharedweight.net
> Subject: [Callers] Caller's opinions on non-contra music at dances
>
> I'm looking for comments on a trend I've noticed in contra music,
> specifically, bands playing music far removed from pieces
> traditionally
> associated with the form. The catalyst was a mid-December dance
> in the
> northwest where "as a special treat" the band shifted to rock music
> during
> the next-to-last contra. The caller had stopped and we were left
> to our own
> devices. The A/B parts and the beat were hard to pick out, and the
> dance
> began breaking down as people had to guess when one move ended and
> another
> began. I was there with a group of experienced dancers and our
> opinions
> were uniformly negative. This was not the only time the band's
> selection of
> tunes was hard to follow, just the most excessive.
>
> Over the last few years I've seen bands play "unusual" music in
> several
> locations across the country and at both regular dance series and
> dance
> weekends. There are some good examples in Youtube (links provided
> offline.) IMHO, contra music is an integral part of the dance,
> cuing on a
> nearly subconscious level the changes between figures. Having to
> concentrate excessively on the timing takes emphasis off both the
> flow of
> the dance and the interaction with fellow dancers.
>
> Part of me can sympathize with the bands. It must be incredibly
> boring for
> talented musicians to play, say, Jefferson Reel over and over. On
> the other
> hand, they are hired to play for dancers, not each other, and some
> of the
> extreme examples smack of self-indulgence.
>
> I assume that essentially all of the members of this list are
> dancers and
> that a number of you are also musicians. I wondered what the group's
> feeling was on this and whether anyone felt it was a positive
> development.
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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> Callers(a)sharedweight.net
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>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
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>
> End of Callers Digest, Vol 65, Issue 8
> **************************************
I'm looking for comments on a trend I've noticed in contra music,
specifically, bands playing music far removed from pieces traditionally
associated with the form. The catalyst was a mid-December dance in the
northwest where "as a special treat" the band shifted to rock music during
the next-to-last contra. The caller had stopped and we were left to our own
devices. The A/B parts and the beat were hard to pick out, and the dance
began breaking down as people had to guess when one move ended and another
began. I was there with a group of experienced dancers and our opinions
were uniformly negative. This was not the only time the band's selection of
tunes was hard to follow, just the most excessive.
Over the last few years I've seen bands play "unusual" music in several
locations across the country and at both regular dance series and dance
weekends. There are some good examples in Youtube (links provided
offline.) IMHO, contra music is an integral part of the dance, cuing on a
nearly subconscious level the changes between figures. Having to
concentrate excessively on the timing takes emphasis off both the flow of
the dance and the interaction with fellow dancers.
Part of me can sympathize with the bands. It must be incredibly boring for
talented musicians to play, say, Jefferson Reel over and over. On the other
hand, they are hired to play for dancers, not each other, and some of the
extreme examples smack of self-indulgence.
I assume that essentially all of the members of this list are dancers and
that a number of you are also musicians. I wondered what the group's
feeling was on this and whether anyone felt it was a positive development.
Some years ago, I saw a website that was meant to help you figure out
whether a dance worked or not. You could plug in the moves, and little
colored dots or squares would move, "dancing" the figures.
Does anyone know about this? There are some students at the University
of Chicago who want to do a physics project about contra dancing, and
this would be useful to them.
Thanks.
Jo Mortland
Chicago
Hi Callers,
Are any of the rest of you getting this SPAM message? I know it's SPAM
because I've received several of them with almost the same wording though
different stories. Are dance teachers considered an easy mark for Spammers?
Lisa
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Owen Goldman <owengoldman(a)ymail.com>
Date: Wed, Jan 6, 2010 at 2:13 PM
Subject: Inquiry
To:
Greetings,
I found your info while i was searching for a professional dance
teacher/studio.how ever, i want to believe you are a dance
teacher/instructor that LOVES teaching dance, reliable with a good teaching
experience. I would like to book for 2 weeks dance classes for 3 hours each
day Monday to Saturday (morning hours) for a group of 10. We are asking for
3 hours per day for 2 weeks - Monday - Saturday. A total of 3 hrs.
We want to entertain the guests as well as family members that would be
attending the 50th wedding anniversary of my parents. The dancers are all in
INTERMEDIATE level.
We need dance classes/Group lessons like Tango,swing,tap,Latin as well as
Salsa.ANY of the above can serve.
DATE: 1st MARCH TO 15th MARCH 2010
The group would be performing for a group of family members over there. I
would love you to get back to me with the Grand total cost or a
quote/estimate. What are your charges and payment options? Do you accept
credit cards?
I would be grateful if you will be willing to do the work to teach quality
classes and make us happy.
Best Regards,
Owen
It's the initial feeler for a scam. I don't recall all the details but it roughly works like this: If you bite, they send you a check for more than the amount owed, they convince you to refund some of the money before their initial check bounces. As crazy as it sounds, it's a profitable scam that comes in many variations and fairly rational people fall for them.
Bree Kalb
Carrboro, NC
Hello everyone,
Yes, we will have lunch gatherings both days at the Ralph Page Dance
Legacy Weekend in the dinning hall in our usual spot. Chris will be
there and is looking forward to seeing everyone!
For those of you who haven't been, RPDLW is a great place to go and
connect with the history of traditional dance and the people who made it
happen. There are always tons of callers, musicians and organizers there
so it's a great place to network, too. At lunch on Saturday and Sunday,
we push a bunch of tables together at the back of the dining area and
geek out about this passion that we all share. If you want to bring
something and share it around the table, there will be other people
participating in the impromptu potluck as well.
SharedWeight is now 5 years old and it's great to see how far it's come
and where it's going. This will be the fifth gathering at Ralph Page,
too. That first year, we only had about 10 people around the table. Last
year it seemed to be around 30 or 40. We started with only one list for
callers, now we have three with lists for musicians and organizers as
well. Thank you all for participating and making this forum a great
place to share ideas, ask questions and help each other. Keep spreading
the word!
Happy Dancing,
Chris Weiler and Seth Seeger
