So far, here's what I do for contra. (I've only been calling contra for a couple of years, and I don't do this for English because each dance is a bit more sui generis.)
I don't use cards because my handwriting and printing are lousy (a minor neurological dysfunction), and because if I try to write them at dances I'm so sweaty that everything smears like crazy, and if I try to call from cards I either sweat them up or mislay them, so I need my real originals to stay at home. So: Each dance is in a separate plain-text file on disk, and I also have a separate index file with one line per dance, with an extremely abbreviated version of the figures in order, eg: 100 YEARS OF MISCHIEF Form:IC Figs:BTG:AL:NS:CL:DSD:MR:PS: 3 2 1 DANCE Form:IC Figs:LLF&B:NNS:G&T:PS:CL2/3:BTR:CT:NNG&S: 3 33 33 Form:IC Figs:GC:BTG:NS:CL:PS:LLF&B:DSD: 35_4_THE_ROSENS Form:BK Figs:CL3/4: 1/2 Hey:NG&S:CT:NB&cuddle:G&T: 50 50 Form:BK Figs:CL:NS:LC:H4H:BTG:PS:SL: ABBEY, THE (mixer) Form:4x4 Figs:LLF&B:LC:GC:CR:CT:PS: ALS SAFEWAY PRODUCE Form:IC Figs:LHS:AL:AR:PS:CL:NS:LLF&B:RHS: ALTERATIONS SWING Form:BK Figs:CL3/4,PT,LLF&B:NS:DOPASO:AR:PS ALTERNATING CORNERS Form:IC Figs:CL:NS::LLF&B:HF8:CC:PS: AMY'S HARMONIUM Form:BK Figs:LLF&R:AR:NS:LC:CL:PT:AL:PS ANGIE'S FANCY Form:TR Figs:LLF&B:PS:unique:RHS:LHS:R&L ANOTHER NICE COMBINATION Form:IC Figs:G:NS:CL:PT:DSD:PS:LC:LHS: APPETIZER Form:IC Figs:NS:LLF&B:LC:AR:PS:CL:DSD: APPLE PIE QUADRILLE Form:4x4 Figs:LLF&B:RHS:AL:PS:Weird: ARE YOU MOST DONE Form:BK Figs:AL:NS:LLF&B:RHS:H4:AR:PS: ARTQUAKE '95 Form:IC Figs:LLF&B:AS:4iL:TA:BTL:LCo&b:CL:CR: ATONEMENT REEL (mixer) Form:BC Figs:BTW:RA:BTR:LA:PB&S:F&B:F&B:PAR:Prmd: BACK IT ON UP Form:IC Figs:CL:NS:LLF&B:NNS:LC:PS: BACKSTITCH Form:IC Figs:LLF&B:RA:AL:PS:LHS:NS: BACKSTITCH VARIATION Form:IC Figs:LLF&B:RA:NS:AL:PS:Prmd:LC: BALANCE AND THINK Form:BK Figs:LLF&B:DSD:NS:CL:TRD:PS: BALANCE THE STAR Form:IC Figs:B:RHS:TA:LHS:TA:NDSD:CT:Weird:repeat (Every so often, I go through my disk directory and check what dances I've added since the last time I updated the index file, then go through the dances and update the index. Then I have some scripts that go through the index and create separate indexes for Becket, Big Circle, Contra, Indecent, 4-face-four, Scatter Mixer, etc..) Then I print out all that stuff and stick 'em in a big notebook, which I can bring to gigs. If I feel I need to change my program and introduce, say, a Becket dance, I can look at the Becket index; if I want to see all my options, I look at the several page, hundreds-of-dances, main index. If something looks like a possibility, I flip through the book alphabetically until I come to the sheet protector with the 8.5x11 sheet with the dance and any notes on it, and judge whether it really makes sense - is there a tricky bit that doesn't show in the summary?) When I'm working up a program, I work from the index and juggle the orders; with the Figure summary I can make sure my dances don't all start the same way, or have the same progression, etc, while I pull up the individual dance description to look for any notes, ratings, etc. There's enough info in the index to let me say "I need an easy Becket with a hey in it" and find it. Then I make up a single text file into which I've included the program order, all the dance descriptions, and a bunch of possible extras/alternates; it raises my confidence level to have all of that already thought out before I get there, print out several copies of that - if the band has somebody who'd like to look at the card, they may as well have a copy of the program; if there's a caller who liked the dances I called, I can just hand them a copy of the notes; if I put my copy down somewhere before doing a demo, I have another copy.] I was calling English ceilidh dances before contra dances, and for that I did a similar thing with a wider variety of formations, also noting tune type, etc, and then when the band told me they had a 40-bar jig they wanted to play I could look at *that* index to see which dances would work with that. But I didn't make up programs in advance because the numbers were completely unpredictable. Occasionally I think about a full-on relational database that tracks dances, when last called, difficulty ratings, etc, etc, but in fact I've never had any need for one. This has worked well for me so far, but I haven't yet had to deal with calling a contra dance where only five people show up, or a busload of Girl Scouts arrives just after the break, or whatever other horror story you have. I've had the equivalents when calling English, and usually just backed off to the barn dance repertoire. -- Alan -- =============================================================================== Alan Winston --- wins...@ssrl.slac.stanford.edu Disclaimer: I speak only for myself, not SLAC or SSRL Phone: 650/926-3056 Paper mail to: SSRL -- SLAC BIN 99, 2575 Sand Hill Rd, Menlo Park CA 94025 ===============================================================================
