[Callers] What are your favorite “style points?”

I’m trying to add more style points to my teaching. What are some of your favorite brief style or safety tips to deliver from the mic? Ones that are relevant to specific sequences, general tips, for beginners, or for experienced dancers, I’m interested in any and all of them! Harris Lapiroff D

[Callers] Re: Wanting to learn more about Becky Hill - the choreographer

(Make that late aughts. I forgot my own age.) On Wed, May 15, 2024, at 3:01 PM, Harris Lapiroff via Contra Callers wrote: > People who knew her better can say more than me, but I'll just add that she > taught me to call when I was a student at Oberlin College in the early > au

[Callers] Re: Wanting to learn more about Becky Hill - the choreographer

People who knew her better can say more than me, but I'll just add that she taught me to call when I was a student at Oberlin College in the early aughts, so she's really the one who started it all for me, for which I'm very grateful. Harris Lapiroff Dance Caller and Organizer Boston Intergener

[Callers] Re: Walk through - Trip to Phan Reel - Cabin Fever 2024

I think some dancers know which way they're expecting to progress as soon as they line up and it makes them think they've gotten something wrong during the walkthrough if they progress the "wrong" way. I find it's helpful for dancers like that to be prepared, since they're often your first line

[Callers] Re: Canadian border and U.S. callers

I did this a couple weeks ago and had no trouble at the crossing. Was traveling with the band, we answered questions honestly, said we were performing at one contra dance, explained what contra dancing was, and they let us through with no fuss. Americans performing limited engagements do not nee

[Callers] Re: No Wait-Out Contras

Recently I called Maia McCormick's Train Delay to a crowd of eight. There's a 16 count shadow interaction that sends you back to your partner for a 16 count swing. When the people on the ends do that, they're effectively in for half of t

[Callers] Re: Contra dance visualization/database software

Have you seen already Cary Ravitz’s Micro Robot Dance? https://www.dance.ravitz.us/mrd.php On Thu, Jun 29, 2023, at 9:02 AM, Emily Addison via Contra Callers wrote: > Hi Harrison, > > Interesting ideas! > > I have found that videos of actual dancers have been suuper helpful in > figuring o

[Callers] Re: Dance invasion

To reiterate Meg’s point a little more strongly, even reading the full story, I think the word “invasion” is a loaded one to use about an ethnic minority attending an event that’s typically attended by mostly white people (I’m assuming this is the case of your contra dance, as it’s been the case of