I'd like some comments about using the move, Down the Hall, Four in
Line, in the first dance of the evening.
This is often done, but two people have told me that when there are
newcomers, it is a confusing move, as it takes you out of your circle of
four, and away from the area in which you are dancing. It was felt that
this is disorienting. The suggestion was that it might be better used
AFTER a dance where the circle of four stays together.
Do any of you have comments on that?
Thanks
Jo Mortland
Chicago
Hi folks
I seem to have hit an interesting wall in my newish calling
career, and would love to know your thoughts and strategies
about how best to deal with it. Ive been calling contra
for two years, the first year learning through guest spots,
classes, and half-dances. Since last November Ive called
full dances, averaging 2-3 dances/month, mostly contras
with a few barn dances.
My problem is this: Im having trouble getting a couple of
our local programmers to book me.
In their defense, we do have a lot of good callers around
here vying for the few slots. And one of our local
programmers is trying to run a consistently high-powered
dance, booking many world-class callers and bands. I have
never asked her about calling that dance, and in fact
aspire to become a caller she seeks out some day in the
future.
But the other dances are a different story. The one that
prompted me to reach out to you here is a medium-sized
hometown type dance featuring lots of different callers and
bands. I dance there often; its one of my home venues. I
have called one half-dance there, to great reviews from
both the dancers and the other caller. The band said they
enjoyed working with me too. Unfortunately, the programmer
was away at a camp that evening. He has only seen me call
guest spots all of which he says he thoroughly enjoyed
but only one full evening elsewhere, and heres the rub:
wit wasnt my best evening. It was a special 4-hour dance,
the longest gig Ive ever done solo. I made a few minor
mistakes. And the band was a primarily English band which
meant very nice music, but mild, not at all zesty.
The programmer in question is a friend of mine in the
dancing community. Were fond of each other as both dance
partners and people. When I realized he might not be asking
me to call his dance because he doesnt think Im a good
enough caller, it felt devastating. But I got up the guts
to approach him at the end of last nights dance after the
fiddler, notorious for his curmudgeonly pickiness, asked
when I was calling next and announced that he and his
girlfriend are my biggest fans. (I was quite floored,
and grateful. An ego boost can do wonders at moments like
that.) So I approached the programmer. Can I ask you a
question? I asked. I dont know if I want to answer, he
replied, looking very nervous and obviously knowing what
was coming. Well, Im gonna ask it anyway, I told him,
and took his arm as we walked away from the others in the
room. If, as I now suspect, you dont like the way I
call, what is it about it you dont like so I can work on
improving that? He looked relieved then, and was kind
enough to respond very honestly.
He named a number of things he hadnt liked about the one
full dance hed been at. He gave the hairy eyeball to my
inclusion of a particular mixer. He also said at one point
in a contra, one knot of folks was having trouble and I
came down on the floor to help them, but that left the rest
of them floundering awhile with no prompting. His memory
was astounding I dont remember that at all. Perhaps I
didnt think anything of it at the time, or perhaps I was
even proud of myself for being able to then get back up on
the stool and call to everyone correctly after helping like
that. I definitely still have a LOT to learn. I believe
the biggest mistake he pointed out (and rightly) was that I
didnt seem perfectly familiar with how to teach one of the
dances, and dancers had to ask a question to clarify. Its
likely true: I try to call one dance thats new to me each
evening, in order to expand my repertoire, and every time I
call one I seem to learn some new nuance about how to lead
it better.
He said he therefore thinks I need more practice. I
heartily agreed with that, and then pointed out that the
way to get it is by having gigs that allow me to do more
calling! He then said that thats what the tiny venues are
for.
But I feel troubled by this answer. Ive been calling those
venues, and will gladly continue to. However, it seems to
me that if a caller is only exposed to small halls
half-full of beginners, s/he will learn to call to that
level very well, but not to call dances appropriate for
more advanced dancers. How will I ever gain that skill if
Im not given the chance to try it? Its a catch-22. These
venues also often book very inexperienced bands, who dont
know what Im talking about when I try to discuss pairing
dances/tunes. So I have ideas of how Id like to become a
better caller, but these circumstances are keeping me from
achieving that.
I also strongly believe that its every dance
organizations responsibility to foster new talent, if they
want the group to stay alive. My local group has acted on
this seriously in the past, in fact giving me and others
matching scholarships to go to CDSS camps calling classes.
(In my case, perhaps they figured out I wasnt going to go
away, so it was in their best interest to help me learn to
do it better. <g>) Whats happening now, though, is that
Ive hit some sort of glass ceiling. Im like in my calling
adolescence: no longer the cute beginner but also not yet a
rock star. If given the opportunity to call at a more
high-powered gig, I will not be perfect at it, no. But I
will get better and better, given the chance.
Hearing some programmers talk about callers and bands, I
have the sense now that a problematic gig like the one
Chris described in his recent growth post could be a
death sentence around here. That caller might never be
invited back.
My experience of hitting a wall didnt only happen that one
time. Earlier this month, trying to be proactive, I
inquired about potentially calling at a venue a bit more
than one hour from my home, another medium-sized/level
dance Ive danced at many times in the past but not
recently. That programmer asked the very good question,
what sort of program do you do, and is it suitable for our
dancers? I sent him a sample program I successfully called
at a similar venue, along with an offer to discuss his
current communitys particular dance level and to craft my
program accordingly. I have not heard back. Some say that
he likes to call most of the dances there himself, so may
be reluctant to share.
It feels so disheartening to be kept out, Im now
considering whether its worth it to continue trying to
call. Really, its been through frequent repetition that my
skills have improved so far. Ive popped a new level of
understanding in terms of how to envision the moves in
space, how to teach geometrically and in terms of people
the dancers will encounter, and how to really work with the
band to create a synergistic ball o fire. These skills
have recently grown exponentially. I enjoy doing it, and
have gotten some excellent positive feedback from dancers,
bands, and other programmers some of it even in writing,
so I can prove it. But if I have to fight to get one gig
every few months, I never will get better. Ill forget the
nuances of how to do it. Instead of building on each
other, every dance evening will be a singular struggle. And
I doubt its worth it. I love giving to the dance community
through calling, but also love dancing and that I feel
unquestioningly welcomed to do.
Thoughts? Strategies? Commiseration? How to best handle
this situation? Is there a way to encourage programmers to
nurture local talent? How did you manage to wrangle
getting gigs that allowed your skills to continually grow?
Sorry for the length of this post and the woe is me tone.
But I figured some detail might help in this case, and Im
really feeling at a loss.
Thank you, comrades, for any insight you might offer.
Tina Fields
Some thoughts:
If there's room in the general community, or interest, or other wanna-
be callers, or an underserved area in these days when driving is
getting expensive, start your own dance. Three of us in San Diego did
that years ago as we were learning to call. We had dance parties in
our driveways, invited people in the summer to the park for dance
parties (invited anyone who walked by to join in), usually only had
one acoustic musician playing (a dulcimer, a fiddle, a banjo, even a
penny whistle solo) finally found a small rec hall and some aspiring
musicians, and shared the dance until we got good enough to call half
each and then full dances. Start an infrequent dance if running a
regular one seems too onerous - every fifth Friday or something like
that, you run it, you can call at it. You have more control perhaps
of the bands you get to call with. Also, make sure others know that
you are available for emergencies - one never knows when a caller
will get sick or have a flat tire and someone will ask if you brought
your cards. Dance communities vary - some are run by callers, some
by dancers. And if you aren't involved in the managing of the dances,
in volunteering to do set-up, take-down, decoration at special
events, sitting at the door, etc. - if all you do is call, and others
are doing all the work, then get in there and put in more than just
dancing. Sweat equity, though it may have nothing to do with your
ability as a caller, will make others more willing to help you
towards your goals. Yes, it is important to encourage new callers,
but as an organizer, now, too, I know I don't want to do that at the
expense of confusion and dissatisfaction on the floor, especially if
other callers are ready, willing and able. One thing we did here was
to pair a new caller with an established one - split the evening. See
if there is an established caller willing to let you take part of the
evening at the mid-sized dance and if the organizer will go for it.
Go back to square one and ask to call three dances in the first half
- maybe the first three. When those go well, branch out and do just
the second three so you get more experience doing harder dances. And
if you can teach clearly to beginners, you can teach clearly to
advanced dancers. Just faster and with fewer walkthroughs. If you
play an instrument, play in a community band if there is one just to
get more familiar with what tunes go with what dances. But basically,
don't wait for (or expect) other people to make your own dreams
happen. I don't mean that as a slam, it's just the way it is. Most of
them are busy with their own dreams - like the caller who runs his
own dance and likes to call at it - why shouldn't he?
Good luck to you in branching out and finding ways to call more.
Martha
On Aug 18, 2008, at 9:00 AM, 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. Trouble Getting Gigs (very long) (Tina Fields)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Sun, 17 Aug 2008 23:25:46 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Tina Fields <tfields8(a)yahoo.com>
> Subject: [Callers] Trouble Getting Gigs (very long)
> To: "callers@ sharedweight.net" <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
> Message-ID: <50006.55506.qm(a)web83207.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
> Hi folks ?
>
> I seem to have hit an interesting wall in my newish calling
> career, and would love to know your thoughts and strategies
> about how best to deal with it. I?ve been calling contra
> for two years, the first year learning through guest spots,
> classes, and half-dances. Since last November I?ve called
> full dances, averaging 2-3 dances/month, mostly contras
> with a few barn dances.
>
> My problem is this: I?m having trouble getting a couple of
> our local programmers to book me.
>
> In their defense, we do have a lot of good callers around
> here vying for the few slots. And one of our local
> programmers is trying to run a consistently high-powered
> dance, booking many world-class callers and bands. I have
> never asked her about calling that dance, and in fact
> aspire to become a caller she seeks out some day in the
> future.
>
> But the other dances are a different story. The one that
> prompted me to reach out to you here is a medium-sized
> hometown type dance featuring lots of different callers and
> bands. I dance there often; it?s one of my home venues. I
> have called one half-dance there, to great reviews from
> both the dancers and the other caller. The band said they
> enjoyed working with me too. Unfortunately, the programmer
> was away at a camp that evening. He has only seen me call
> guest spots ? all of which he says he thoroughly enjoyed ?
> but only one full evening elsewhere, and here?s the rub:
> wit wasn?t my best evening. It was a special 4-hour dance,
> the longest gig I?ve ever done solo. I made a few minor
> mistakes. And the band was a primarily English band ? which
> meant very nice music, but mild, not at all zesty.
>
> The programmer in question is a friend of mine in the
> dancing community. We?re fond of each other as both dance
> partners and people. When I realized he might not be asking
> me to call his dance because he doesn?t think I?m a good
> enough caller, it felt devastating. But I got up the guts
> to approach him at the end of last night?s dance after the
> fiddler, notorious for his curmudgeonly pickiness, asked
> when I was calling next and announced that he and his
> girlfriend are my ?biggest fans?. (I was quite floored,
> and grateful. An ego boost can do wonders at moments like
> that.) So I approached the programmer. ?Can I ask you a
> question?? I asked. ?I don?t know if I want to answer,? he
> replied, looking very nervous and obviously knowing what
> was coming. ?Well, I?m gonna ask it anyway,? I told him,
> and took his arm as we walked away from the others in the
> room. ?If, as I now suspect, you don?t like the way I
> call, what is it about it you don?t like so I can work on
> improving that?? He looked relieved then, and was kind
> enough to respond very honestly.
>
> He named a number of things he hadn?t liked about the one
> full dance he?d been at. He gave the hairy eyeball to my
> inclusion of a particular mixer. He also said at one point
> in a contra, one knot of folks was having trouble and I
> came down on the floor to help them, but that left the rest
> of them floundering awhile with no prompting. His memory
> was astounding ? I don?t remember that at all. Perhaps I
> didn?t think anything of it at the time, or perhaps I was
> even proud of myself for being able to then get back up on
> the stool and call to everyone correctly after helping like
> that. I definitely still have a LOT to learn. I believe
> the biggest mistake he pointed out (and rightly) was that I
> didn?t seem perfectly familiar with how to teach one of the
> dances, and dancers had to ask a question to clarify. It?s
> likely true: I try to call one dance that?s new to me each
> evening, in order to expand my repertoire, and every time I
> call one I seem to learn some new nuance about how to lead
> it better.
>
> He said he therefore thinks I need more practice. I
> heartily agreed with that, and then pointed out that the
> way to get it is by having gigs that allow me to do more
> calling! He then said that that?s what the tiny venues are
> for.
>
> But I feel troubled by this answer. I?ve been calling those
> venues, and will gladly continue to. However, it seems to
> me that if a caller is only exposed to small halls
> half-full of beginners, s/he will learn to call to that
> level very well, but not to call dances appropriate for
> more advanced dancers. How will I ever gain that skill if
> I?m not given the chance to try it? It?s a catch-22. These
> venues also often book very inexperienced bands, who don?t
> know what I?m talking about when I try to discuss pairing
> dances/tunes. So I have ideas of how I?d like to become a
> better caller, but these circumstances are keeping me from
> achieving that.
>
> I also strongly believe that it?s every dance
> organization?s responsibility to foster new talent, if they
> want the group to stay alive. My local group has acted on
> this seriously in the past, in fact giving me and others
> matching scholarships to go to CDSS camp?s calling classes.
> (In my case, perhaps they figured out I wasn?t going to go
> away, so it was in their best interest to help me learn to
> do it better. <g>) What?s happening now, though, is that
> I?ve hit some sort of glass ceiling. I?m like in my calling
> adolescence: no longer the cute beginner but also not yet a
> rock star. If given the opportunity to call at a more
> high-powered gig, I will not be perfect at it, no. But I
> will get better and better, given the chance.
>
> Hearing some programmers talk about callers and bands, I
> have the sense now that a problematic gig like the one
> Chris described in his recent ?growth? post could be a
> death sentence around here. That caller might never be
> invited back.
>
> My experience of hitting a wall didn?t only happen that one
> time. Earlier this month, trying to be proactive, I
> inquired about potentially calling at a venue a bit more
> than one hour from my home, another medium-sized/level
> dance I?ve danced at many times in the past but not
> recently. That programmer asked the very good question,
> ?what sort of program do you do, and is it suitable for our
> dancers?? I sent him a sample program I successfully called
> at a similar venue, along with an offer to discuss his
> current community?s particular dance level and to craft my
> program accordingly. I have not heard back. Some say that
> he likes to call most of the dances there himself, so may
> be reluctant to share.
>
> It feels so disheartening to be kept out, I?m now
> considering whether it?s worth it to continue trying to
> call. Really, it?s been through frequent repetition that my
> skills have improved so far. I?ve popped a new level of
> understanding in terms of how to envision the moves in
> space, how to teach geometrically and in terms of people
> the dancers will encounter, and how to really work with the
> band to create a synergistic ball o? fire. These skills
> have recently grown exponentially. I enjoy doing it, and
> have gotten some excellent positive feedback from dancers,
> bands, and other programmers ? some of it even in writing,
> so I can prove it. But if I have to fight to get one gig
> every few months, I never will get better. I?ll forget the
> nuances of how to do it. Instead of building on each
> other, every dance evening will be a singular struggle. And
> I doubt it?s worth it. I love giving to the dance community
> through calling, but also love dancing ? and that I feel
> unquestioningly welcomed to do.
>
> Thoughts? Strategies? Commiseration? How to best handle
> this situation? Is there a way to encourage programmers to
> nurture local talent? How did you manage to wrangle
> getting gigs that allowed your skills to continually grow?
>
>
> Sorry for the length of this post and the ?woe is me? tone.
> But I figured some detail might help in this case, and I?m
> really feeling at a loss.
>
> Thank you, comrades, for any insight you might offer.
>
> Tina Fields
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> Callers mailing list
> Callers(a)sharedweight.net
> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
>
>
> End of Callers Digest, Vol 48, Issue 9
> **************************************
Hi all,
Interesting discussion. I've excerpted some of these emails (stripping names and email addresses) and sent the question on to the organizers list.
I could understand feeling frustrated with a desire to have more gigs than one is getting. But I also can see
the point of the organizers, whose first responsibility is not
necessarily to cultivate growth in the caller/musician community but is
rather to run a series that meets the expectations of the dancers and
the organizers themselves.
I am a caller who also is a founding co-organizer of our local series. We have a certain mission and standards for skill/expertise/style of performers. Ours is one of those with only 12 slots per year, and I generally call about half of those. This leaves 6 caller slots and 12 band slots. And frankly, that's not a lot of room for "giving someone a chance" (given the aforementioned responsibility to dancers/organizers over caller/musician cultivation.)
That said, our committee does support caller/musician growth in other ways.
We have an open, all-comers band for our community dance (modeled on bands I'd witnessed with David Kaynor's All-Comers Band dances in western Massachusetts and The Lamprey River Band's open stage policy in Dover, NH) We also do some homework, asking around about bands who come to us wanting to be booked (checking with trusted organizer colleagues or other dancers, listening to demo recordings, going with our gut feelings, etc.) and have sometimes booked bands that were new to us.
We have run additional dances in our hall (on off nights) including one for a group of developing callers in Maine, in conjunction with a short workshop/discussion the next day. As a caller I have occasionally offered a slot in my program to developing callers who I think have particular promise. (Which is to say, they seem like they might be becoming a caller I could stand behind - a subjective analysis to be sure.)
So, back to your question, as a new caller I benefited from open mic and multi-caller nights as well as dance camps. In my experience it was most important to develop trusted relationships with mentors and colleagues. As has been said, they should be people who are willing to give you honest feedback on your calling (and from whom you are willing to receive such honest feedback) and given this, they will be more likely to refer you for gigs that they can't do, or to vouch for you as references, etc. I've played both roles, as mentee/colleague and mentor/critic. Good for all concerned.
And I agree completely with Seth's pithy comment. Excruciating to listen to recordings or to watch video, but enlightening and invaluable.
And finally, I'd say that as I've grown more as a caller, I've found myself having just as much fun calling for family/community/school/small dances with clueless clientele as I do calling for the hot urban-style dances with highly skilled clientele. I'd caution anyone against dismissing the delights and satisfactions of the former in favor of the glory of the latter.
Chrissy Fowler
Belfast, ME
_________________________________________________________________
See what people are saying about Windows Live. Check out featured posts.
http://www.windowslive.com/connect?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_connect2_082008
Thank you Tina!
A lively discussion! you are not alone!
I live and dance in an area where there is a lively dance community
(southern New Hampshire)
Years ago I took over as co-organizer of a dance and inevitably there was
a dance where
the caller could not make it. So, with the aid of my co-organizer,
we called the dance! I had a ball!
This started me on the path of caller. A lot of my calling experience has
been trial by fire. In the beginning I was trying to call dances,
above my ability, to mixed groups
of dancers. The beginners were confused and the old hands were
frustrated but
gracious. I have been at it for 5 years.
I have been blessed with a 2 venues that have allowed me to call one full
evening per season. There is also 1 venue that allows me to call 1 dance
a month, and surprisingly this is where I have gained the most
experience as a caller. (lots of college age newbies!)
I do lots of calling from the floor
i.e.: while dancing. Much of my dance time is spent in the less crowded
side sets
where the newer dancers congregate. I find this helps with quick memory
of moves and Dances (now if I could put them into
long term memory!)
and is a great place to teach dances. (many thanks from beginners!)
I have been frustrated by not being asked to call at smaller dance
venues, that are
organized by friends, its not worth risking the friendship, also Im not
going to beg tocall any venue.
My hope is that these organizers will come to one of my dances and see
that my skill level has improved enough to be acceptable to their
standards.
I was ready to give away all of my notes, dance books, and cards this
past spring because there were no opportunities coming my way,
a fellow caller dissuaded me from taking
that course of action.
Im glad he did because this Fall/Winter I am calling 2 full evening
dances!
One thing you may wish to do is approach organizers and ask if they would
be interested
in doing an open caller night. (they get the callers for free!) Its an
interesting dynamic to co-ordinate with other callers so that your not
calling the same type of dances and have a varied evening and you get
to pick up new material by doing dance swaps!
Organize a house junket, and invite local organizers as your
GPs (feed them well!)
Encourage dancers, who compliment you on your calling, to please let
organizers know your available.
The word will get around!
Good Luck
Thanks
Gale Wood
Tina,
Recently, after two years of calling full nights at various locations in NY metro area, I had to be evaluated while calling a full night for a dance community. This process may have seemed overkill but what the process did was to remove subjectivty from the process. The evaluation form was derived from the Atlanta dance series and here is the link to the form: http://www.contradance.org/pdfs/caller_eval.pdf The form is quite extensive.
Also, I agree what has been stated from others that it is very helpful and important to have a mentor. Someone who would be honest with constructive feedback both good and bad. When I have taped myself, it is possible to review an evening for areas of improvement and areas that were well done. The tape doesn't have selective memory like I sometimes do. A mentor would be able to point out areas for improvement and areas done well.
See ya on the floor,
Dan
Wouldn't it be great to have an online directory of dance organizers who want to recruit callers--and callers looking for gigs? The dance organizers could give their specifications, preferences (possibly including insights into the local style), how payment would be handled, etc. The callers could say what they're looking for and have to offer, how far they're willing to travel, etc. as well. Oh, yeah, the system could include musicians too...the whole thing could be modeled after the "personals" classifieds or the NY Times employment section. Oops, maybe not such a good idea--maybe the postings would soon be crowded with offers of pseudo-pharmaceutical substances to add/subtract inches to various body parts or windfall opportunities to share in large amounts of offshore currency.
The tension for dance organizers between wanting to lean toward the security of proven big names who will insure consistently large and enthusiastic turnouts, and the uncertainties of trying relatively unknown callers and musicians isn't going to go away. Fortunately, there are still folks trying to keep smaller local dance series alive, even occasionally starting new ones. Without these people, who often have even fewer training resources to draw on than beginning callers, the future of contra dance "in the wild" would be bleak indeed...
Chip Hedler
Hi All,
Great topic. I've been calling for almost two years with a mix of
family dances and small contra dances. I've viewed these venues as a
forgiving place to learn and practice, and I am grateful for them. I
also help to organize a dance that is mid-sized with a mix of
experienced and new dancers that runs once a month. In a good month
we get 100 there; in smaller months 65.
My "glass ceiling" was calling the dance that I organize. For many of
the issues that Greg described, our organizing committee wants to
keep the dance lively with consistent performers. However, we are
also open to up and coming performers and decided that we would pair
new bands with experienced callers and visa versa as a way to
encourage and develop new talent. Our summer months are typically
smaller dances, so this is a time when our booker feels more freedom
to book a range of performers. This summer I've felt that I've been
ready to call a whole night where there are more experienced dancers,
and therefore at our dance. To get there, I had to meet the
expectations of the committee that I was ready. I struggled a bit
with this. I felt concern that I would take advantage of my position
on the committee to get on stage.
My "big break" came two weeks ago when our caller for the August
dance cancelled with relatively short notice. Our outreach to other
callers failed to come up with anyone who was available and so I got
to call the night. As a caller, it was really a new experience to
plan for and call a whole night of dances for these dancers. As Tina
described, I was able to call dances that were more challenging to
call and dance. Nothing too wowing, but for me, they were a stretch
beyond what I'd been able to do elsewhere. It was really fun and all
went well.
I've talked with local musicians who felt this same sort of barrier
to getting on stage at another big local dance. They felt that they
were put to a higher standard by the bookers just because they were
familiar and untested and young performers. I think what Tina is
describing isn't atypical.
Tina, if you are willing to travel, we'll book you at our dance!
Maybe a strategy is to get on the road and call at bigger dances
outside of your region. On the strength of that experience, you
could reasonably the local organizers to give you a shot.
My two cents,
Nancy Turner
Vermont
The list has always has been there when I needed y'all. Thanks, that dance seems to fit very well.
See ya on the floor,
Dan
----- Original Message ----
From: Liz and Bill <staf186(a)ext.canterbury.ac.nz>
To: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
Sent: Wednesday, August 13, 2008 3:06:20 AM
Subject: Re: [Callers] See Saw dance request
Hi Dan,
Unruly Reunion by Robert Cromartie is a very
easy dance. As written it has a Dosido in B1a, but
a variation with a seesaw (with a clockwise
flourish) fits the flow better.
Improper
A1 down the hall four in line (1's in the middle)
Turn alone, return, Bend the line
A2 Circle Left, Circle Right
B1 Neighbor Seesaw (with clockwise flourish),
Neighbor Swing
B2 LLFB, 1's Swing
Cheers, Bill
_______________________________________________
Callers mailing list
Callers(a)sharedweight.net
http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
Gang,
Does anyone have an easy see saw (left shoulder dosido) dance for a second dance of the evening? My hope is to do a Moon Dance & Sun Dance medley however, I don't have a see saw dance to set this medley up. I got Daddy's Reeling and
Pride of Charlottesville from the list serve, any others. Thanks
Dan Black
Western Shore of NJ
