David asked:
So, what are topics that _you_ would like to see in a workshop? Assuming that
one already has the nuts and bolts of programming an evening,
teaching a dance,
and delivering the calls in good fashion, what skills would be useful to
address?
Well, here is a write up for my own workshop. Feel free to use any
of these topic ideas.
Generally I feel that, after callers gain several years of
experience, most develop enough confidence that they feel they can
ignore many of the basics of calling. Things like using effective
word order in calls and prompts is often dropped in favor of a more
"natural" speaking style. This may put the caller at ease but their
calling always suffers for it and the results are often dramatic when
a good number of newcomers are present.
Beyond that I would like to see more emphasis on integrating
newcomers and inspiring a gracious, civil, and welcoming environment
suitable to a public social event. (It might be good to recognize
that open and public contra dances are very different events from
special events designed for dance enthusiasts. The skills are
different and the caller's job is different.)
Just a thought.
Greg
**************
An Instructional and Participatory Workshop for Contra Dance Callers
In Caller Lab I and II participants will learn many of the basics
skills and techniques useful in calling dances and in dance
instruction for groups of mixed skill levels. In Caller Lab III
Participants will have the opportunity to try calling dances and will
receive constructive feedback on their calling techniques from the
entire group. This lab will be taught in three Tuesday evening
sessions of 2-3 hours each during January and February of
2008. Topics in the sessions will include:
Caller Lab I
- The Purpose Of Social Dance
- The Purpose Of Contras
- The Purpose Of The Contra Dance Caller
- The Caller's Responsibility
- Integrating Newcomers Into the Community
- Inspiring Confidence In The Dancers
- Explicit and Implicit Messages
- Voice Clarity and Projection.
- Crafting Precise And Unambiguous Instructions
- Effective Word Order
- Know Your Audience (The Bell Curve)
Caller Lab II
- Earning And Holding The Attention Of The Dancers
- Planning Your Dance Program
- Gaining The Support Of Experienced Dancers
- Setting a Tone of Decorum and Mutual Regard
- Maintaining A Safe And Supportive Environment
- Putting All Dancers at Ease
- The Newcomer's Orientation Session
- Proven Instructional Techniques and How to Avoid Them
- 12 Common Mistakes made by Callers
- Fool-Proof Dance Cards
Caller Lab III
- Using The Music Effectively
- Working With Live Musicians
- Working With PA Systems And Sound Engineers
- Effective Use Of The Microphone
- Microphone Etiquette
- Recognizing Problems
- How To Handle Difficult Situations
- Recovering From Mistakes
- How to Generate an Atmosphere of Graciousness and Goodwill
This workshop series will cover techniques useful for dance callers,
instructors, masters of ceremony, and workshop facilitators who use a
public address system. The core program, however, is designed for
callers of contemporary New England style contra dances, which
involve a caller-led evening of intensely social dancing to live
music in which newcomers are integrated without prior
instruction. Whatever background or interest, all participants in
Caller Lab should have attended at least one contra dance to
understand the context of the lab instruction.
Greg McKenzie has been dancing and calling contras for more than 20
years. He has a B.A. in Speech Communication and graduate course
work in instructional design. He has managed and programmed contra
dance series and has served on several Boards of Directors. He has
also organized citizen-diplomacy contra dance tours of Eastern Europe
where locals were invited to dance with visiting Americans traveling
with a live band and a Russian-speaking caller. In this workshop
series McKenzie applies his communication and instructional
background to the traditional, contemporary, and remarkable public
ritual that we call a contra dance.
