Re: [Callers] Role term survey responses

[David A Kaynor via Callers]

I’ve yet to personally encounter a request for terminology usage with which I 
can’t comfortably work.  If an organizer(s) wants me to use “jets” and 
“rubies”, I’ll do it.  

Absent such a request, I usually state that my own use of the terms “gent” and 
“lady” has to do with choreography, not biology, and anyone can dance either 
role.  I often say, “In your partnership, whoever wants to dance the lady’s 
(gent’s) role stand on the right (left)”, and, in walk-throughs, “whoever’s 
being the lady (gent) __ (chain; allemande left; pass right shoulders; 
dos-a-dos; etc., etc.)”.

Experienced dancers often contradict this advisory when they insist that a 
couple who haven’t crossed while waiting out at the end do so.  In most 
instances, I believe the intent to be helpful, rather than homophobic.  

At family dances, when setting up a basic longways dance, I’ve long referred to 
one line as the “wolves” and the other as the "bears”.  The animated howling 
and growling which usually ensue feel compatible with a light-hearted party 
atmosphere free of restrictive expectations and prejudices.  I often wind up 
using the terms throughout the event. 
  
I like “global terminology” a lot and use it whenever practicable during a 
“regular” contra dance evening.  However, I do find locally accepted and 
familiar role identifiers to be greatly helpful to the teaching/learning 
process in some circumstances.  

I think a lot about the belief that replacing the “gent” and “lady” everywhere 
would result in more people contra dancing.  I suppose we’ll never know unless 
we try.  I’m not sure why I’m not yet sure I want to.

David Kaynor


 
> On Feb 13, 2017, at 10:30 AM, Aahz via Callers 
>  wrote:
> 
> On Mon, Feb 13, 2017, Read Weaver via Callers wrote:
>> 
>> As far as I know, all of the ongoing gender-free English country
>> dances use a different system, "global terminology." It's based on
>> current position rather than role, and so doesn't have to use a
>> substitute for gents/ladies. There are a small number of dances for
>> which it's awkward, though I've had callers present me with something
>> they couldn't figure out the global terminology for and I've usually
>> been able to, usually resulting in easier teaching and calling than
>> the gendered version. There was one ongoing contra dance decades ago
>> that used a similar system.
> 
> You have any examples?  Both the original and the converted version?
> -- 
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Re: [Callers] What dance is this?

[David A Kaynor via Callers]

Hi Everyone,

Bill is correct:  Cherokee Shuffle is an entirely different dance.

The dance in question is one of those great blue-collar contras which were 
somewhat dismissively referred to as “glossary dances” by some of the bigwigs 
of the late 20th century.  Unsurprisingly, it seems to have been independently 
composed by a number of people, me included.  My composition came together on 
the occasion of Matthew Justin Kenney’s birth however many years ago that was 
(he is now entering college).  When I walked it through at my old Greenfield 
dance (at which Stuart Kenney played bass and banjo in the Greenfield Dance 
Band) for the first time, explained its inspiration, and asked the crowd what I 
ought to call it, someone shouted out “Matthew Just in Time”.  And it stuck.

I suspect that as time goes on and more and more people compose dances, there 
will be more occasions of independent composing of identical sequences.  

David

> On Oct 7, 2016, at 4:04 PM, Bill Olson via Callers 
>  wrote:
> 
> Ummm... from David's web page:
> 
> Cherokee Shuffle
> Improper
>  
> A1 (facing up and down set) w/Ns, F & B; w/N, dos-a-dos; form circle
> A2 Bal. Circle; W/N, swing, end progressed
> B1  Gs LH turn 1/2; W/P, bal. & swing (12 beats)
> B2 Circle L 3/4; Circle Bal. 2x; W/P, California Twirl to swap places, face 
> new Ns
> 
>  
> This is the 36 bar version to match the tune. I seem to remember the dance 
> originally was Cir L x1, N DSD in A1 and in B1 the men turned half way to a 
> wave across for the balance.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> From: Callers  on behalf of Jim 
> Williams via Callers 
> Sent: Friday, October 7, 2016 5:15 PM
> To: Aahz via Callers
> Subject: Re: [Callers] What dance is this?
>  
> Note how similar this dance is to David Kaynor's Cherokee Shuffle.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
> > On Oct 7, 2016, at 10:58 AM, Michael Dyck via Callers 
> >  wrote:
> > 
> >> On 16-10-06 02:08 PM, Maia McCormick via Callers wrote:
> >> Any insights?
> >> 
> >> A1: neighbor B
> >> A2: long lines
> >> gents alle. L 1 1/2
> >> B1: PB
> >> B2: circle L 3/4
> >> Bal. the ring, CA twirl to face new neighbors
> > 
> > That matches "California Twirl   No2" by Al Green:
> > http://www.dancing-without-a-care.me.uk/contras.html
> 
> Contras - Al Green - Al Green - dance caller - Home
> www.dancing-without-a-care.me.uk
> California Twirl-Duple improper A1 Neighbour dosado, neighbour swing A2 Down 
> in 4s, turn as couples, return & bend the line B1 Right & left through, 
> ladies chain
> 
> 
> 
> > 
> > and also "Easy Peasy" by Diane Silver
> > in "Barely Legal: A Modest Collection of Modern Contra Dances".
> > 
> > -Michael
> > 
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Re: [Callers] Young Adult Rose

[David A Kaynor via Callers]

Hi Everyone,

The “Young Adult Rose” which I made up goes thus:

Duple Improper

A1:  w/neighbor, balance and swing
end progressed

A2:  Circle left 3/4 til gents are back home;
w/partner, pass right shoulder;
w/shadow, left hand turn

B1:  With partner, balance and swing

B2:  Ladies chain across;
star left

The only differences from The Baby Rose are (1) the title, the “baby” having 
become a “young adult” when, over 20 years later, we met at Camp Unirondack and 
he introduced himself (“I was the Baby Rose!”), and (2) the latter part of A2, 
wherein the arguably overly accommodating partner dos-a-dos morphs into what's 
above.

I will just observe that, even if different from and perhaps somewhat less 
satisfying than what I made up, having to turn with *right* hands rather than 
left hands seems a bit inconsequential to me, considering what’s going on in 
the world around us  these days.  One might well wonder if the revolting 
individuals chose to at least be gracious.

David Kaynor

> On Mar 27, 2016, at 8:13 PM, Kalia Kliban via Callers 
>  wrote:
> 
> On 3/27/2016 5:09 PM, JD Erskine via Callers wrote:
>> On 2016-03-27 1324, Kalia Kliban via Callers wrote:
>>> I called Young Adult Rose last night and experienced a near-complete
>>> dancer revolt about the shadow allemande.  The dance is written with a
>>> circle left 3/4, pass P by R along the line then allemande shadow R 1x,
>>> before coming back to P for a balance and swing.  The dancers all
>>> _really_ wanted to do the allemande by the left.  I tried calling it a
>>> few times with the R hand, then gave up and called it L and they were
>>> all much happier.  Anyone else experienced this?
>>> 
>>> Kalia
>> 
>> I don't have the dance mentioned so I started to analyse what I'd be
>> able to respond to by reformatting the above to short lines of complete,
>> necessary words. I just couldn't picture it in the narrative style.
>> 
>> It looked like I was missing something for my understanding of the
>> dance. I didn't find it on-line, however looking in my personal archives
>> of this list I found a discussion about the dance from 2012.10.26-28
>> 
>> According to one poster Young Adult Rose _is_ danced with an allemande
>> left.
>> 
>> Young Adult Rose
>> 
>> Dup imp/L2i
>> 
>> A1 N Bal. & Sw
>> A2 Cir. L 3/4, pass through
>>   Shadow Al. L 1x
>> B1 P Bal. & Sw
>> B2 Ladies Chain
>>  LH Star 1x
>> 
>> "identical to "Baby" except for the A2."
> 
> Hmm, this is interesting.  I picked it up from JoLaine Jones-Pokorney's site, 
> where it's written as allemande R.  I haven't been able to find the notes 
> anywhere else, when I was looking to see whether I just had an odd version.  
> Anybody else have this in their files?  Is it left or right in your version?
> 
> Kalia
> 
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Re: [Callers] Contras with a Hey

[David A Kaynor via Callers]

Hi Folks,

A longtime lurker leaps in:

Below:  Two fairly easy Becket formation dances which present a full hay for 
four following a full ladies’ chain … a useful sequence from a pedagogical 
standpoint, in my opinion.

First, Peter Stix’s “Purple Hays” (Becket formation)

A1:  Ladies chain (over and back)

A2:  Hay for four (over and back)

B1:  Ladies 1/2 [your politically/socially acceptable term for “gypsy”];
swing partner

B2:  1/2 right and left; circle left 1/2 to original Becket home; with partner, 
slide left.


Here are Peter’s A parts followed by different B parts (Lindsey Dono told me 
that a dancer suggested this dance be called “Busy Bees”)

A1:  Ladies chain (over and back)

A2:  Hay for four (over and back)

B1:  with Partner, balance and swing

B2:  long lines forward & back; circle left (all the way around); with partner, 
shift left to new neighbors.


Note:  On paper, there isn’t sufficient time for all of B2.  However, in actual 
practice, the transition from the circle and shift to the ladies’ chain is 
forgiving enough for things to flow well.

I believe my B parts to be a little easier for bringing newcomers along.  To my 
knowledge, no contra prior to “Purple Hays” used this sequence of A parts.

 



> On Dec 8, 2015, at 12:50 PM, susanelberger via Callers 
>  wrote:
> 
> Washington Hay by Ralph Sweet is my go-to dance for teaching a hay to 
> relatively new dancers.
> 
> Susan Elberger
> 
> From: Rich Sbardella via Callers 
> To: Caller's discussion list ; 
> trad-dance-call...@yahoogroups.com 
> Sent: Tuesday, December 8, 2015 12:48 PM
> Subject: [Callers] Contras with a Hey
> 
> Hello Folks,
> 
> I am relatively new at calling contras and I am looking for some asy to 
> intermediate contras to introduce the hey to a group that includes many 
> beginners. and/or club square dancers.
> 
> "Butter" by Gene Hubert is my go to dance, but I am looking for a few more.  
> I like Butter because the flow from ladies chain into a RH hey is great, and 
> because all the other calls are introduced earlier in most evening.  
> 
> I love simple, but different choreography, so I am open to most suggestions.
> 
> Rich Sbardella

Re: [Callers] Does this dance exist? / Beginner dances with chain, without star-L prog

[David A Kaynor via Callers]

I have no idea where this dance came from but I have been calling it for around 
25 years:

Untitled, improper

A1:  with Neighbor, balance and swing; end progressed

A2:  Ladies chain

B1:  Ladies pass right shoulders; with Partner, swing

B2:  Circle left 3/4 to original home places; circle balance; pass Neighbor’s 
right shoulder to new Neighbors.

Experienced dancers occasionally complain about the ladies chain following the 
swing being imperfect, but newcomers have never seemed to mind.

David

> Wanted a beginners' dance with a chain but without a star-L progression. 
> Jotted down this one. I find it quite likely that someone has written it 
> before:
> 
> [untitled], imp.
> A1: N b
> A2: long lines forward & back
> ladies chain
> B1: ladies alle. R 1x
> P swing
> B2: circle L 3/4
> bal. ring and pass through
> 
> So a) has this been written? And b) can folks recommend already-written 
> dances that meet my criteria?
> 
> Cheers,
> Maia
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