Thanks, Greg! This was most useful!
Hmmm... Shorter dances in the beginning. I guess we do that anyway, since the lines are shorter right at the start, the dances easier, and we try to take it easy on the new dancers, but I hadn't considered the "increased partnering opportunities" aspect. M E On Mon, Jan 31, 2011 at 11:26 PM, Greg McKenzie <greken...@gmail.com> wrote: > > Martha Asked: > > So, Greg, since you are clearly a Good Guy, what was the meaning of your >> original post, where you suggested the caller warn people that there was a >> medley coming up so they could be sure they wouldn't have to dance the >> medley with someone who wasn't skilled? That's what I'm reacting to - it >> just sounded so...like a hotdogger. Which you otherwise don't seem to be. >> > > No. I am not a "Good Guy."...but I have the potential. Everyone does. I > believe that calling contras can make you a better person, if you work at > it. So maybe there is still hope. > > For the caller to gain the respect and support of the entire hall they need > to be open with people and trust them with information. As a caller you > want everyone invested in your success. If the dancers feel informed they > are more likely to trust the caller. To "spring" an unusual formation on > the dancers will erode that sense of trust. > > In a medley the dancer could possible be making a commitment the length of > two regular contras. It only seems fair to warn the dancers of this > increased commitment. Yes. There are some who will feel an increased sense > of urgency in finding a particular partner, or kind of partner, for this > extended commitment. This does not reflect poorly upon the dancer. It is a > natural outcome of longer dance slots that dancers will feel what could be > called an increased "partnering urgency." If you are going to put them in > that position it is only fair that you warn them in advance. > > We use words like "hotdogger" to describe such people and it does have a > derogatory sound to it. But, as in all other cases, it's always the > caller's fault. If you want to encourage an increased culture of > inclusiveness then shorter partnering slots is one strategy that really > works. Even shortening the slots a small amount during the first third of > the dance evening will create a sense that there will be many partnering > opportunities and this will engender a more generous feeling in the > partnering process. > > This, of course, speaks against the use of medleys. Because of their > length, and because they are regarded as more challenging, medleys are more > exclusive than a regular contra dance. > > So those are just two tips on generating a culture of inclusiveness: > > 1. Build a sense of trust with the dancers by giving them more information. > 2. Keep the length of the partnering slots shorter, particularly early in > the evening. > > > - Greg > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > call...@sharedweight.net > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers > -- For the good are always the merry, Save by an evil chance, And the merry love the fiddle And the merry love to dance. ~ William Butler Yeats
