I started this thread with fuzzy goals. I'll chime in again now I have a better grasp of what I wanted to say (and get a community check). Each dance form is free to be its own world, but it does exist in a cosmos of many dance forms and dancers who know and love more than one form. I'm not advocating CONTRALAB (precise call definitions) or unifying calls across dance forms. I want each choreography inventor to be free to come up with the dance they want and maybe now and then invent a new call, within the norms of the form.
But if you are aware of other dance forms (English country, squares, rounds) you have another toolkit. You can borrow interesting moves and you can avoid jargon redefinition to some extent. It's just a toolkit; no one should have to learn Basic or Mainstream modern squares to write a kick-butt contra dance (or vice versa). If you do know more than one form, you have a chance to borrow terms and moves "safely." In the end, I'll do what the contra caller explains to me, and if it's a good dance it doesn't matter what the words are. (Judging from the number of non-English speaking square dancers, I know this is true!) \bob On Dec 5, 2011, at 10:52 AM, Clark Baker wrote: > I would caution people from going too far down this road. One risk is that > the MWSD calls all have very specific starting and stopping places and rules > on how they are done. If the contra version is only a close approximation, > someone might get upset. Also, just because MWSD has a name and precise > definition doesn't make that name "better" or more instantly understandable > to a newer dancer. > > On Dec 5, 2011, at 3:02 AM, Chris Page wrote: > >> Fan the top or orbit? > > The orbits I have danced are not Fan The Top. Fan The Top starts in a wave, > has the centers arm turn 3/4 while the ends move forward around the formation > 1/4 of the way. Ends in a new wave. Orbit (or Orbit The Wave) has the > centers arm turn once (or 1 1/2) while each end walks forward a half circle > to the other end. It is usually followed by a Swing or Balance and Swing. > >> Sashay or mad robin? > > MWSD would call it Half Sashay and have you do it twice. However, this would > always have the dancer on the right go in front. Some contra moves can be > right-handed or left-handed with the same name and what to do is explained in > the walk thru. In MWSD, these moves all have two names. > > Also the Mad Robin in the dance I am think of has the Mad Robin go 1 1/4 to > have the centers guys start a Hey. Asking for a Half Sashay 2 1/2 sounds > like doing math. > >> Spin the top or half celtic knot? > > Celtic Knot comes up so infrequently, I would ignore this. Also, on the rare > cases I have danced Celtic Knot, I remember it being taught more as Pully > Bys, a star in the center and the dancers on the outside doing a cloverleaf. > It is true that Spin The Top moves the body along the same path, but you are > facing 90 degrees different while doing it. > >> Split circulate or rotate the wave? > > Perhaps call it Box Circulate. "Split" is used when you divide the 8-dancers > set into two groups of 4. > >> Spread or slide as in Rory o' More? > > Slide would be the term. Spread is a suffix added to a call that has the > dancers moving into a wave. We woldn't call Balance The Wave and SPread at > MWSD. > >> Veer or weave the line? > > I think asking "couples veer left" or "veer over to the left" is more using > common English. It is the case that Veer Left and Veer Right are MWSD calls, > but they almost make sense from their names. > >> Walk around your corner or gypsy? > > In squares, Walk Around Your Corner has the idea that you will next interact > with your Partner. I would find it jarring to encounter that terminology in > contras. > >> Zoom or cast/lead? > > Zoom is a precise 360 degree movement for the leader and a walk forward one > position for the trailer. Lead/cast (and I am no expert) seems to be more a > 180 or 270 degree turning action. We have a call Zing which starts in a > tandem and ends on the same spots as a couple. Perhaps that would work. > Perhaps that makes my point :-) > > -- > Clark Baker, Belmont, MA > cmba...@tiac.net > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > call...@sharedweight.net > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers >
