[Callers] Re: Favourite finishing dances (was One Night Stand Dances)
My favorite end-of-the-night dance for a Family Dance is Kings and Queens. Because it’s a slower dance, it helps excited children to calm down. I love the honoring of each dancer as they walk down the center. (Note that I use Larry Jennings notation, thus 1+2 = A1, 3+4 = A2, etc.) Kings and Queens By Peter Amidon (in the style of historic English country dances) Formation: Longways lines of couples for 7-10 couples. Music: “On the Danforth” or your favorite renaissance dance music. 1. Hands along lines, forward, bow & back 2. Right hand turn partner (palm to palm) 3. Left hand turn partner (palm to palm) 4. Right shoulder round (facing partner, walk once around partner, maintaining eye contact). 5&6. Top couple sashay down and back 7&8. Top couple face down (elbows down, hand up about shoulder height) take handy hand and walk slowly to bottom of set. Other dancers bow to them as they pass. Each dancer moves up one step and takes hands along lines right after the active couple passes by. Notes from Peter Amidon: Before I teach the children I ʻdubʼ each child a king or queen, and talk with them about how kings and queens have good posture, always take their time, bow simply and elegantly (ʻlook in your partners eyes, now look at your shoes, now look at your partnerʼs eyes againʼ), always make good decisions, etc. I often teach this with the music playing to help set and sustain the mood. B2 is simply the top couple walking together to the bottom while other folks bow to them, but I teach it carefully and specifically since it is what the dance is mostly about: each child getting honored as the king and queen that they are. Lisa Sieverts 603-762-0235 l...@lisasieverts.com ___ Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net
[Callers] Re: Teaching 'contra' to adults with various developmental disabilities
Bree, I’ve done a few dances at a local residential facility which had events for the clients and their families. My notes to myself after doing it for the first time: Spend some time re-writing dances so that there are almost no "single person" moves. The crowd does best when connected moves, such that one person in the pair is able to help direct the other. Casting down the outside is about the extent of "single person" moves that are possible. I did dances like these: ## The Snake Big circle, no partners needed Any tune Do a series of figures such as - circle left for a while - circle right for a while - into the center and back (once, twice, a few times) - Thread the Needle, lead the line and duck under the arch between 2 dancers (adults) - Snake, lead the line around the room in various ways, possibly out one door and in the other - Spiral in and out, end with this followed by getting back into a circle, circling left for a while and then going into the center and back twice. ## Bow & Swing Longways Linda Leslie A1 Bow to your Partner 2-hand turn your partner A2 Top couple sashay down to the bottom ## Kingston Flyer (4-couple longways). From Tony Parkes **FAMILY** A1. Line 1 around Line 2 (let it take as long as it takes) A2. Line 2 around Line 1 B1. top couple strut down the middle and back B2. top couple (only) cast to the bottom and everyone do- si-do (I skipped the do-si-do) Once I settled into realizing what was possible, I found these dances to be very rewarding. It was wonderful to watch everyone working together and having fun together. Best, Lisa Lisa Sieverts 603-762-0235 l...@lisasieverts.com On 7 Oct 2023, at 21:37, Bree Kalb via Contra Callers wrote: I've been asked if I will teach/lead a one hour long 'contra dance' at a day program for young adults with a variety of physical and cognitive disabilities. (The staff probably would be happy for me to do more than one session, but I'm not willing to commit to that. At Least not now.) My usual repertoire for a wedding or party of non-dancers seems tricky for many of the clients--especially those who are uncomfortable being touched. I did a similar event about 10 years ago--at a different program-- and it didn't seem many of them had a good time. I'd like to figure out a way to make it fun for this group. I have a couple of ideas and am looking for more. Have you ever led a dance/music event with a similar population? I'd appreciate any advice/suggestions. Bree Kalb Carrboro NC ___ Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net___ Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net
[Callers] Re: calling weddings
Joe said: > I welcome any advice! My main goal in taking wedding gigs is recruiting > new dancers to our local scene, if that matters. Joe, that does matter. Remember that a wedding is one of the most important days in the couple’s lives. Your goal as a wedding caller is to make the dancing fun for the couple and their guests. Wedding dances are great when the dance helps the two families and their respective friends to be able to connect and enjoy meeting each other. I think it would be crass to mention a local dance unless you are asked “where can we do more of this.” Lisa Sieverts 603-762-0235 l...@lisasieverts.com ___ Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net
[Callers] Good dance for teens/familly dance
I used this dance recently (I was an emergency substitute) and was very pleased with how well it went. Not only is it a no-partner dance, it doesn’t even matter how big the circles are (though I did have them start out in circles of 4). So no one gets left out even if the scatter to make new circles is chaotic. It’s also easy to get them into one big circle for the last time through and that’s a very nice way to end. I think I got it here on Shared Weight, thanks Claire! Beaumont Boom! By Claire Takemori (8/26/19) *Any number in scattered circles A1 Bal ring 2x, CL A2 Bal ring 2x, CR B1. LHS (pile of LH in the middle, keep walking same direction after CR) countdown 3-2-1 B2 Boom! Throw hands up and all twirl out of the star and make new circles. Can end with one big circle Claire says: I wrote a dance with no Partners that I love for family or parties where you start with a few and folks keep dropping in, but it also works for a large group. Lisa Sieverts 603-762-0235 l...@lisasieverts.com ___ Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net
[Callers] Re: Curious about a tune - what dance would go with it? - with longish pre-amble
When in doubt, let the band play the tunes they most want to play. This is especially true for a less experienced band. Because really, any dance works with any tune (assuming we’re not talking about some weird crooked dance or tune). Lisa Nelson, NH Lisa Sieverts 603-762-0235 l...@lisasieverts.com On 19 Mar 2023, at 17:54, Katherine Kitching via Contra Callers wrote: Hello from Halifax! I will preface this by saying that I consider myself a relatively "beginner" caller. I have been working on it for about 15 years now and I think I've become somewhat proficient at calling a very beginner-friendly sequence of dances at our monthly beginner-friendly dances here in Halifax - but that is about the extent of what I do. And we rarely ever dance anything as involved as a Hey, here :) One area where I definitely lack skill is communicating to our bands (we have 4-5 groups who play for us regularly), in a succinct manner that doesn't ruffle their feathers, about what sort of a tune I want for each dance. This task is made more difficult by the fact that I write (or heavily modify) pretty much all our dances, so I can't look online to find recommendations or videos of tunes that fit. As far as I know, I am a polite and caring human who never sets out to put anyone down or show them that I know better. I try to be humble about the fact that i'm just learning and doing the best I can. For example, last month, with apologies, I asked the band if they would mind quickly going through their planned tunes for the evening, so I could run through my dance program and try to assign a dance to each tune. Because I lack the vocabulary and experience to tell a band "for this dance, I need a tune with characteristics X and Y" - having them play the tune one time through (sometimes even just half of it!) is so far the most effective method i've found to get a tune that works for each dance. It's also worth mentioning that our bands are not experienced contra bands - since we are the only contra group they work with - and most have limited sets to offer us - for example the last band came with 8 sets of tunes, to match up with the 8 dances I had planned so when I found one or two that weren't an ideal fit for anything, I did have to work quite hard rearrange things a few times to slot everything in! Anyhow it took about 7 minutes to do this, and I thanked them profusely, and the dance-tune meld went well! I thanked them again after. But still, the lead musician told me after the event that she "didn't really appreciate being told which tune to play when" . And that deflated me for sure :( Anyhow, I welcome any grains of wisdom on this process generally (and/or a link if one exists to this amazing cdss online workshop I took years ago on matching tunes to dances/communicating with bands) but my specific question is this: A *different* band - the one whose feathers I most often seem to ruffle haha - has always played a tune set somewhere in the evening, the past few times they've played for us, that no matter which dance I called to it, I felt it was always a really bad fit. I never said anything bad about it, to be clear!! But after a few dances where it bummed me out every single time, I finally asked the lead musician via email (as politely as I could, putting all the blame on myself: "I just can't seem to find a dance that i'm able to call to this tune, would you mind leaving it out in the future?" ). I got this response: "The Queteux Pomerleau set that you are quoting can be removed - the speed of the dancers never gets up to a level to make that set effective. They are Quebecois tunes that we learned from Sue, but in Quebec they are danced to quite fast." (This refers to Sue Songer who came as part of an amazing week-long workshop CDSS blessed us with about 8 years ago.) Anyhow I was curious if anyone knows of this set, and could suggest some simple contra dances that would go well with it. I confess I am not a fan of the feel of the tune for the context in which I call - most of the east-coasty jigs and reels that this band and our other bands play really get all the dancers cheering and stomping their feet, and this one never does But I want to be open minded about it :) thanks! Kat K in Halifax ___ Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net___ Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net
[Callers] Dances with fewer swings
At the risk of derailing this conversation, ah, I definitely am derailing it so will change the subject line. I’d like to see new COVID-aware choreography with fewer swings. If swinging is perhaps the most dangerous thing we do while dancing, I’d like to see some new dances that emphasize partner swings and de-emphasize neighbor swings, and at least some dances without any swings. I’m intrigued by the idea that dances without swings open up 32 beats of opportunity for new choreography. Lisa Sieverts 603-762-0235 l...@lisasieverts.com On 23 Nov 2022, at 9:30, Jeff Kaufman via Contra Callers wrote: > "during the average contra evening, you will spend approximately 30 minutes > swinging" > > Tangent: I thought "that can't be right" but a little playing with numbers > and I think it is. My back of the envelope: guess ~12 dances, each ~17 > times through, with ~20 beats of swinging per dance. That's 4k beats of > swinging, which at 118bpm is 35min. Another way to think of it is that in > a 3hr evening half of your time is dancing and a third of that is swinging. > > Jeff > ___ Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net
[Callers] Re: teaching Naked in California
And if you like thinking about this stuff, note that the book
*Give-and-Take* by Larry Jennings has some deeply thought through
sections on the mathematics of contra with one section devoted to
shadows, including the concepts of near-shadows and far-shadows. I found
it all illuminating and it definitely helped me as a caller.
[Books by Larry Jennings –
NEFFA](https://www.neffa.org/books-by-larry-jennings/)
Lisa Sieverts
603-762-0235
l...@lisasieverts.com
On 6 Dec 2021, at 20:35, Diane Silver via Contra Callers wrote:
It may be more than you want to go into for a walk-through, but it can
be a good opportunity to teach (or remind) dancers that /a shadow is
always a dancer in another set who is in *the same position as your
partner* is in, in your set. /Usually, the shadow with whom you
actually do something is just one set adjacent, so you can ID shadows
at the beginning of the dance by facing your partner across the set
(if it's improper) and looking to the diagonal (either left or right
diag --
you have to predetermine that as the caller and have it in your notes)
and wave at that person on the diagonal. "Note what they're wearing.
You're going to meet them later." Your idea ("your shadow is the
person across and two to the left of you") is the same thing, but just
a little harder to process the words. Seth's method is more immediate,
and therefore probably a bit more effective; it's just not universally
applicable. As you astutely noted, if you're on the end and don't have
a diagonal, then your shadow happens to be your current neighbor. I
would say it that way, rather than "if you don't have anyone in your
left hand"
(If the dance is Becket, then your partner is in the same line as you,
and therefore, your shadow is also in your line, usually in the other
hand (or across the set if on the end).
Also note: you can help dancers find their shadow successfully in
the first walk-through if you break down the allemande. Many dancers
don't REALLY know how far 3/4 is. So I would say, "Robins allemande
right 1/2-way, over to your partner; Partners allemande left *halfway
to change places, then go two steps more* --
the next one along the line is your shadow!" And I would call it that
way as well, the first few times through. I often use "1/2-way and
two steps more" rather than "3/4" (for allemandes) or "3 places and
2 steps more" rather than "7/8" (for circles or stars).
Hope this helps.
--
Diane
~~
Diane Silver
Asheville, NC
da...@diane-silver.com
On Dec 6, 2021, at 4:03 PM, Tepfer, Seth wrote:
Ted,
Great questions. Here's the dance: https://contradb.com/dances/951
1. Finding shadow: Here's what I'd do. "Neighbor swing. Robins
allemande right to in front of your partner. give left hand to
your partner. Everyone freeze. Look over your left shoulder -
there is someone looking at you - wave at them with your right
hand. That's your shadow." Now, with your partner, Allemande
Left
3 places. There's your shadow!"
2. When you are out, your shadow is across the set from you. Your
choices are to either wait out at top until partner swing or
allemande shadow, then slide back to P for swing. Teaching end
effects is always a crap shoot. What percentage of the room will
remember all those words you said after the music starts and
they
have been having fun for 6x through the dance?
3. Yep, standard progression (technically) in the neighbor swing of
A2. Or B2.
Seth Tepfer, MBA, CSM, PMP
Manager of Software Engineering, Oxford College
Schedule an appointment: oxford.emory.edu/SethBooking
Pronouns: he, him, his
*From:* Ted Sims via Contra Callers
*Sent:* Monday, December 6, 2021 2:54 PM
*To:* Shared Weight Contra Callers
*Subject:* [External] [Callers] teaching Naked in California
Hi everyone
This is kind of a newbie question. I've never called Naked In
California [Nils Fredland] before and I'm thinking about how to
teach it. I think I've mostly figured it out, but I welcome your
comments on my thoughts below:
(1) I would like for everyone to identify their shadows straight
away. I think the best way is to have everyone take hands in long
lines then "If you are on the end and your left hand is free, your
shadow is the person in your right hand (introduce yourselves).
Everyone else, your shadow is the person across and two to the left
of you". Is there a better way?
(2) After the partner allemande, if the dancers on the ends have no
one in the right hand, it seems to me that they have to stay put
(there is no wrap around etc.). Is that correct?
(3) It
[Callers] Re: Squares from Northern Junket
Just a reminder that we also have this resource at CDSS: [Square Dance History Project](http://squaredancehistory.org/) And the digitized Northern Junkets at UNH [Northern Junket | Music and Dance | University of New Hampshire](https://scholars.unh.edu/northern_junket/) Lisa Sieverts 603-762-0235 l...@lisasieverts.com On 23 Nov 2021, at 16:10, Colin Hume via Contra Callers wrote: Northern Junket was a magazine which Ralph Page edited from 1949 to 1984. I've now started copying out the Squares he published there, sometimes with my own comments and suggestions - I've finished Volume 1. I know some of you dance and call Squares as well as Contras. If you're interested, please read my page at: https://colinhume.com/instnj.htm and let me have any corrections and comments either through the list or by email. Colin Hume ___ Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net___ Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net
[Callers] Re: Squares from Northern Junket and Happy Birthday Amy!
Hey, Happy Birthday Amy Cann! Hope it’s a great day Lisa Sieverts 603-762-0235 l...@lisasieverts.com On 23 Nov 2021, at 17:21, Amy Cann via Contra Callers wrote: > How neat! I have a few early copies I picked up as spares at Ralph > Page weekend and they make for fascinating reading. > > Also, I had to explain to a twenty-something the other day why they > were "purple", which was fun. > > They totally didn't believe me about sniffing fresh mimeographs. > > On 11/23/21, Tony Parkes via Contra Callers > wrote: >> Sounds like a monumental task, Colin. More power to you -- >> we need all the >> easily accessible sources of good squares that we can put in place. >> >> Tony Parkes >> Billerica, Mass. >> www.hands4.com >> New book! Square Dance Calling: An Old Art for a New Century >> (coming in December) >> >> >> -Original Message- >> From: Colin Hume via Contra Callers >> Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 2021 4:11 PM >> To: Contra Callers >> Subject: [Callers] Squares from Northern Junket >> >> Northern Junket was a magazine which Ralph Page edited from 1949 to 1984. >> I've now started copying out the Squares he published there, sometimes with >> my own comments and suggestions - I've finished Volume 1. >> >> I know some of you dance and call Squares as well as Contras. >> If you're interested, please read my page at: >> https://colinhume.com/instnj.htm >> and let me have any corrections and comments either through the list or by >> email. >> >> Colin Hume >> >> >> >> ___ >> Contra Callers mailing list -- >> contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net >> To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net >> ___ >> Contra Callers mailing list -- >> contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net >> To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net >> > ___ > Contra Callers mailing list -- > contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net > To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net ___ Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net
[Callers] Re: Question on Gig Requests
Our dance group’s board just met and discussed when to start again. The Governor in our state released new guidelines last week, I pulled out the bullets that I thought were most relevant to us: - In certain situations where there may be increased risk of respiratory aerosol production and risk of further spread of COVID-19, physical distancing between people is suggested to be 8-10 feet, including during any group activities that involve forced and heavy breathing indoors (e.g., indoor group fitness classes), singing (chorus/choir), or wind instrument playing (band performances. - Encourage face mask use or both staff and customers who are required to be within 6 feet of each other (or other customers) for at least 10 minutes or longer for delivery of service. - Re "cohorting:" Ideally group sizes should be limited to 20 people or fewer, although exact group sizes will vary depending on situation and local context. - COVID-19 exposures at businesses and organizations should be promptly reported to NH DHHS DPHS Bureau of Infectious Disease Control at 603-271- 4496. Reporting of infectious diseases and furnishing requested infectious disease-related business information (including patron and employee information) is a requirement under NH RSA 141-C. After reviewing these guidelines, we agreed that we are not restarting our contra dances as long as we would be operating under these guidelines. Lisa Sieverts 603-762-0235 l...@lisasieverts.com On 4 May 2021, at 16:36, Woody Lane via Contra Callers wrote: Hi Everyone, The pandemic has shut down dances for nearly 15 months, but things may be beginning to change. I would like your input on this -- I just received my first request to call at a regular community dance. The dance would be scheduled for September. (The organizers are beginning to schedule for the fall.) This would be a typical evening indoor dance held in a gym. Pre-covid attendance was 70-100. The organizers assured me that safety protocols would be followed, etc. I have not responded yet. (I am fully vaccinated.) Has anyone else begun receiving invitations to call dances? How far out? What are your thoughts on this situation? What is your sense of risk and comfort and community responsibility? I'd really like to get some feedback from this group. Thanks! Woody -- <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Woody Lane Caller, Percussive Dancer Roseburg, Oregon http://www.woodylanecaller.com cell: 541-556-0054 ___ Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net ___ Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net
