Hi Allison, I would echo Alan and Rich... especially if the folks LIKED those dances. I have run many beginner dancers events over the last ten years and folks want to do the dances they enjoyed from last time (sometimes you have to remind them that you have other new fun dances to teach too). :-)
The one complaint I have heard from long time dancers are that some of the dance groups don't repeat favorite dances often enough in a goal to do as many different dances over the course of a year as possible so keep that “fun” factor in mind when selecting them. You have a nice list of dances! Don't forget about the classic Sicillian Circle dance where there's clapping and hooting when the gents go in then the ladies go in. Folks love to clap and hoot and it brings up the energy! Let us know how it went! Darlene Historical Tea & Dance Society Pasadena, CA On Wed, Oct 24, 2018 at 1:44 PM <[email protected]> wrote: > Send Callers mailing list submissions to > [email protected] > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > [email protected] > > You can reach the person managing the list at > [email protected] > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Callers digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. "Second" ONS (Allison Jonjak) > 2. Re: "Second" ONS (Winston, Alan P.) > 3. Re: "Second" ONS (Rich Sbardella) > 4. Re: "Second" ONS (jim saxe) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Wed, 24 Oct 2018 12:25:51 -0500 > From: Allison Jonjak <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > Subject: [Callers] "Second" ONS > Message-ID: > < > cak2+5bksff_tegh_yzcfuyn8qhjfw1bfdgagg2d5nsqjevl...@mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" > > Hi all, > > I hail from a rural area with no nearby dance communities. This June I held > a free community barn dance, featuring lots of Linda Leslie's "very easy > dances". Through the magic of newspapers I was able to connect with a > string band, and we had about 25 dancers, lots of whom left their email > addresses 'so you can invite us again next time.' > > I'll head home for the holidays, the band is willing and the hall is > willing, so I'm planning to host another dance. The question is: should I > prepare > -the same dances > -the same easiness-level of dances, but different actual dances > -a dance or two that uses progressions? > > The dancers in June learned very quickly, and aced the proto-progressions > in both Jefferson & Liberty, and Peak Bagger. > > How much of that practice in June do I expect to carry forward to > November? Here was the program I wound up calling, > https://contradb.com/programs/76 , pardon that the calling notes are mixed > in with my followup notes. Here were the dances I had prepared: > https://contradb.com/programs/71 > > Thanks all in advance for your help! > > -- > Allison Jonjak, M.S., E.I.T. > [email protected] > allisonjonjak.com > -------------- next part -------------- > An HTML attachment was scrubbed... > URL: < > http://lists.sharedweight.net/pipermail/callers-sharedweight.net/attachments/20181024/f02b883f/attachment-0001.html > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Wed, 24 Oct 2018 17:31:15 +0000 > From: "Winston, Alan P." <[email protected]> > To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [Callers] "Second" ONS > Message-ID: <[email protected]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" > > In general, I'd say to prepare mostly the same easiness-level of dances, > mostly different dances, a repeat of whatever the most popular dance was, > and have a couple slightly more challenging ones - with progression, etc - > up your sleeve but without any emotional investment in actually using them. > > Expect very little to carry over to a second dance five months later. > Maybe more facility in getting lined up, but also (if you're lucky) > they'll bring friends with no experience. > > -- Alan > > > On 10/24/18 10:25 AM, Allison Jonjak via Callers wrote: > Hi all, > > I hail from a rural area with no nearby dance communities. This June I > held a free community barn dance, featuring lots of Linda Leslie's "very > easy dances". Through the magic of newspapers I was able to connect with a > string band, and we had about 25 dancers, lots of whom left their email > addresses 'so you can invite us again next time.' > > I'll head home for the holidays, the band is willing and the hall is > willing, so I'm planning to host another dance. The question is: should I > prepare > -the same dances > -the same easiness-level of dances, but different actual dances > -a dance or two that uses progressions? > > The dancers in June learned very quickly, and aced the proto-progressions > in both Jefferson & Liberty, and Peak Bagger. > > How much of that practice in June do I expect to carry forward to > November? Here was the program I wound up calling, > https://contradb.com/programs/76 , pardon that the calling notes are > mixed in with my followup notes. Here were the dances I had prepared: > https://contradb.com/programs/71 > > Thanks all in advance for your help! > > -- > Allison Jonjak, M.S., E.I.T. > [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> > allisonjonjak.com<http://allisonjonjak.com> > > > > > _______________________________________________ > List Name: Callers mailing list > List Address: [email protected]<mailto: > [email protected]> > Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > > > -------------- next part -------------- > An HTML attachment was scrubbed... > URL: < > http://lists.sharedweight.net/pipermail/callers-sharedweight.net/attachments/20181024/01e38feb/attachment-0001.html > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 3 > Date: Wed, 24 Oct 2018 14:31:29 -0400 > From: Rich Sbardella <[email protected]> > To: "Winston, Alan P." <[email protected]> > Cc: Shared_Weight_Callers <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [Callers] "Second" ONS > Message-ID: > <CAE4BujLGX== > [email protected]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" > > Allison, > > I am with Alan on this. I would use several of the most well received > dances, and then add a few with a similar level of difficulty. I would > look for variations in formations to provide variety without adding > difficulty. Another way to add variety is by using different music, As an > example, try a jig instead of a reel, or use a different tempo. > > I began a new barn dance series last weekend in Sturbridge, MA and had a > small, but enthusiastic, crowd. I also host a shortened series in > Stafford, CT that has grown to 60-80 dancers per event. I usually start > with a couple of circle mixers, followed by longways, then a simple contra > or two, and some easy squares. I insert a scatter dance occasionally. I > also like to use a circle mixer as the last dance, as it is a great visual > affirmation of our efforts to build a community. > > My experience building the Stafford Stomp community is most community level > dancers do not mind repetition from month to month, and in fact enjoy the > ability to relax and dance they know well. > > I wish you the best as you go forward. > Rich > > > > On Wed, Oct 24, 2018 at 1:31 PM Winston, Alan P. via Callers < > [email protected]> wrote: > > > In general, I'd say to prepare mostly the same easiness-level of dances, > > mostly different dances, a repeat of whatever the most popular dance was, > > and have a couple slightly more challenging ones - with progression, etc > - > > up your sleeve but without any emotional investment in actually using > them. > > > > Expect very little to carry over to a second dance five months later. > > Maybe more facility in getting lined up, but also (if you're lucky) > > they'll bring friends with no experience. > > > > -- Alan > > > > > > > > On 10/24/18 10:25 AM, Allison Jonjak via Callers wrote: > > > > Hi all, > > > > I hail from a rural area with no nearby dance communities. This June I > > held a free community barn dance, featuring lots of Linda Leslie's "very > > easy dances". Through the magic of newspapers I was able to connect > with a > > string band, and we had about 25 dancers, lots of whom left their email > > addresses 'so you can invite us again next time.' > > > > I'll head home for the holidays, the band is willing and the hall is > > willing, so I'm planning to host another dance. The question is: should I > > prepare > > -the same dances > > -the same easiness-level of dances, but different actual dances > > -a dance or two that uses progressions? > > > > The dancers in June learned very quickly, and aced the proto-progressions > > in both Jefferson & Liberty, and Peak Bagger. > > > > How much of that practice in June do I expect to carry forward to > > November? Here was the program I wound up calling, > > https://contradb.com/programs/76 , pardon that the calling notes are > > mixed in with my followup notes. Here were the dances I had prepared: > > https://contradb.com/programs/71 > > > > Thanks all in advance for your help! > > > > -- > > Allison Jonjak, M.S., E.I.T. > > [email protected] > > allisonjonjak.com > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > List Name: Callers mailing list > > List Address: [email protected] > > Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > List Name: Callers mailing list > > List Address: [email protected] > > Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > > > -------------- next part -------------- > An HTML attachment was scrubbed... > URL: < > http://lists.sharedweight.net/pipermail/callers-sharedweight.net/attachments/20181024/d534e1e4/attachment-0001.html > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 4 > Date: Wed, 24 Oct 2018 12:58:15 -0700 > From: jim saxe <[email protected]> > To: Allison Jonjak via Callers <[email protected]>, > "[email protected]" <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [Callers] "Second" ONS > Message-ID: <[email protected]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii > > Good advice from both Alan and Rich. I agree with Rich that you could > repeat more than one well-received dance from last time. > > Alan wrote: > > > and have a couple slightly more challenging ones - with progression, etc > - up your sleeve but without any emotional investment in actually using > them. > > Definitely agree on the "without any emotional investment" part. > Long-term, do you have an ambition for these events to evolve into "contra" > dances, or would you be happy as a clam to keep having events where > facility at ending a swing side-by-side with the _____ on the left and the > _____ on the right is not an important skill, so long as you have a room > full of smiling dancers? > > I have a few comments and questions about your notes: > > The notes say "beginner's lesson (circle, Lark Raven, ...)" but the dance > descriptions use "ladles" and "gentlespoons". What terms did you actually > use? If you used "Larks" and "Ravens", did you say anything at all about > their relation to traditional gender roles? In practice how much > correlation was there between what people looked like and which role they > danced in? > > Leaving aside the waltz and the polka, it looks like the only two dances > where the roles of Lark/Gentlespoon vs. Raven/Ladle were significant were > the roll away dance and Mad Scatter. > > Notes on the roll away dance say "succeeded at walkthrough, weren't going > to make it through the dance." If you could tell, did the confusion seem > to have to do with figuring out wha was in what role, or was it mostly > about something else, such as getting from the star to the lines of four? > > [Two side comments on that dance: (1) Notes say "This variation is Wade > Pearson's, removing the right-left-through. ...", but the "original" > version you link to doesn't have a right and left through. It has a cross > trail. (2) Personally, I don't think it would be a great loss to drop this > dance from the repertoire, regardless of the role terminology or the manner > of setting up the lines of four. I could say more on both points but don't > want to go even further off topic.] > > The other dance description that mentions the roles is Mad Scatter. How > did that work out in practice? I note that it doesn't really matter which > member of each pair goes into the center for an allemande or star and which > one orbits, provided nobody minds who they get for new partner. But I'm > curious about what actually happened. > > Notes on Mad Scatter say "Avoid a mixer last even though they voted for > it." Do you have reason to believe that people were disappointed about > that? I certainly know of many dance series where people would bristle at > having a mixer as the "last" dance of the evening (even if followed by a > waltz as the really last dance), but I'm wondering whether you actually > sensed such bristling at your event. Note also Rich's comment on ending a > barn dance with a circle mixer. > > --Jim > > > > ------------------------------ > > Subject: Digest Footer > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net > > > ------------------------------ > > End of Callers Digest, Vol 54, Issue 14 > *************************************** > -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Darlene Hamilton *Caller, Dancer, Founder of* *The Historical Tea & Dance Society* *Historical Balls, Tea Dances, and Historical Dance classes* *For more information about events and classes go to**www.historicalteaanddance.org <http://www.historicalteaanddance.org/>* *Like us on facebook!*
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