Dear dance friends,
In my business, I do database development, especially for non-profits and
particularly for community arts organizations ( http://studioschoolpro.com )
so it's probably natural that I started thinking about creating a database
for collecting dances, when I first started calling many years ago.
Starting with my original database and pulling in ideas from Russ Owen's old
FileMaker template, other people¹s homegrown systems and feedback from some
experience callers, I've built something completely new in FileMaker 9/10.
It's one of those projects that is both fun to do and hopefully will be of
practical use to others. The software Callers Companion - is primarily
geared towards contra but I¹m open to modifications that would enhance its
use for squares and ECD.
It is self-running - both Mac and Win - and will not require users to have
FileMaker Pro or any other software other than a relatively recent operating
system (Mac OS 10.4.8+ or 10.5.x, or Windows XP with SP2 or Vista). I¹m
assuming to release it as some form of shareware¹ license, meaning download
it and if you find it useful, pay something to support it¹s continued
development.
What I¹m looking for are a few intrepid folks (3-6) who are interested in
beta testing. I¹ve been testing and using it myself for a while and it¹s
pretty solid. If you would like to be a beta tester, please contact me off
list. I¹m interested in feedback from both experienced and new callers. If
you¹ve used Russ Owens old FileMaker template I may be able to import your
old data. Other systems may or may not be doable. If you¹re starting from
paper, know that the ³Insert Call² buttons make entry very fast and you can
customize the phrasing to your liking verbose or not as you choose.
Here ( http://callerscompanion.com ) are some screen shots to give you an
idea of it¹s current shape. The last one is specifically designed for
'on-screen' calling for folks like Linda Leslie who likes to call directly
from her iBook. (And thanks to Linda for her feedback so far!) Features
include:
Dances
* Rapid dance entry using customizable buttons - enter figures in your
preferred format/phrasing with a single button click.
* Print dances in multiple formats (index cards, one/page, two/page, etc)
* Search Dances by specific figures, e.g. ³Petronella² in B2
* Track dance elements¹ in a particular dance automatically and manually
* Link to online video clips of dances such as YouTube or Google video
* Link to authors website or other online posting/source for the dance
* Printed date and ³Print all unprinted² function
* Support for dance formats beyond 32-bar A1->B2
* ³Related Dances² - link dances to each other
* Copy Dance notes to clipboard so you can paste them into an email
* Duplicate Dance
Sets
* Create ³Sets² of dances for a particular event (date and location)
* Save those sets for future reference and with Notes and Dancer Level
* Duplicate a Set
* View all Sets in which a dance has been used (from Dance view)
* Filter dances by multiple criteria when creating a Set including name,
author, level, formation, etc.
* Large text screen for calling directly from the a laptop
Authors
* Author view showing all dances for that author
Other ideas not yet implemented:
* Automated import from Russ Owen¹s database (partially complete)
* Email a dance or set to someone as a PDF or a format that can be imported
directly into another copy of the database
Will Loving
--
William M. Loving
Dedication Technologies, Inc.
7 Coach Lane
Amherst, MA 01002-3304 USA
will(a)dedicationtechnologies.com
Tel: +1 413 253-7223 (GMT 5)
Fax: +1 206 202-0476
On Sunday evening, April 19, New Mexico Caller Donna Howell and contra dance musicians Karina Wilson, Della O'Keeffe and Will McDonald will be featured on "Gotta Dance" . This Santa Fe New Mexico Public Radio program runs from 7-8 pm mountain time. . Great tunes from Rodney Miller and other artists will also be played. Tune in and join the fun. This program is geared to recruiting new folks to contra dance, so invite your wanna-be dancer friends to find out what contra dancing is all about. "Gotta Dance" can be heard in northern and central New Mexico at 90.7 FM and 101.1 FM, or world-wide via live stream broadcast at www.ksfr.org
Just go to this site and hit the "Listen Live" feature.
Hello all,
I'm posting on behalf of southern California musician Ned Boyer, who plays in several French Canadian-oriented bands. Ned is looking for the dance figures that traditionally have accompanied the tune "La Cardeuse." He's tracked down a book that has two versions of the dance, but hasn't been able to get his hands on the book itself (La Danse Traditionelle Dans L'Est du Canada, Simonne Voyer, Presses de l'Universite Laval, 1986). Can anyone help with figures for La Cardeuse, whether from the Simonne Voyer book or otherwise?
Thanks,
Jeremy Korr (Rancho Cucamonga, CA)
_________________________________________________________________
Windows Live™: Keep your life in sync.
http://windowslive.com/explore?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_allup_1a_explore_042009
Dear dance friends,
The results are tabulated, the video links are in place, participants have
posted their comments, and the results of the (First Annual?) International
Money Musk Moment have been neatly packaged, ready for your enjoyment:
http://www.davidsmukler.syracusecountrydancers.org/bring_back_mm.html
Executive summary: more than 20 locations and callers, 88 musicians, and nearly
1,400 dancers participated.
David Millstone
Lebanon, NH
P.S. Dancers at in the Northeast will have an another Money Musk opportunity at
the New England Folk Festival (NEFFA) at the end of this month. Hope to see you
there!
As a dancer from Virginia, I've visited the Lambertvlle contra dance on two occasions while in NJ, both in the summer ('05 and '06, I think). They have an active contra community, and I remember being pleasantly surprised at the number of dancers. I'd say it was at least in the 50-60 range. I'm thinking of going there again this summer.
Brian
Bill wrote: "...when I used the New England Chestnuts recording, I slowed that
version down from 121bpm to 116bpm, but the other Money Musk Moment dances on
youtube seem to be slower than that 112 bpm and 105 bpm."
Opinions differ about how fast it should be played. You'll notice great
variation in the various video clips and recordings, with McQuillen and the
Rhythm Rollers setting a steady tempo on the slow side compared to others.
Rodney Miller et. al on the New England Chestnuts album have it at about 120
beats per minute; an early Ralph Page recording is more like 116 bpm. Northern
Spy played it at 111 at our dance; Dudley Laufman recorded it at 103 bpm, which
is close to the 106 tempo played by the Rhythm Rollers in the video clip. And at
the other end, that 78 rpm recording of Benjamin Lovett calling with the Henry
Ford Orchestra (32-bar version) is at 127 bpm!
David Millstone
--- Chris wrote:
I'd guess this lookalike phenomenon is from the constraints of 32 bars, using
common conventions and pieces, and trying to minimize the complexity while
using a given concept.
--- end of quote ---
And if a dance includes a partner swing (and a neighbor swing to boot) that
limits the possibilities even further of what can fit into the remaining music.
David Millstone
Hey SW crew,
I'm playing a gig this weekend with Notorious and one of my favorite
Larry tunes is "The Judge". I know that they like to save that tune for
a dance with Petronella balance and spin to the right at the top of the B1.
I'm hoping that you will share with me your favorite dances that have
Petronella moves in the B1.
Thanks!
Chris Weiler
Goffstown, NH
The Friday night dance sponsored by the Lambertville Country Dancers dance was,
briefly, in Trenton and is now in Titusville, NJ, just a few miles downstream
from Lambertville. Sometimes it's an English country dance and sometimes a
contra, so you'll want to get clear with the organizers about who you are and
what you do.
It's a small group, maybe 30 people, at least at the English dance I called
there in February.
David Millstone
