I think that your advanced planning will really pay off. I like many of these
dances and want to try them out in the future. I have a question about two of
them. I think it's Roll 11 that has a B2 with 1/2 promenade, circle left 3/4,
calif twirl. If anyone has danced this does it fits 16 beats? If so, is it
rushed and would the tempo of the music make a difference (a bit too fast would
cause the dances to get behind)? Rockin' Robin has a B2 that includes circle
left 1 1/4, veer left , veer right. I really like the flow of this. I assume
that the circle 1 1/4 takes 10 beats. Therefore the veer left and veer right
would take 6 beats. I'm guessing it's danceable but not at a fast tempo. Has
anyone danced Rockin Robin?
I think that I'd like to know much more about the abilities of the dancers
before I could make any comments about the program. What percentage of the
dancers will be beginners? When I plan a dance I like the first 2-3 dances of
the evening to be bomb proof so that the beginners will build confidence and
start to trust me. If there'll be a high percentage of beginners, might you
be taking a chance with the circle mixer as a second dance? Much confusion can
occur in the grand right and left-turn back. I look forward to finding out how
your evening goes.
Tom
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> 1. Re: Seth--how was your first full dance? (Seth Seeger)
> 2. Program for 12/4 (Linda A. Leslie)
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Tue, 30 Nov 2004 16:33:37 -0500
> From: Seth Seeger <seth(a)seeger.ws>
> Subject: Re: [Callers] Seth--how was your first full dance?
> To: Shared Weight <callers(a)sharedweight.net>
> Message-ID: <7F0B72A8-4317-11D9-BBA9-000A959CF174(a)seeger.ws>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed
>
> Thanks for asking! I've been meaning to get this out for a few days
> now.
>
> My first full calling gig in East Sandwich, MA went VERY well! East
> Sandwich is a wonderful dance community with fun people. Sadly, it is
> one where attendance can greatly fluctuate. Fortunately, I brought
> along 10 friends which brought the dance up to about 20 people.
>
> I think programming the dance was one of the hardest parts. Mostly
> because my collection of dances is still pretty small, I didn't have a
> nice library to pull dances from. (While I do have a good number of
> book resources, it's hard to pull dances out of them - I prefer dances
> that I've danced before.) Half way through the planning, I realized
> that all but one dance had allemandes in them! Linda Leslie was
> wonderful and spent a few hours on the phone with me helping me through
> dance placement and ordering.
>
> I started out using the planning matrix from the back of Give & Take,
> but found that it had too much information on it. I ended up using a
> grid that I got from Lisa Greenleaf that only has 14 criteria, instead
> of the 35 in G&T. I am planning on moving all my dances to white index
> cards, so I can highlight moves (all in different colors). That will
> allow me to plan out my evening visually, instead of on a paper.
> (Rearranging cards on a table is easier than having to continually
> re-write the planning matrix.)
>
> Here is what I ended up with:
>
> 1. Cascades - Orace Johnson
> 2. Al's Safeway Produce - Robert Cromartie
> 3. Simplicity Give & Take - Linda Leslie (was Simplicity Swing by
> Becky Hill)
> 4. Carousel - Tom Hinds
> 5. Square Affair - Becky Hill
> 6. Roll Eleven - Sue Rosen & Larry Jennings
> *break*
> 7. Ramsey Chase - Joseph Pimentel
> 8. Mary Cay's Reel - David Kaynor
> 9. Happy As A Cold Pig In Warm Mud - Mike Boerschig
> 10. Rockin' Robin - Rick Mohr
> 11. Marian's Delight - Carol Kopp
>
> The evening was fun - surprisingly I wasn't nervous! Working with Amy
> and John Larkin was fantastic. Very flexible and easy to work with. I
> didn't worry at all about what kind of music to put to each dance.
> Just show Amy the card and she makes great picks.
>
> A few times, I found myself calling an incorrect call (during the
> dance). It would happen without me even knowing! (Fortunately, the
> dancers weren't listing to me by that point!) One dance did start to
> fall apart - I don't know if I said something incorrect or if the dance
> was just hard to keep track of. Luckily, one of my trusty dancers knew
> where we were supposed to be and the dance continued on. (I had lost
> my place too!) By the end of the evening, I was completely exhausted,
> but I felt great.
>
> For three of the dances, I had written out the patter (because I had a
> lot to say). However, I found reading off of this different format
> difficult and disorienting. In the future, I will work harder to
> memorize the patter I want say so I can just call of my card like I did
> for the rest of dances.
>
> One last piece of difficulty I had was remembering where dancers had
> started in the line. It must have just been one too many things for me
> to keep track of. I tried remembering who was at the top of the line,
> and I tried picking one person and always looking to see where they
> started. Neither worked with great success. Everything worked out
> just fine in the end, though. Amy was great about extending the dance
> out one more time through when I had miscalculated having everyone in
> for the last time through the dance.
>
> Now that all is said and done, I am pretty happy with my program. It
> had a lot of dances in it that I really like to dance. I still felt
> that it had a bit of repetition in the moves, but it can't always be
> avoided.
>
> Seth
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Tue, 30 Nov 2004 17:13:23 -0500
> From: "Linda A. Leslie" <laleslierjg(a)comcast.net>
> Subject: [Callers] Program for 12/4
> To: <Callers(a)sharedweight.net>
> Message-ID: <BDD25AB3.891A%laleslierjg(a)comcast.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
>
> So sorry that I will be out of town on December 4th! Looks as though all of
> you will have a great time....my best wishes to all of you: Seth, Chris, and
> Nathaniel.
>
> The program looks terrific! Two notes for Nathaniel, in "It's a Pirate's
> Life..." At the A2, a pass through to a wave only takes 4 beats of the
> music, then a wave balance (also 4 beats), and the Rory O'More spin (also 4
> beats); this means there are 4 beats still left. The gent's allemande will
> then start during the A2, rather than the beginning of the B1. So that
> partner swing will be a nice long one (unless you put a Balance in there).
>
> Also a question about American Gothic: Is the Mad Robin oriented toward your
> neighbor (along), or toward your partner (across)? The pass through along at
> the end of the dance makes me think that is with neighbor; otherwise, when
> passing through, each dancer must turn to face partner in order to
> accomplish the Mad Robin. I enjoy doing Mad Robins a lot! So your dance
> intrigues me, so I want to understand it in the way you intended it. Thanks!
>
> Linda Leslie
>
> ------------------------------
>
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> End of Callers Digest, Vol 4, Issue 1
> *************************************
So sorry that I will be out of town on December 4th! Looks as though all of
you will have a great time....my best wishes to all of you: Seth, Chris, and
Nathaniel.
The program looks terrific! Two notes for Nathaniel, in "It's a Pirate's
Life..." At the A2, a pass through to a wave only takes 4 beats of the
music, then a wave balance (also 4 beats), and the Rory O'More spin (also 4
beats); this means there are 4 beats still left. The gent's allemande will
then start during the A2, rather than the beginning of the B1. So that
partner swing will be a nice long one (unless you put a Balance in there).
Also a question about American Gothic: Is the Mad Robin oriented toward your
neighbor (along), or toward your partner (across)? The pass through along at
the end of the dance makes me think that is with neighbor; otherwise, when
passing through, each dancer must turn to face partner in order to
accomplish the Mad Robin. I enjoy doing Mad Robins a lot! So your dance
intrigues me, so I want to understand it in the way you intended it. Thanks!
Linda Leslie
The Medway Contra Dance series will sponsor an Open Mike evening on
Saturday, March 5, 2005, 7:30 - 10:30 pm. This is the second of Medway's
open mike evenings that I have MC'd. The first evening was a great success,
and I am looking forward to even better results with participation from
members of this list!
The number of dances that each individual caller will lead depends upon
the number of participating callers. Last time we had four callers so each
participant called at least two dances.
My requests to participants are few: 1) Contact me if you're interested.
2) After contacting me, develop a list of three or four dances that you'd
like to call. I'll then edit the selections so that we have varied
choreography throughout the evening (for example, we don't want six of the
evening's dances to have a hey-for-four). 3) If possible, I'd like
participants to stay and dance for the whole evening, so that you can
support the other callers when they're at the microphone.
For over five years, I have very much enjoyed calling contras at Medway.
Medway is a small dance, held in a lovely hall. It is a true community
dance. Your dance choices should be at an easy to moderate dancing skill
level. The band will be Heathen Creek (this is a change from earlier posted
information).
If you enjoy calling at Medway, and Medway's dancers enjoy your calling,
I'm confident that the dance organizers will consider you for a full evening
of calling in next season's schedule.
For more information about the Medway dance, including the 2004-2005
schedule and directions to the hall, go to:
http://www.contradancelinks.com/medway.html
Please let me know if you'd like to call at Medway! .... Bob
----------------------------------------------------
Robert Jon Golder
164 Maxfield Street robertgolder(a)comcast.net
New Bedford, MA 02740 (508) 999-2486 voice
Hi Everyone,
Below is our dance program for the New Caller's dance on Dec. 4th. We'd
be happy to answer any questions about how we arrived at this program.
Those of you who are coming to the dance can tell us how well it works
and see if we have to change it at all... 8^)
Chris
Dance sequences follow.
CHRIS
1) Forgotten Treasure (reels)
2) Love and Kisses Mixer (French Canadian reels)
3) The Carousel (reels)
4) Another Nice Combination (hot reels)
SETH
5) You're Already There (chunky jigs)
6) Roll 11 (reels)
7) Rockin Robin (zesty reels)
waltz
-------
hambo
SETH
8) Joel's in The Kitchen (driving, downbeat reels)
NATHANIEL
9) Chorus Jig
10) Pirates Life (groove jigs)
11) American Gothic (smooth reels)
12) Square Affair (hot reels)
Forgotten Treasure Beth Parkes DI
(16) B&S N (8) Down 4, as couples (8) Up, bend line (8) CL 3/4
(8) Sw P (8) F&B (8) LC 1/2
Love and Kisses Ted Sannella Circle Mixer
(4,12) B&S P
(8) W to center and back
(8) M to center turn around and come back to wavy ring
(4,4) Balance, P Allem L
(8) Corner DSD, give RH to corner (#1)
(16) #1 pull by R, #2 pull by L, #3 pull by R, #4 Allem L
#3 pull by R, #2 pull by L, #1 is new partner
Carousel, The Tom Hinds DI
(8) F&B (8) W Allem L 1-1/2 (16) Hey, P R (16) B&S P
(8) CL 3/4 (8) Sw N
Another Nice Combination Tom Hinds DI
(16) B&S N (orig Gyp and Sw) (8) CL 3/4, face P, pass thru
(8) DSD Shadow (16) B&S P (8) LC 1/2 (8) Star L
You¹re Already There LG DI
(4) Bal Wave X (R to N) (4) Al R N 3/4 to long ws, W face in (4) Bal (4)
Al R 3/4 to w X, M in ctr (16) B&S N (8) M Al L 1-1/2 (8) Sw P
(8) 1/2 Prom (R&L) (8) CL 3/4 pass, thru to new w
Roll Eleven Sue Rosen & Larry Jennings DI
(4) CL 1/2! (12) Sw N on other side (8) F&B (8) LC 1/2 to P make
a ring (4) Bal ring; (4) Roll N X (8) Catch P and Sw (8) 1/2 Prom
(8) CL 3/4, Calif Twirl
Rockin Robin Rick Mohr DI
(8) C Right once (8) Al L N once, M pull by R (16) Hey, P L
(16) B&S P (12) CL 1-1/4 (orig place) Hold on to P (4) Veer L,
veer R to next cple
Joel¹s in the Kitchen Sue Rosen B L1
(8) F&B (8) LC1/2 to N make a ring (8) Bal and Petronella Twirl
(8) Bal and Petronella Twirl now P is X from you (8) Bal and X Trail!
(pass R, pass L) P R, N L (8) Sw next N (8) CL 3/4 (8) Sw P
Chorus Jig Trad DP *
(8) 1s down outside (8) Up (8) 1s down middle, alone (8) is up,
cast off w/ same role (16) CC (16) 1s B&S end facing up and roll
down
A Pirate's Life for Me (Really Bad Eggs): (Improper) NJ
A1 4,12 Neighbor Bal + Swing
A2 8 Pass through to a wave
8 Balance the wave, Rory O'More spin R--BUT the men go past
N adn the oterh man--catch the other man by the L!
B1 4 Men Allemande left once
12 Partner Swing
B2 8 Ladies Dos a dos 1-1/2 in the center
8 Neighbor gypsy 3/4 to new neighbors
American Gothic: (Improper) NJ
A1 Mad Robin
Women Al left 1-1/2
A2 Star Promenade 1/2 (women in the center) w/ whirl
Men start 1/2 hey by right
B1 Partner Balance and Swing
B2 Long Lines F+B
Circle Left 3/4, Pass through to next
Square Affair Becky Hill B L1 X
(8) F&B (8) LC (8) Bal P, Pull by, Pull by N (8) Bal P, Pull by,
Pull by N (16) B&S Next N (8) CL 3/4 (8) Sw P
That's a great question. I've gotten into many discussions about this
very issue. I think that your first example is the one to go with. Just
for fun, go down the hall with a partner and keep your joined hands down
during beats1 through 6. Then, on beats 7 and 8, turn as a couple.
You'll probably find that allowing 2 beats to turn as a couple is
rushed. So I think of turning as a couple as a 4 beat move. Turning
alone in 2 beats works but I'd still call it on 5-8. Calling in fours
fits the music nicely and sounds good.
Tom
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> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. Timing on calling a 4 in line down the hall (Chris Weiler)
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Sun, 14 Nov 2004 23:03:26 -0500
> From: Chris Weiler <chris(a)sharedweight.net>
> Subject: [Callers] Timing on calling a 4 in line down the hall
> To: callers(a)sharedweight.net
> Message-ID: <41982A8E.8040305(a)sharedweight.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed
>
> Hey all,
>
> We sat down today and programmed our dance on Dec. 4th.
> (http://www.seeger.ws/dec4_contradance.pdf)
>
> We're all pretty excited. I was going through my dances tonight doing a
> little thinking ahead and realized that I'm not sure about timing the
> calls for a 4 in line down the hall. Do you time the call to end on the
> 6th beat to encourage dancers to use the final 2 beats to turn around,
> or do you time it to end on the eighth beat?
>
> Beat - Call
> 5 - Down the
> 6 - Hall
> 7 - 4 in
> 8 - Line
> 1 -
> 2 -
> 3 -
> 4 -
> 5 - Turn as a
> 6 - Couple
> 7 - C'mon
> 8 - Back
>
> Or:
> 5 - Down the
> 6 - Hall
> 7 - 4 in
> 8 - Line
> 1 -
> 2 -
> 3 -
> 4 -
> 5 -
> 6 -
> 7 - Turn as a
> 8 - Couple
> 1 - C'mon
> 2 - Back
>
> I think that I answered my own question, but I'm interested in hearing
> what people say about it.
>
> Thanks!
> Chris
>
> ------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
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>
> End of Callers Digest, Vol 3, Issue 3
> *************************************
Hey all,
We sat down today and programmed our dance on Dec. 4th.
(http://www.seeger.ws/dec4_contradance.pdf)
We're all pretty excited. I was going through my dances tonight doing a
little thinking ahead and realized that I'm not sure about timing the
calls for a 4 in line down the hall. Do you time the call to end on the
6th beat to encourage dancers to use the final 2 beats to turn around,
or do you time it to end on the eighth beat?
Beat - Call
5 - Down the
6 - Hall
7 - 4 in
8 - Line
1 -
2 -
3 -
4 -
5 - Turn as a
6 - Couple
7 - C'mon
8 - Back
Or:
5 - Down the
6 - Hall
7 - 4 in
8 - Line
1 -
2 -
3 -
4 -
5 -
6 -
7 - Turn as a
8 - Couple
1 - C'mon
2 - Back
I think that I answered my own question, but I'm interested in hearing
what people say about it.
Thanks!
Chris
You guys are going to be terrific ! I wish I could be there, but alas, I was
already double booked for that dated. And unfortunately, I had to cancel on
the dance in order to do the politically correct thing and attend the
company Christmas party. Too many events and not enough time, or air miles.
Break a leg, and I know I'll want a full report afterwards !
Bev
*****************************************
The Witful Turnip wturnip(a)sympatico.ca
"If you're gonna eat shit, don't nibble."
- said by Tom Hinds re: calling square dances
*****************************************
> Message: 1
> Date: Tue, 09 Nov 2004 06:04:55 -0500
> From: Chris Weiler <chris(a)sharedweight.net>
> Subject: [Callers] New Callers Dance in Arlington, MA
> To: callers(a)sharedweight.net
> Message-ID: <4190A457.8070005(a)sharedweight.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed
>
> For those of you in the Boston area:
>
> A New Callers Dance
> Saturday, December 4th, 2-5pm
> in Arlington, MA
>
> Introducing callers:
> Chris Weiler
> Seth Seeger
> Nathaniel Jack
>
> Flyer:
> http://www.seeger.ws/dec4_contradance.pdf
>
> We hope that people can come and support us!
>
> Thanks!
> Chris
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> Callers mailing list
> Callers(a)sharedweight.net
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>
>
> End of Callers Digest, Vol 3, Issue 1
> *************************************
>
I think that it depends on the musicians. Some bands I've worked with
don't have the slightest idea when you request a certain type of tune.
Others are tuned in to what the dancers need (they even dance!!!). You
could ask for a traditional flavor like French Canadian, old time, New
England etc. Adjectives that are typically used include flowing, marchy,
bouncy and driving. So, you might want to request a flowing tune for a
dance that has a hey in it. But does it get to be the
'same old thing' to always dance heys to flowing music? Don't be afraid
to be different from what everyone else does in your area. Dances with
many balances like Summer of 84 by Gene Hubbert and Four, forty four,
forty four by Steve Zaken work well with jigs (but they work fine with
reels). It will help the musicians to tell them where the balances are.
I think that the majority of these kinds of contras start with a balance
(2 measures), then two measures of some movement followed by a balance.
Less frequent are the dances where the dancers do something for 2 measures
and then balance. It makes a difference depending on the tune. Remember
that musicians usually talk in measures whereas we usually talk about
beats. The typical tune has 64 beats or 32 measures.
At our dance festival last weekend we danced a flirty type contra to a
march (or maybe a slow reel with a marchy feel). It was magical and a
nice change of pace form the regular reels and jigs. I wouldn't have
thought of doing that. On occasion, I have heard Steve Hickman play a set
of polkas for a contra and it really worked. Be careful of Irish bands.
I don't know about Irish bands in your area, but here in Virginia they
play the jigs way too fast, about 140 beats per minute. I prefer the
tunes to be around 120 or a tad slower depending on energy and skill level
of the dancers, type of dance, condition of floor, and temperature.
If your dancers are not dancing to the phrase well, you could ask the band
to use a tune that is well phrased.
Also, some musicians can pick the right tune just by looking at your card.
Tom
callers-request(a)sharedweight.net wrote:
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>
> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. Re: Callers Digest, Vol 2, Issue 12 (Jenna Watson)
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Wed, 27 Oct 2004 04:50:21 -0400
> From: Jenna Watson <watsonj75(a)earthlink.net>
> Subject: [Callers] Re: Callers Digest, Vol 2, Issue 12
> To: callers(a)sharedweight.net
> Message-ID: <3C63CC20-27F5-11D9-BAC4-0050E4797B04(a)earthlink.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed
>
> Can anyone tell me more about how to match the dances you have chosen
> to the music being played? How do you tell the band what you want?
> Other than Jig, reel, and so on? Does the band want to know when there
> is balances in a particular dance? Do they need to know other
> significant moves as well?
>
> PS. I think in response to Linda, I have the confidence that I will get
> there someday. Considering that I work with children five days a week.
> I am pretty good at getting their full attention. (Ages anywhere from
> 4- 10) I look forward to chatting with you the next time I see you! :)
>
> Cheers
> Jenna
>
> ------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
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>
> End of Callers Digest, Vol 2, Issue 13
> **************************************
