Contra Callers

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31 participants
4403 discussions

May Heydays Festival28 April - 1 May 2023

by Colin Hume

The government are threatening to move the Spring Bank Holiday - for the second time in three years! This won't affect just the May Heydays Festival, but anyone who has made plans to travel, book holiday accommodation, etc. We've set up a petition at: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/625155 and we hope many of you will sign to support it. Read about the Festival at: http://mayheydays.org.uk/ Colin Hume

3 years

Alternative Name for Dixie Twirl

by John Sweeney

Hi all, I understand that some people object to the use of the word Dixie (I don't necessarily agree, but please let's not get into that now). I am currently using "Grand Twirl" as an alternative name for a Dixie Twirl, since "Grand" generally implies "everyone" and the move applies to all four dancers in the line. Has anyone come up with a better term? Thanks. Happy dancing, John John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802 940 574 http://contrafusion.co.uk/KentCeilidhs.html for Live Music Ceilidhs http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent http://www.modernjive.com for Modern Jive DVDs

3 years

May Heydays Festival28 April - 1 May 2023

by Colin Hume

Early-Bird tickets for May Heydays Festival at Evesham are now on sale. Top bands and callers bring you a 3-day programme of English, American and International workshops and dances over the bank holiday weekend. Don't take my word for it - ask anyone who was there this year and they'll tell you what a great festival it was and how excellent the new venue is. http://mayheydays.org.uk/ Colin Hume Email colin(a)colinhume.com Web site http://colinhume.com

3 years

The most ______ gig ever

by Luke Donforth

Hello all, Contras are starting back up, and I thought we might play a little game. I recently had the joy of calling my "most Vermont gig ever". I had to go down a dirt road to get there. Hosted by a farm, it was outdoors in a cow pasture. Half way through the cows came down to the adjacent pasture. There was a fabulou view of the sunset on the nearby mountains The music was a wonderful local band. The dancers were intergenerational, kids with grandparents and folks in between. When I finished my gig, I went to another contra dance less than an hour away. Over half of my pay was in maple syrup. So that's my "most Vermont gig ever". What's a quintessential experience calling for you? The most ______ gig ever, where the blank might be your own state, or festival, or wedding, etc.? Happy dancing, happy calling!

3 years, 2 months

Fwd: Seeking sheet music for 2 tunes

by joe micheals

> Begin forwarded message: > > From: Sandra Gillette <sandegillette(a)mac.com> > Subject: Fwd: [Callers] Seeking sheet music for 2 tunes > Date: July 9, 2022 at 5:33:05 PM PDT > To: joe micheals <joemicheals1(a)yahoo.com> > > Hmm - guess you will have to forward this email to the contra callers group, Joe. It does not think I exist! > > ~ Sande > >> Begin forwarded message: >> >> From: contracallers-owner(a)lists.sharedweight.net <mailto:contracallers-owner@lists.sharedweight.net> >> Subject: Re: [Callers] Seeking sheet music for 2 tunes >> Date: July 9, 2022 at 5:31:33 PM PDT >> To: sandegillette(a)mac.com <mailto:sandegillette@mac.com> >> >> Your message to the Contra Callers mailing-list was rejected for the following >> reasons: >> >> The message is not from a list member >> >> The original message as received by Mailman is attached. >> >> From: Sandra Gillette <sandegillette(a)mac.com <mailto:sandegillette@mac.com>> >> Subject: Re: [Callers] Seeking sheet music for 2 tunes >> Date: July 9, 2022 at 5:31:29 PM PDT >> To: joe micheals <joemicheals1(a)yahoo.com <mailto:joemicheals1@yahoo.com>> >> Cc: lesiddons(a)gmail.com <mailto:lesiddons@gmail.com>, callers(a)sharedweight.net <mailto:callers@sharedweight.net>, contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net <mailto:contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net> >> >> >> Hi Joe & Louise, >> >> Yes, Sandpoint is published in Rodney Miller’s Collection of Original Fiddle Tunes. Please contact Rodney at rodneymiller.net <http://rodneymiller.net/>. >> >> I do not know about the waltz The Way Back Home by Larry Unger. Please contact Larry at larryunger.net <http://larryunger.net/>. >> >> Happy calling and fiddling, >> >> ~ Sande Gillette >> >> >>> On Jul 7, 2022, at 5:24 PM, joe micheals <joemicheals1(a)yahoo.com <mailto:joemicheals1@yahoo.com>> wrote: >>> >>> Hi Sande…thought of you. Might you have a resource for these…? >>> >>>> Begin forwarded message: >>>> >>>> From: Louise Siddons via Contra Callers <contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net <mailto:contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net>> >>>> Subject: [Callers] Seeking sheet music for 2 tunes >>>> Date: July 7, 2022 at 3:57:53 PM PDT >>>> To: callers(a)sharedweight.net <mailto:callers@sharedweight.net> >>>> Reply-To: Louise Siddons <lesiddons(a)gmail.com <mailto:lesiddons@gmail.com>> >>>> >>>> Hi all, >>>> >>>> I’m in the process of moving and many of my books are currently inaccessible. I’m seeking sheet music for 2 tunes: Sandpoint, by Rodney Miller, and The Way Back Home, by Larry Unger. The latter is in Waltz Time, which I promise I do own, and to be honest I have no idea if dots for the former have been published anywhere — it’s recorded on Flying on Home. >>>> >>>> Any help would be greatly appreciated! >>>> >>>> Louise >>>> (Winchester, UK) >>>> >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers(a)lists.sharedweight.net <mailto:contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net> >>>> To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-leave(a)lists.sharedweight.net <mailto:contracallers-leave@lists.sharedweight.net> >>> >> >> >> >

3 years, 3 months

Do you recognise this dance?

by playford1651＠googlemail.com

Hi, Does anybody recognise this dance:- Duple minor, improper, double progression Star right all the way, star left halfway, balance neighbour. Swing neighbour, promenade across set, cross trail. Square through 2 changes, swing next person. Think I have remembered it correctly as did not have time to copy callers card! Thanks, Graham Sent from my iPad

3 years, 3 months

Seeking sheet music for 2 tunes

by Louise Siddons

Hi all, I’m in the process of moving and many of my books are currently inaccessible. I’m seeking sheet music for 2 tunes: Sandpoint, by Rodney Miller, and The Way Back Home, by Larry Unger. The latter is in Waltz Time, which I promise I do own, and to be honest I have no idea if dots for the former have been published anywhere — it’s recorded on Flying on Home. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Louise (Winchester, UK)

3 years, 3 months

Covid cancellations

by Mary Collins

May have been talked about already so forgive me if it has. I have been contracted to call a wedding in Oct. Currently covid numbers are rising in my area and the bride, groom and I have talked about vaccines (yes), alcohol (no) and what if. Normally I do not require a deposit but I do expect payment upon arrival at venue. The question is: what to request as cancellation payment. What do others put in your contracts regarding this? Thanks in advance. Mary Collins

3 years, 4 months

Bridgerton wedding dance/experience with using non-contra or non-ECD music to modified ECD/ceilidh dances

by Alexandra Deis-Lauby

Hi all, I’ve been asked to call a Bridgerton-themed wedding dance. Part of what makes the Bridgerton theme is the music… So I’m wondering if anyone has experience (of either the successful or unsuccessful variety) of calling dances to music that isn’t our normal dance tempo (these sound a little faster than normal contra tempo) and aren’t in our standard AABB pattern. Some of the music examples I'm trying to work with are below (I’ll be using recorded music) The event is normal wedding fare- not experienced dancers. Which will either mean everything falls apart or they won’t mind the dance being sloppy because they’re just so excited by dancing and the cool music. The dances I’m planning to use are very basic (Galopede, LaBastringue, a scatter mixer, some version of duke of Kents waltz etc.) So if you have related experience: Have people been into the music so much they don’t mind that they’re finding it hard to dance with the phrase and remember the dance? Are you able to keep them together just by your calling? Do they kind of figure it out? Other ideas? > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCIG6nbyiUM <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCIG6nbyiUM> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKTnO9fOcE8 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKTnO9fOcE8> > > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qi1ApgkdCo <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qi1ApgkdCo> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMU1RZVX5mQ <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMU1RZVX5mQ> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZhzFE2C-_w <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZhzFE2C-_w> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=un4SsyvnKH4 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=un4SsyvnKH4>

3 years, 4 months

Timing on 1/2 hey as couples?

by K P

Aside: strangely, this thread wasn't there when I looked on the Shared Weight site. Seth Tepfer wrote: Do you have any sense of how long that ½ hey for four in couples in promenade position should take? I know in "Cranky Ingenuity" the couple DSD is to take 8 counts but it is always tight and really should take 10 and steals from the individual DSD Response: Something that stood out immediately was that in A2, 4 couples are swinging in a line. Ouch! 😋 On the point of the couple's hey, I'd suggest just taking handy hands, rather than promenade, as in the dance Weave the Line. Running it through my brain, it seems when a couple arrives at the end, and just turn around, they will be standing around a for a couple/a few beats. If that's right, that will throw off the idea of flow and continuity but I understand the need to change places at the ends, by simply turning individually, as opposed to wheeling around. Perhaps one could add individual looping-around at the ends, such as in a single hey, which may eat up the extra beats. For me the bigger concern, I think, is the 4-in-line swing. One could suggest keeping lateral distance across but that will be hard to maintain given that the last swing with partner will tend, I think, to close it up again. ?? Ken Panton Ottawa

3 years, 4 months

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