If I may opine - I think that Barb is trying to generate discussion more about how best to train people to teach new dancers how to dance. If I may suggest one potential focus group to ask is a new dancer. Experienced dancers and callers may have ideas as to what works, but also I think that if you get a group of first-time dancers, or relative newbies, and ask them how they prefer to be taught dance, you might get some interesting answers.
Perry ________________________________ From: Merle Mceldowney <[email protected]> To: A list for dance organizers <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, December 5, 2013 12:07 PM Subject: Re: [Organizers] starting a new dance series If someone is starting a new dance, this is my advice: Talk to experienced callers...what is good about contra dancing is it is really not as simple as it looks. The callers are the ones that have studied this carefully. Yes it is pretty easy to learn at first and get into the line. But putting together a dance is a lot more difficult, then it seems. In the years as my being the chief organizer of the New York City contra dance I have taken two callers workshops. I never wanted to be a caller, but I was in a position to judge callers and wanted to know what my basis for judging them. The discussion about inactive dances is interesting because it shows the kind of thought that most callers put into their programing. (I will admit that I do not think that every single caller puts work into programing - those that don't are usually not that good - or maybe used to be good). Some of our experienced dancers had made a point for a while that they did not like circle dances. I believe they have changed their mind after realizing how callers used them as a teaching tool when we have a lot of beginners - this does happen in NYC) How to teach the swing -- it is a struggle for us as it is for other communities..a workshop during the break, experienced dancers give a pointer or two at the end of a line. We have had an occasional worksop during the break and that has been helpful. We are now trying to have a session in a corner during one of the earlier dance. Callers workshop - callers I have talked to put considerable thought into the workshop they teach - often the workshops are connected to the dances they intend to call. Again, the variety in this stuff is part of what makes contra dancing so interesting and keep us all involved. I would like to advertise one callers workshop. George Marshall, who is (even for some who may not like him) is one of the most respected callers, and is known for calling successful evenings. He seem to have chosen not to teach patterns so much - no ladies chain or right and left through, I guess he figures if he can teach a hey during the evening he can teach the other stuff. His workshop stresses dancing. This 24 minute workshop is something I like. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14nxFdcaKWA Also, some talked about having "dance angels" be identified by buttons. I thought there would be a problem with it (is not there a problem with anything?). How do we keep the people we do not want to be dance angles that we do not want to be but due to lots of experience they think they could? Merle On Thu, Dec 5, 2013 at 10:36 AM, barb kirchner <[email protected]>wrote: > actually, that's one of the reasons that this came to me. too many > experienced, well-meaning dancers helping newbies. not a bad thing - but > if they did it with a few specific points in mind, it could work much > better. > > the cadre gets "training" - ie, everybody could have a meal together and > talk about the basic points, or something like that. it could be as simple > as a one-page document describing "good dance floor behavior". that way > the dance ambassadors, or whatever you want to call them, are NOT part of > the "distract newbies during the walkthrough" problem. > > btw - i'm not starting a new dance. i've done that twice, and learned a > lot. i just want to discuss this as a possible method for people who ARE > starting new dances. > > and the cadre does not need to be identified - they are just people on the > floor who have decided to be good role models and discussed what that means. > > > > > > CC: [email protected] > > From: [email protected] > > Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2013 09:26:30 -0600 > > To: [email protected] > > Subject: Re: [Organizers] starting a new dance series > > > > Once upon a time our group made a bunch of buttons labeled "dance > ambassador". They were available at the sign in table for experienced > dancers to pick up. The caller could tell new dancers that those with the > button would be happy to dance with beginners or answer questions. It > worked okay, I think. Not lots of people wore the buttons. They eventually > all wandered off, and we never made a new batch. Something of the sort > might help with your cadre. I guess the danger is this might indicate that > some experienced dancers are not happy to help new dancers. > > > > Sent from my iPad > > > > > On Dec 5, 2013, at 5:37 AM, barb kirchner <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > > > > good points, john. that's exactly why almost the very first thing i > teach in class (and repeat a lot) is a swing. > > > > > > i agree that it's not fair let them flounder in the swing, but as a > caller, it seems to me that if you're teaching the swing during a > walk-through, they will fllounder through the whole dance, not just the > swing. where is the satisfaction in that? i've certainly talked to new > dancers who left at the break saying they were "too confused". i could see > that this often happened because well-meaning dancers distracted them > during the walk-through. > > > > > > and the things that are taught by "helpful" partners are often not > helpful at all - just get bad habits started. > > > > > > if you can teach it in a couple of seconds, that's great. but i've > seen people spend the whole first walkthrough of a dance "learning" to > swing. then they wander through the line, confused, causing tangles. then > the experienced dancers complain - even though they might have helped set > up the situation. > > > > > > if there is no class - "crew leaders" could greet new dancers and > teach a couple things - how to swing, ladies on the right - that kind of > stuff. > > > > > > so - this thread isn't about swinging. > > > > > > it's about the idea of having a cadre of educated iand goal-oriented > individuals on the floor helping to maintain order and fun among a bunch of > new dancers, and making sure that new dancers listen to the caller by > exhibiting good dance floor behavior. because THAT's the main thing that > new dancers do NOT know - to LISTEN TO THE CALLER. > > > > > > cheers, > > > barb > > > > > > > > >> From: [email protected] > > >> To: [email protected] > > >> Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2013 10:04:41 +0000 > > >> Subject: Re: [Organizers] starting a new dance series > > >> > > >> We did some analysis of swings some time ago, considering a typical > contra > > >> dance evening, with modern contra dances and their bias towards > swings. > > >> > > >> We estimated that there was about 106 minutes of dancing, and that > about 26% > > >> of it was swinging! As a dancer you spend nearly THIRTY MINUTES of the > > >> evening swinging! > > >> > > >> To let first-timers flounder without help on their swinging seems > extremely > > >> unfair to me. And while we have some excellent swingers who can > teach a > > >> swing well, we also have dancers who are not so good, have strange > ideas, > > >> and are the most likely to teach a first-timer while the caller is > teaching > > >> the dance. > > >> > > >> So if there are only a few first-timers I will teach them the swing > > >> individually before the first dance. But if that isn't possible, if > I am > > >> aware of any first-timers being present, then I always teach the > swing when > > >> we get to it in the first dance. It only takes a few seconds and > can make > > >> an incredible difference to the first-timer's experience. There is > also > > >> always the hope that some of the more experienced dancers will pick > up some > > >> of the tips and improve their swinging. > > >> > > >> Happy dancing, > > >> John > > >> > > >> John Sweeney, Dancer, England [email protected] 01233 625 362 > > >> http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent > > >> > > >> _______________________________________________ > > >> Organizers mailing list > > >> [email protected] > > >> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/organizers > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > Organizers mailing list > > > [email protected] > > > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/organizers > > _______________________________________________ > > Organizers mailing list > > [email protected] > > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/organizers > > _______________________________________________ > Organizers mailing list > [email protected] > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/organizers > -- *Merle McEldowney* *212-933-0290* _______________________________________________ Organizers mailing list [email protected] http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/organizers
