Lovely time at Dan and Karen's extra apartment tonight. Bob and Dale called some dances, there was jamming with Dan and Alice and Dale and Jan. Dan had an old violin that I played since I didn't think of bringing mine. The hair was half gone from the bow but the fun was still left. There was gluhwein and lovely eats and good folks. Happy holidays.
M
E
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Waiter, There’s a Duck in my Soup
A most interesting thing happened the other night.
I called David Kirchner’s dance “Duck Soup”, which has, as one of its many charming features, the opening move “circle right”. I remember David calling it when he lived in St. Louis, and his admonition “to the right, to the right” rings in my ears any time I’m giving directions when I’m the navigator in a car (“Turn right at the next block. To the right, to the right.”)
It’s not for nothing that experienced contra dancers consider Circle Right the hardest move in contradancing. We circle left so often that to circle right really takes a mental effort. So I reminded everyone of the reputation of this move when I started the teaching – “The dance begins with the hardest move in contra dancing,” and I made a special effort to remind people every time through the dance, as well.
Yet after the dance was over, a friend of mine said “Nice calling – except that you confused us by calling ‘circle left’ a couple of times.” “Oh no!” I said. “@#$%!” I said. “But I tried so hard to make sure I called the circle right,” I whined. His view was corroborated by my husband, and later, at a gathering after the dance, by several other people. And it wasn’t just once or twice that I made the error, they said, it was several times, maybe three or four.
I checked to see if the evening had been recorded. It had been. “Okay,” I thought. “This is seriously weird that I don’t remember having done this, but it’s better to know the truth. Maybe I can figure out why I did this.” So I got a copy of the recording and prepared to be depressed.
I listened all the way through, nervous, worried, waiting for that awful moment where I screwed up. And I waited. The little blue bar was getting near the end, and I still hadn’t heard it. There was a moment when you could hear the crowd shouting “to the right, to the right” but I went back and double-checked what I had said in the moments before, which was “New Neighbors circle right.” I got all the way to the end and hadn’t heard a single “circle left”.
“Huh?”
I sent an instant message to my friend about what I had heard. “The recording lies,” he said.
When I invited people to this week’s Calling Party, I mentioned the oddity and got these comments back:
and
and
Here’s what I actually said, as captured on the recording:
At the Calling Party we tried to find an explanation – any explanation – that would make this apparent mass hallucination go away. It was suggested that it could have been another dance – but the only other dance with a circle right was called right after Duck Soup by the very friend who initially told me I had goofed. It was suggested that someone was calling in the line – but the misperception happened to people in all lines, even to someone who was sitting out. It was suggested that the sound was echoey enough in the hall so that people confused “right” with “left”. And so on. Nothing terribly convincing.
One person did suggest that, if the dancers were not listening when I said "next neighbor circle right", that they might have interpreted my iteration of "to the right, to the right" as a correction instead of an emphasis. That almost makes sense, actually, or comes closest.
What do you think could possibly have happened?
I called David Kirchner’s dance “Duck Soup”, which has, as one of its many charming features, the opening move “circle right”. I remember David calling it when he lived in St. Louis, and his admonition “to the right, to the right” rings in my ears any time I’m giving directions when I’m the navigator in a car (“Turn right at the next block. To the right, to the right.”)
It’s not for nothing that experienced contra dancers consider Circle Right the hardest move in contradancing. We circle left so often that to circle right really takes a mental effort. So I reminded everyone of the reputation of this move when I started the teaching – “The dance begins with the hardest move in contra dancing,” and I made a special effort to remind people every time through the dance, as well.
Yet after the dance was over, a friend of mine said “Nice calling – except that you confused us by calling ‘circle left’ a couple of times.” “Oh no!” I said. “@#$%!” I said. “But I tried so hard to make sure I called the circle right,” I whined. His view was corroborated by my husband, and later, at a gathering after the dance, by several other people. And it wasn’t just once or twice that I made the error, they said, it was several times, maybe three or four.
I checked to see if the evening had been recorded. It had been. “Okay,” I thought. “This is seriously weird that I don’t remember having done this, but it’s better to know the truth. Maybe I can figure out why I did this.” So I got a copy of the recording and prepared to be depressed.
I listened all the way through, nervous, worried, waiting for that awful moment where I screwed up. And I waited. The little blue bar was getting near the end, and I still hadn’t heard it. There was a moment when you could hear the crowd shouting “to the right, to the right” but I went back and double-checked what I had said in the moments before, which was “New Neighbors circle right.” I got all the way to the end and hadn’t heard a single “circle left”.
“Huh?”
I sent an instant message to my friend about what I had heard. “The recording lies,” he said.
When I invited people to this week’s Calling Party, I mentioned the oddity and got these comments back:
Several of us learned later that the recording bore out Martha's pristine calling, and we were openmouthed. We compared notes, and we all remembered the same experience, repeatedly, occurring in our different places in different lines -- a whole foursome going left, muttering (or exclaiming) "right" as we corrected, and people complaining about the caller getting it wrong. So it wasn't just us! Mass hallucination? We talked about it, and figured that just hearing "circle" was enough for us, en masse, to default mentally to "circle left" if the caller didn't specify otherwise. That blows my mind, personally, as I frankly haven't been dancing *that* long and am surprised I already have that visceral a reaction.
and
What we expect definitely influences what we perceive – it’s a well-known psychological fact. We can also create false memories that seem to us as real as anything we ever actually experienced. I guess that callers need to work earlier to create the proper expectation!?
and
Ever see the emails in which we are asked to read a paragraph in which letters are missing in words and our brains fills in the gaps? I think that’s simply what’s at work here… If we fill in the gaps (correctly or incorrectly), that’s what gets filed away in our memory.
Here’s what I actually said, as captured on the recording:
Intro:With the music, circle to the right."
1. circle to the right, to the right, 3 places
2. new neighbors, circle right, to the right
3. new neighbors circle right…right!
4. new neighbors, right, to the right, to the right, to the right
5. new neighbors, circle right, right, to the right
6. circle to the right
7. new neighbors, circle
8. …(nothing)
9. to the right, to the right, 3 places
At the Calling Party we tried to find an explanation – any explanation – that would make this apparent mass hallucination go away. It was suggested that it could have been another dance – but the only other dance with a circle right was called right after Duck Soup by the very friend who initially told me I had goofed. It was suggested that someone was calling in the line – but the misperception happened to people in all lines, even to someone who was sitting out. It was suggested that the sound was echoey enough in the hall so that people confused “right” with “left”. And so on. Nothing terribly convincing.
One person did suggest that, if the dancers were not listening when I said "next neighbor circle right", that they might have interpreted my iteration of "to the right, to the right" as a correction instead of an emphasis. That almost makes sense, actually, or comes closest.
What do you think could possibly have happened?
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Looking for Mrs. Beveridge...
Does anyone have the instructions for the dance Mrs. Beveridge's Triumph? It was published in the CDSS News 196: May/June 2007 but on the website there are no archived newsletters--just some articles.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Program review for Childgrove dances
I realized that I have not set down any specific guidelines on what we expect from the Hatchling callers at regular Childgrove events (not at the Saturday Caller’s Choice dances). I don’t like a lot of rules – but this should allow the callers to know what is expected and provide some consistency:
Hatchling callers guest calling with one of our ‘regular’ callers:
Proposed dances must be presented to the scheduled caller in advance for their review, comments and approval.
Monthly dance where 2 or 3 Hatchlings are the scheduled callers:
Entire program must be submitted to one of the ‘regular’ callers (me, Ted or Deborah). for review, comments and approval. I have not talked to Ted or Deborah about this. You can ask them if you wish – but I will be available for all the events if you want me to do that.
Hatchling callers scheduled for a whole evening themselves:
Not required to have their programs reviewed, but it is not a bad idea. Ask any of the other callers or even other Hatchling callers - the more input the better. Callers are welcome to offer one or 2 dances to a guest caller – but are then responsible for reviewing the dances their guest will call.
Most of the Hatchlings have reached a level that they can call and teach effectively. As you know – programming is a whole different skill and it is good to learn from mistakes the rest of us have already made rather than repeat them.
Feel welcome to contact me if you have any questions.
Mac
Hatchling callers guest calling with one of our ‘regular’ callers:
Proposed dances must be presented to the scheduled caller in advance for their review, comments and approval.
Monthly dance where 2 or 3 Hatchlings are the scheduled callers:
Entire program must be submitted to one of the ‘regular’ callers (me, Ted or Deborah). for review, comments and approval. I have not talked to Ted or Deborah about this. You can ask them if you wish – but I will be available for all the events if you want me to do that.
Hatchling callers scheduled for a whole evening themselves:
Not required to have their programs reviewed, but it is not a bad idea. Ask any of the other callers or even other Hatchling callers - the more input the better. Callers are welcome to offer one or 2 dances to a guest caller – but are then responsible for reviewing the dances their guest will call.
Most of the Hatchlings have reached a level that they can call and teach effectively. As you know – programming is a whole different skill and it is good to learn from mistakes the rest of us have already made rather than repeat them.
Feel welcome to contact me if you have any questions.
Mac
Monday, June 29, 2009
What happens when you get too busy
You make no blog posts!
So much has been happening that it's been hard to find the time to keep our faithful readers up to speed...
We can work from the outside in:
1. The High Tea and Whiskey Dance Weekend
2. The new name for the Hatchling Dances
3. The 4th of July dance
4. Everything else - will have to wait
High Tea and Whiskey
Kay and Bob and Missy and John and I have wanted for some time to have a weekend with Joseph Pimentel calling, so we (with good support from Deb and Bea and Mark) got ambitious and decided to just go for it and just figure out how we could do it. We put together a business plan, we rented the hall, secured a band, and then went looking for some help. The Childgrove board again demonstrated its openness and willingness to support events which are well-thought-out and support its mission of promoting the folk arts (particularly community-style dancing) and agreed to provide full sponsorship. The Dance Discovery board and the leadership of the Webster Groves English Country Dancers were willing to provide a hefty financial cushion, should it be needed, and St Louis English Country Dancers agreed to help with advertising and promotion. Wow.
The weekend is partly contra, partly English, and we're at 72% capacity already — not that hard, since the hall won't hold more than about 60 people doing English. We'll open up another 30 places for folks who want to come to the Friday contra dance later. Here's the web site: High Tea and Whiskey.
The New Name
We've been a bit worried about the attendance at the Hatchling Dances, and, in Hatchling style, figured we had to learn what to do to make ourselves more attractive to dancers. I put out a quick survey and got back the message that we shouldn't change the format - the people who come really like the English/contra format and the music. Changing the day from Saturday to Friday turned out not to be an option, so what was left? A name change! The Hatchling name is adorable, as are our little winged egg-born creatures, but it seems to symbolize "caller practice sessions" rather than "callers who have practiced". So our dances are now First Saturday Callers' Choice Dances, or, as it's already gotten shortened to, Choice Dances.
Yeah, I know the real reason for the smaller attendance figures is that we're trying to get contra dancers to do a bit of English, and English dancers to do a bit of contra, and very few people like to do things outside their usual habits. The number of people who like to do both contra and English is smaller than either the number of contra dancers or the number of English dancers. But we persevere, and the number of "crossover" dancers is slowly but surely increasing.
The 4th of July dance
We were almost forced to cancel this one, but for reasons WAY too complicated to go into, we're not canceling, and we're glad of it. If just 16 people show up, we'll be fine, and we'll have moral boasting rights for months. So if you want to come to a small, just-us-chickens dance, come dance around our virtual kitchen this Saturday.
M
E
So much has been happening that it's been hard to find the time to keep our faithful readers up to speed...
We can work from the outside in:
1. The High Tea and Whiskey Dance Weekend
2. The new name for the Hatchling Dances
3. The 4th of July dance
4. Everything else - will have to wait
High Tea and Whiskey
Kay and Bob and Missy and John and I have wanted for some time to have a weekend with Joseph Pimentel calling, so we (with good support from Deb and Bea and Mark) got ambitious and decided to just go for it and just figure out how we could do it. We put together a business plan, we rented the hall, secured a band, and then went looking for some help. The Childgrove board again demonstrated its openness and willingness to support events which are well-thought-out and support its mission of promoting the folk arts (particularly community-style dancing) and agreed to provide full sponsorship. The Dance Discovery board and the leadership of the Webster Groves English Country Dancers were willing to provide a hefty financial cushion, should it be needed, and St Louis English Country Dancers agreed to help with advertising and promotion. Wow.
The weekend is partly contra, partly English, and we're at 72% capacity already — not that hard, since the hall won't hold more than about 60 people doing English. We'll open up another 30 places for folks who want to come to the Friday contra dance later. Here's the web site: High Tea and Whiskey.
The New Name
We've been a bit worried about the attendance at the Hatchling Dances, and, in Hatchling style, figured we had to learn what to do to make ourselves more attractive to dancers. I put out a quick survey and got back the message that we shouldn't change the format - the people who come really like the English/contra format and the music. Changing the day from Saturday to Friday turned out not to be an option, so what was left? A name change! The Hatchling name is adorable, as are our little winged egg-born creatures, but it seems to symbolize "caller practice sessions" rather than "callers who have practiced". So our dances are now First Saturday Callers' Choice Dances, or, as it's already gotten shortened to, Choice Dances.
Yeah, I know the real reason for the smaller attendance figures is that we're trying to get contra dancers to do a bit of English, and English dancers to do a bit of contra, and very few people like to do things outside their usual habits. The number of people who like to do both contra and English is smaller than either the number of contra dancers or the number of English dancers. But we persevere, and the number of "crossover" dancers is slowly but surely increasing.
The 4th of July dance
We were almost forced to cancel this one, but for reasons WAY too complicated to go into, we're not canceling, and we're glad of it. If just 16 people show up, we'll be fine, and we'll have moral boasting rights for months. So if you want to come to a small, just-us-chickens dance, come dance around our virtual kitchen this Saturday.
M
E
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Square dance move
So what's the real name of the square dance move Mac called last night? It sounded to me like "Dos Pasos" but I can't find a move of that name?
Mac was feeling very brave (foolish? confident?) with the dances he called when there were so many first-timers there.
Mac was feeling very brave (foolish? confident?) with the dances he called when there were so many first-timers there.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
More on the Double Grand Square
I have to admit, I was really thrilled when we walked through the double grand square yesterday. I was lucky, of course. There were exactly 16 people at the Calling Party. All but one of them knew already how to do a Grand Square. They even thought it would be fun. Everyone learns fast when they're having fun.
Here's a picture that kind of begins to explain - the red couples are the heads, the purple couples are the sides, the green couples are the centers, and the blue couples (yes!) are the corners. The heads and sides face up and down, the centers and corners face across the set. The call is "heads go forward, sides divide." The centers follow the call for the sides, and the corners follow the call for the heads. Click on the picture to see it animated.
This didn't happen all at once, of course. It started when I played music for John Ramsay's high school class doing (?) Easter Morn (?) in his living room for a video. It has a grand square with an extra couple. Hmm...I thought. When I got a chance to dance the dance a few months later, when I got to be the center couple, I inadvertently pissed off my partner by walking the opposite corner, just to see if it worked. Later, thinking about it, I realized you could do the dance with six couples, and started working out how it would be done. I noticed that only three of the four corners of the small squares were occupied at any one time, and my dear husband Bob said, "Well, the last two couples go in the corners." "But, but..." I sputtered, "they won't be standing next to each other!" "Good observation," he said.
I started showing anyone who would listen about the double grand square. Kimmswick was great - all those smart people with nothing much better to do, thought it was pretty cool. ("Nah nah" to all of you who just think I'm nuts.) I got a little better at explaining it each time, and then I got challenged to animate it. I fired up Flash and had a good time, pushing little dots around the screen. Then I added noses and (slightly) better colors on another night.
And then, yesterday, miraculously, sixteen people walked through it twice, almost flawlessly.
I am so psyched.
M
E
Martha's Double Grand Square
For those of you who missed the calling party last night -- it was a great one. In addition to celebrating Kay's birthday, there were 16 of us there so we had the honor of being Martha's live salt and pepper shakers as she tried out the Double Grand Square (or as I like to think of it Martha's Great Grandsquare) with live dancers.
It works.
It works.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Kimmswick 2009
Wasn't that just a barrel of fun?
Many contributors to this blog called dances at the Kimmswick Festival this weekend. Many fun dances. Lots of terrific bands to dance and call to. Dozens and dozens of good dancers to dance with. We even had a few Mother Nature difficulties to get through so we will always be able to pinpoint the occasion: "Remember the Kimmswick where we had a tornado watch, and a fabulous thunderstorm and it took out the electricity to the dance hall so we had to dance in the dining hall?" "Remember the Kimmswick where we all froze in our beds because the temperature dropped to about 40 degrees and all we brought was a sheet?"
One of the great things about this weekend, too, was the number and quality of under-30 (okay, under 35) people we had, dancing and playing music and calling. The future of our sport is assured. The Cosmic Otters, with Jonathan and Edward and Meg (with baby on board), and the New Mules (Genevieve Harrison, Smith Koester and Andy Gribble) were two of the highlights of the weekend. The geezer bands weren't too shabby, either.
I am happy to report that I took another step towards becoming a real caller this weekend. Not that I called all that much - we had many callers (yay!) to fit in, and I had music to play - but I collected a dance! I'm not sure I like this method of getting dances, since you kind of have to stop dancing while you go write down stuff - either the name of the dance or the directions. If I don't write down the name, I won't remember what to ask for. But I did learn something that should have been obvious, but wasn't to me. It's actually polite to ask for the dance - you're kind of voting for that dance, telling the caller that you liked it enough to want to call it yourself! (Okay, I hear you all saying "duh".) Perhaps I'll find an easier way to remember the dance or its name. Perhaps I'll find an antique Dance Card and copy it, and wear it dangling on my wrist with a small pencil attached, like the old days.
Bob had the job of scheduling the callers. He got expert advice from the previous holder of this post, Deborah Hyland, and did a creditable job - there were no fist fights among the callers, and we kept on dancing all weekend.
The English workshop went well, even though there were fewer people in the hall this year, about 35 (that's partly because there are always fewer people at our 2-day weekends than at our 3-day weekends). At about the midway point, I counted the number of St Louis people at five. Bob disputed this point, but I'm not sure he actually counted, and he may have included people from other dance groups that he knows so well that he thinks they must be homies. My old buddy Pam Carson Stoll played in the band with me, as did my old buddy Jill Allen, who has also recently started an English Country Dance in Lawrence. We were joined by Pam's husband Fred Stoll on mandolin and Jill's husband Greg Allen on fiddle and by Dale Wilson on bass. The music was lively and pretty, and people seemed to be having fun. The callers were Bob, Kay and Billy, and they did a fun set of dances.
M
E
Many contributors to this blog called dances at the Kimmswick Festival this weekend. Many fun dances. Lots of terrific bands to dance and call to. Dozens and dozens of good dancers to dance with. We even had a few Mother Nature difficulties to get through so we will always be able to pinpoint the occasion: "Remember the Kimmswick where we had a tornado watch, and a fabulous thunderstorm and it took out the electricity to the dance hall so we had to dance in the dining hall?" "Remember the Kimmswick where we all froze in our beds because the temperature dropped to about 40 degrees and all we brought was a sheet?"
One of the great things about this weekend, too, was the number and quality of under-30 (okay, under 35) people we had, dancing and playing music and calling. The future of our sport is assured. The Cosmic Otters, with Jonathan and Edward and Meg (with baby on board), and the New Mules (Genevieve Harrison, Smith Koester and Andy Gribble) were two of the highlights of the weekend. The geezer bands weren't too shabby, either.
I am happy to report that I took another step towards becoming a real caller this weekend. Not that I called all that much - we had many callers (yay!) to fit in, and I had music to play - but I collected a dance! I'm not sure I like this method of getting dances, since you kind of have to stop dancing while you go write down stuff - either the name of the dance or the directions. If I don't write down the name, I won't remember what to ask for. But I did learn something that should have been obvious, but wasn't to me. It's actually polite to ask for the dance - you're kind of voting for that dance, telling the caller that you liked it enough to want to call it yourself! (Okay, I hear you all saying "duh".) Perhaps I'll find an easier way to remember the dance or its name. Perhaps I'll find an antique Dance Card and copy it, and wear it dangling on my wrist with a small pencil attached, like the old days.
Bob had the job of scheduling the callers. He got expert advice from the previous holder of this post, Deborah Hyland, and did a creditable job - there were no fist fights among the callers, and we kept on dancing all weekend.
The English workshop went well, even though there were fewer people in the hall this year, about 35 (that's partly because there are always fewer people at our 2-day weekends than at our 3-day weekends). At about the midway point, I counted the number of St Louis people at five. Bob disputed this point, but I'm not sure he actually counted, and he may have included people from other dance groups that he knows so well that he thinks they must be homies. My old buddy Pam Carson Stoll played in the band with me, as did my old buddy Jill Allen, who has also recently started an English Country Dance in Lawrence. We were joined by Pam's husband Fred Stoll on mandolin and Jill's husband Greg Allen on fiddle and by Dale Wilson on bass. The music was lively and pretty, and people seemed to be having fun. The callers were Bob, Kay and Billy, and they did a fun set of dances.
M
E
One of the great callers
Greg Rohde posted a link on FaceBook the other day, highlighting a fantastic performance by the Great Bear Trio and caller Joseph Pimentel at Winter Warmup last December. I was disappointed that the video showed only the dancers and the musicians, but at least the calling was audible.
And masterful calling it was, too. Joseph Pimentel is certainly one of the best callers I've ever had the pleasure of dancing to. Listen to the audio on that video, and pay attention to how he calls. If I practiced for twenty years, I'd be lucky to have half that skill and talent.
Two things really stand out for me. First is the way he actually sings his calls, matching the tone and mood of the music perfectly, blending his performance with that of the musicians. Second, I love the way he uses things like "hold that ring" and "take a deep breath now" to keep the dancers right on time. Amazing.
Sure wish I had been at that dance! I did have the opportunity to dance to Joseph's calling, both contra and English, at Nashville's Playford Ball weekend in March. It was magic.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Raising that Bar!
A couple months ago I suggested the Hatchling callers challenge themselves to improve their weaknesses. A few have done that
Billy called a square (quite successfully)
David greatly increased his presence on stage
Martha called without a card
Karen called a dance without practicing at a party
I am sure there are others
I hope to see more of this type of improvement. Do not be satisfied calling the same old contra type dances you have been doing for almost 2 years now. You are all beyond the point that simply calling a larger quantity of dances can be considered real progress.
I discussed with the Childgrove board and a couple hatchling callers what criteria could be used to determine when a caller is ready for a full night.. I suggested that we should expect a caller to be able to call a square or two (not a NE square) before they get a full night to call. Everyone thought that was a bad idea – except those who have already called squares. They all thought it was a very important step and should be use as a criteria. That tells me you need to try this to realize how much it will improve your contra calling.
One ‘reason’ I have heard is that contras are easy to find – but squares are more difficult. I don’t buy that. Saturday night Deborah called 2 very nice squares. They were interesting and had a lot of activity – but were not hard to teach or call (especially if you were to practice both at a calling party). The breaks she called were also very nice – although, if you are afraid of learning an figure and a break – couldn’t any of you call ”Allemande Left – Grand Right & Left?
Both of her squares and one break (the Grand Sashay) could be called to the musical phrasing – for those of you who like to do that. Did any of you ask her for copies of those?
And for those who want a bigger challenge – for all dance types – rather than just focusing on calling to the music’s phrasing – how about adding the rhythm and even the melody. Patter calls on squares helps you do this – but you can throw in patter on contras too. It will feel stupid at first – but will quickly become natural and be part of your style.
As usual – I think any of the local callers will be happy to help you with any of these or other improvements you want to work on.
Mac
Billy called a square (quite successfully)
David greatly increased his presence on stage
Martha called without a card
Karen called a dance without practicing at a party
I am sure there are others
I hope to see more of this type of improvement. Do not be satisfied calling the same old contra type dances you have been doing for almost 2 years now. You are all beyond the point that simply calling a larger quantity of dances can be considered real progress.
I discussed with the Childgrove board and a couple hatchling callers what criteria could be used to determine when a caller is ready for a full night.. I suggested that we should expect a caller to be able to call a square or two (not a NE square) before they get a full night to call. Everyone thought that was a bad idea – except those who have already called squares. They all thought it was a very important step and should be use as a criteria. That tells me you need to try this to realize how much it will improve your contra calling.
One ‘reason’ I have heard is that contras are easy to find – but squares are more difficult. I don’t buy that. Saturday night Deborah called 2 very nice squares. They were interesting and had a lot of activity – but were not hard to teach or call (especially if you were to practice both at a calling party). The breaks she called were also very nice – although, if you are afraid of learning an figure and a break – couldn’t any of you call ”Allemande Left – Grand Right & Left?
Both of her squares and one break (the Grand Sashay) could be called to the musical phrasing – for those of you who like to do that. Did any of you ask her for copies of those?
And for those who want a bigger challenge – for all dance types – rather than just focusing on calling to the music’s phrasing – how about adding the rhythm and even the melody. Patter calls on squares helps you do this – but you can throw in patter on contras too. It will feel stupid at first – but will quickly become natural and be part of your style.
As usual – I think any of the local callers will be happy to help you with any of these or other improvements you want to work on.
Mac
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Calling Party April 29
Wonderful calling party last night! We've been really having good ones, lately. I wish I knew what magic it is that always brings the perfect number of people - somewhere between 12 and 16 folks - AND that it's almost always nearly perfectly gender-balanced. Since we're all pretty good at dancing both parts, the gender balance isn't really necessary, but what are the odds, with such a small, random-ish sample of people, that it would be so consistently close to half men and half women?
Still, what makes it good is the fact that the callers have been bringing interesting dances and calling them well, and that we have such a warm and friendly dance community!
Billy wasn't there in person, but his spirit was there - we put up the list of dances he had organized for Saturday, and called them in order. By limiting the dance time (if it works, it works!) for each dance, we got through all of them, plus a bonus dance from John Coffman. (John and Cathy drove all the way up from Cape Girardeau - we'll be trying to return the favor in June and July, and get some of the good experience calling there that they have offered us!)
This Saturday's dance should be a good one - interesting dances, all. Here's Billy's layout:
M
E
Still, what makes it good is the fact that the callers have been bringing interesting dances and calling them well, and that we have such a warm and friendly dance community!
Billy wasn't there in person, but his spirit was there - we put up the list of dances he had organized for Saturday, and called them in order. By limiting the dance time (if it works, it works!) for each dance, we got through all of them, plus a bonus dance from John Coffman. (John and Cathy drove all the way up from Cape Girardeau - we'll be trying to return the favor in June and July, and get some of the good experience calling there that they have offered us!)
This Saturday's dance should be a good one - interesting dances, all. Here's Billy's layout:
---Hatchling Dance: May 2nd, 2009 7:30-10:30pm---
The Baby Rose - David Kaynor (improper)..........Joe Felson
Frederick's Contra - Tom Hinds (improper)........David Keller
English Wings - Bob Green (proper)............Kay Tomlinson
Joyride - Erik Weberg (improper).......................Bob Green
Yellow Stockings (proper)......................Missy Reisenleiter
Dip n Dive - Tom Hinds (improper)..............Martha Edwards
---Waltz and Break---
Procter’s Reel – Joe Felson (improper).............Joe Felson
Levi Jackson Rag - Pat Shaw (5 couples).........Bob Green
The Tease - Tom Hinds (improper).................Dale Wilson
Virginia Reel unsimlified vers. (4-6 couples)........Billy Boyer
Summer of '84 var. - Gene Hubert (improper)....Martha Edwards
MN-NY Happy Returns - Carol Ormand (Beckett).....David Keller
The Baby Rose - David Kaynor (improper)..........Joe Felson
Frederick's Contra - Tom Hinds (improper)........David Keller
English Wings - Bob Green (proper)............Kay Tomlinson
Joyride - Erik Weberg (improper)....................
Yellow Stockings (proper)......................
Dip n Dive - Tom Hinds (improper)..............Martha Edwards
---Waltz and Break---
Procter’s Reel – Joe Felson (improper).............Joe Felson
Levi Jackson Rag - Pat Shaw (5 couples).........Bob Green
The Tease - Tom Hinds (improper).................
Virginia Reel unsimlified vers. (4-6 couples)........Billy Boyer
Summer of '84 var. - Gene Hubert (improper)....Martha Edwards
MN-NY Happy Returns - Carol Ormand (Beckett).....David Keller
M
E
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Comments on Sun Night - April 26, 2009
Congratulations to David, Karen and Billy for a very successful program. Things went pretty well and when they didn’t – you kept your head and recovered nicely.
A couple comments:
Billy – nice job on the square. You started by saying “the first move is..” and then caught yourself and realized you can make the first move anything you want – and then you did. You can have a lot of fun with squares when you take advantage of the freedom it allows.
If there was nay general constructive comment I could make is the teaching still needs improvement. Much of the teaching is still just reading the figures off the card. In the calling parties and at the Childgrove dances you can get away from this – but it makes you seem a bit removed from the dancers. One reason you can do this is that most of the dances are very well written with familiar moves. You need to challenge yourselves to teach in a more instructional and relaxed manner. Find a good dance or 2 that has some figures that need to be taught to even the best dancers. The Accordion that Billy called has a bit of that.
I am sure that you have heard callers make special note of who you should look for or where you should be. A dance early in the evening had a Calif twirl to a circle with new neighbors, but away from your partner. No mention was made that it was with a shadow. Work on being more conversational and friendly toward the dancers during the teaching.
I recommend you try to find calling opportunities with less experienced dancers. Another possibility is the call squares – they require more detailed teaching. I know you are getting tired of hearing that – but it is great experience.
And listen to other callers teach. We bring in some top callers here – they are fun to dance to – but listen to the little details that set them apart from the others.
Once again – nice job!
Mac
A couple comments:
Billy – nice job on the square. You started by saying “the first move is..” and then caught yourself and realized you can make the first move anything you want – and then you did. You can have a lot of fun with squares when you take advantage of the freedom it allows.
If there was nay general constructive comment I could make is the teaching still needs improvement. Much of the teaching is still just reading the figures off the card. In the calling parties and at the Childgrove dances you can get away from this – but it makes you seem a bit removed from the dancers. One reason you can do this is that most of the dances are very well written with familiar moves. You need to challenge yourselves to teach in a more instructional and relaxed manner. Find a good dance or 2 that has some figures that need to be taught to even the best dancers. The Accordion that Billy called has a bit of that.
I am sure that you have heard callers make special note of who you should look for or where you should be. A dance early in the evening had a Calif twirl to a circle with new neighbors, but away from your partner. No mention was made that it was with a shadow. Work on being more conversational and friendly toward the dancers during the teaching.
I recommend you try to find calling opportunities with less experienced dancers. Another possibility is the call squares – they require more detailed teaching. I know you are getting tired of hearing that – but it is great experience.
And listen to other callers teach. We bring in some top callers here – they are fun to dance to – but listen to the little details that set them apart from the others.
Once again – nice job!
Mac
Monday, April 20, 2009
Should Square Music be "Square?"
Dance musician Michael Shapiro recently asked me a question about the music for squares: He said some callers tell him that the music for squares doesn't have to be "square" (32-bars, AABB), and wondered how this could be.
I replied:
It depends on the style of square dance.
A New England square is basically a contra in a square formation: It fits perfectly in an AABB pattern, with the prompts happening on the 7&8 (or perhaps the 5,6,7&8) of the previous phrase. The break figure is also choreographed to fit an AABB pattern exactly. So for this, a square tune would be absolutely required.
A Southern square, on the other hand, is called in 4- or 8-beat (2- or 4- bar) phrases rather than thinking about the 16-beat (8-bar) phrase (the entire A or B). So while it could use a "square" tune, it can also use tunes with AABBCC or AABBC structures, or a tune in which one part has an extra beat.
The calling is connected to the beat, but the phrasing of the dance and the phrasing of the tune aren't necessarily tied together. The choreography is a bit more fluid, so a swing could be eight beats one time, 12 or 16 at another time in the dance, while certain other moves (chains, right-and-left-thru) would typically start only at the top of a phrase. Good callers use this fluidity to improvise, adding or removing figures. (Of course, they must know what the dancers are capable of, a skill that takes experience to master).
By the way, this is why Southern and Western squares can have swings that start at the top of a phrase and end in the middle of a 8-bar (16-beat) phrase -- because the dancers aren't hearing that longer phrase, but rather the 8-beat phrase.
A Western (patter) square can follow the phrasing tightly, as in New England squares, or loosely, as in a Southern square. The difference between patter and Southern (besides the accent) is that in Southern squares the caller actually "follows" the dancers in a sense, watching until they are about two steps from finishing a move before beginning the next call.
It is possible to have a New England-style square that is choreographed for AABBCC, with a short (BB) break so as to stay on the same music for the same actions throughout the figure, or with an AABB break and not worry about ending on the B2 (but still sticking with 8-bar (16-beat) phrasing.
Choreography for Southern and patter squares can be AABB, or AABBCC, or AABBCDE, or some other mess that the caller would prefer not to explain to the musicians or dancers. The break in such a dance might be shorter, or not. The trick would then be ending with the music, or just having the dancers promenade until the band finds a place to go out. (For the caller, ending a square is an art unto itself, because he/she must signal to the band while still calling to the dancers).
A singing square, of course, is as tightly choreographed in its own way as a New England square but requiring a specific tune in a specific key.
Square calling is also dependent on the musicians' style. The Missouri Old Time music of guys like Chirps Smith, Jim Nelson and Geoff Seitz is very conducive to Southern or patter squares because the beat is more predominant than the phrase or the tune. The question "are we in the A or B?" doesn't really matter. Musicians playing New England or French Canadian-style tunes would be more conducive to New England squares.
Callers need to understand what they are asking for, particularly if it's not their "home" style. When I left Louisville, I had to learn anew how to listen to the band because a different style predominates in this area. This affected my contra calling, and also taught me to prepare certain types of squares for certain types of bands.
It would be expecting a lot for callers to understand the intricacies of every musical style as they relate to square-dance calling, and I'm certainly not as expert a square-dance caller as I hope to become. When I think of contra callers who are true masters at calling squares, I think of Tom Hinds, Kathy Anderson, Carol Ormand, Ron Buchanan, Bob Dalsemer, maybe David Kirchner.
A note about choreographic differences:
Southern squares -- think visiting couple squares (first couple swing, first couple lead right and do something with couple two, then lead on to couple three, etc.) (Meanwhile the inactive couples get to either watch or flirt or be creative/spread meyhem).
New England -- big focus on Heads vs. Sides choreography (heads do this, now this, now this, now everyone find your corner...)
Western -- focus on everybody active. Although there is Heads/Sides choreography here as well, the inactives won't stand there for more than one or two moves.
Michael also asked about crooked tunes with extra beats or bars, say sections of 8,8,10,10 instead of 8,8,8,8 bars.
This is trickier for sure, but I suppose a caller who knew the tune could add extra balances or something in those places. Most of my notes above are about extra sections (AABBC, AABBCC) rather than extra measures. Extra sections are not really a problem when calling Southern- or Western-style dances, IF you know the band will be playing a tune with extra sections.
I hope other experienced (and beginning) square callers will weigh in here -- maybe tell what sorts of music you prefer and what styles of squares you prefer to call and dance to, and why.
--Jerome
I replied:
It depends on the style of square dance.
A New England square is basically a contra in a square formation: It fits perfectly in an AABB pattern, with the prompts happening on the 7&8 (or perhaps the 5,6,7&8) of the previous phrase. The break figure is also choreographed to fit an AABB pattern exactly. So for this, a square tune would be absolutely required.
A Southern square, on the other hand, is called in 4- or 8-beat (2- or 4- bar) phrases rather than thinking about the 16-beat (8-bar) phrase (the entire A or B). So while it could use a "square" tune, it can also use tunes with AABBCC or AABBC structures, or a tune in which one part has an extra beat.
The calling is connected to the beat, but the phrasing of the dance and the phrasing of the tune aren't necessarily tied together. The choreography is a bit more fluid, so a swing could be eight beats one time, 12 or 16 at another time in the dance, while certain other moves (chains, right-and-left-thru) would typically start only at the top of a phrase. Good callers use this fluidity to improvise, adding or removing figures. (Of course, they must know what the dancers are capable of, a skill that takes experience to master).
By the way, this is why Southern and Western squares can have swings that start at the top of a phrase and end in the middle of a 8-bar (16-beat) phrase -- because the dancers aren't hearing that longer phrase, but rather the 8-beat phrase.
A Western (patter) square can follow the phrasing tightly, as in New England squares, or loosely, as in a Southern square. The difference between patter and Southern (besides the accent) is that in Southern squares the caller actually "follows" the dancers in a sense, watching until they are about two steps from finishing a move before beginning the next call.
It is possible to have a New England-style square that is choreographed for AABBCC, with a short (BB) break so as to stay on the same music for the same actions throughout the figure, or with an AABB break and not worry about ending on the B2 (but still sticking with 8-bar (16-beat) phrasing.
Choreography for Southern and patter squares can be AABB, or AABBCC, or AABBCDE, or some other mess that the caller would prefer not to explain to the musicians or dancers. The break in such a dance might be shorter, or not. The trick would then be ending with the music, or just having the dancers promenade until the band finds a place to go out. (For the caller, ending a square is an art unto itself, because he/she must signal to the band while still calling to the dancers).
A singing square, of course, is as tightly choreographed in its own way as a New England square but requiring a specific tune in a specific key.
Square calling is also dependent on the musicians' style. The Missouri Old Time music of guys like Chirps Smith, Jim Nelson and Geoff Seitz is very conducive to Southern or patter squares because the beat is more predominant than the phrase or the tune. The question "are we in the A or B?" doesn't really matter. Musicians playing New England or French Canadian-style tunes would be more conducive to New England squares.
Callers need to understand what they are asking for, particularly if it's not their "home" style. When I left Louisville, I had to learn anew how to listen to the band because a different style predominates in this area. This affected my contra calling, and also taught me to prepare certain types of squares for certain types of bands.
It would be expecting a lot for callers to understand the intricacies of every musical style as they relate to square-dance calling, and I'm certainly not as expert a square-dance caller as I hope to become. When I think of contra callers who are true masters at calling squares, I think of Tom Hinds, Kathy Anderson, Carol Ormand, Ron Buchanan, Bob Dalsemer, maybe David Kirchner.
A note about choreographic differences:
Southern squares -- think visiting couple squares (first couple swing, first couple lead right and do something with couple two, then lead on to couple three, etc.) (Meanwhile the inactive couples get to either watch or flirt or be creative/spread meyhem).
New England -- big focus on Heads vs. Sides choreography (heads do this, now this, now this, now everyone find your corner...)
Western -- focus on everybody active. Although there is Heads/Sides choreography here as well, the inactives won't stand there for more than one or two moves.
Michael also asked about crooked tunes with extra beats or bars, say sections of 8,8,10,10 instead of 8,8,8,8 bars.
This is trickier for sure, but I suppose a caller who knew the tune could add extra balances or something in those places. Most of my notes above are about extra sections (AABBC, AABBCC) rather than extra measures. Extra sections are not really a problem when calling Southern- or Western-style dances, IF you know the band will be playing a tune with extra sections.
I hope other experienced (and beginning) square callers will weigh in here -- maybe tell what sorts of music you prefer and what styles of squares you prefer to call and dance to, and why.
--Jerome
Friday, April 17, 2009
Three Dances this Weekend
Hatchlings are busy this weekend in St Louis!
1. The Webster Groves English Country Dancers on Friday night at the Monday Club. Workshop at 7:00pm, Dance from 7:30-10:30pm. Music by the Hibernia Station band, calling from Hatchlings Bob Green, Kimberly Hall and Kay Tomlinson.
2. The St Louis English Country Dancers on Saturday night at the First Congregational Church on Wydown in University City. Check the website for details. We have it on pretty good authority that Hatchlings Missy Reisenleiter and Chrystal Gallacci will also be calling some of the dances.
3. The Childgrove Country Dancers on Sunday night at the Monday Club. Workshop at 6:30pm, contra dancing from 7:00 to 10:00pm. Music by the Mound City Slickers. Calling from Hatchlings David Keller, Karen Jackson and Billy Boyer.
M
E
1. The Webster Groves English Country Dancers on Friday night at the Monday Club. Workshop at 7:00pm, Dance from 7:30-10:30pm. Music by the Hibernia Station band, calling from Hatchlings Bob Green, Kimberly Hall and Kay Tomlinson.
2. The St Louis English Country Dancers on Saturday night at the First Congregational Church on Wydown in University City. Check the website for details. We have it on pretty good authority that Hatchlings Missy Reisenleiter and Chrystal Gallacci will also be calling some of the dances.
3. The Childgrove Country Dancers on Sunday night at the Monday Club. Workshop at 6:30pm, contra dancing from 7:00 to 10:00pm. Music by the Mound City Slickers. Calling from Hatchlings David Keller, Karen Jackson and Billy Boyer.
M
E
Monday, April 6, 2009
April 4th's Hatchling Dance
Well, this last Hatchling dance was really a challenge (that we met successfully, I'd say).
A few minutes before starting time, a whole group of newcomers came in, all but one of whom were foreign students. So not only were most of them not dancers at all, but there were a few language problems, too! I think nearly all of the callers started sweating about then. I know I did. "Are my dances too hard? Should I change what I planned to call? Will I be able to teach clearly enough so that most of the group really gets it?"
To our credit, I think every Hatchling did very well. And only one of us actually changed our dance. The double figure of 8 in "Dosigates" was just too much for about 1/2 the people, so Bob switched over to "A Roll in the Hey," and called it seamlessly. So it was very good practice for us as far as teaching goes. But I found it (the calling, and the dancing with many newcomers) to be very exhausting, though ultimately very satisfying.
One question that I've asked before (in a comment), that this experience made me wonder about again: Has anyone thought about having the Hatchling dance be on a Friday instead? This isn't the first time that Dan and I have missed the Sunday dance because we felt too worn out after the Hatchling dance. Dance weekends are one thing . . . the energy of the whole experience bouys you up. But as far as regular dances go, I'd much prefer to have a day of rest between. Anyone else feel this way, or are we just the biggest wimps in the Contra community??
Anyway, I'm proud of the Hatchlings' performance on the 4th, and I think most everyone had a good time. Some of the newcomers said they'd be back. We'll warmly welcome them again, if so, and hope that our teaching, calling, and dancing with them had something to do with it.
~Karen
A few minutes before starting time, a whole group of newcomers came in, all but one of whom were foreign students. So not only were most of them not dancers at all, but there were a few language problems, too! I think nearly all of the callers started sweating about then. I know I did. "Are my dances too hard? Should I change what I planned to call? Will I be able to teach clearly enough so that most of the group really gets it?"
To our credit, I think every Hatchling did very well. And only one of us actually changed our dance. The double figure of 8 in "Dosigates" was just too much for about 1/2 the people, so Bob switched over to "A Roll in the Hey," and called it seamlessly. So it was very good practice for us as far as teaching goes. But I found it (the calling, and the dancing with many newcomers) to be very exhausting, though ultimately very satisfying.
One question that I've asked before (in a comment), that this experience made me wonder about again: Has anyone thought about having the Hatchling dance be on a Friday instead? This isn't the first time that Dan and I have missed the Sunday dance because we felt too worn out after the Hatchling dance. Dance weekends are one thing . . . the energy of the whole experience bouys you up. But as far as regular dances go, I'd much prefer to have a day of rest between. Anyone else feel this way, or are we just the biggest wimps in the Contra community??
Anyway, I'm proud of the Hatchlings' performance on the 4th, and I think most everyone had a good time. Some of the newcomers said they'd be back. We'll warmly welcome them again, if so, and hope that our teaching, calling, and dancing with them had something to do with it.
~Karen
Monday, March 30, 2009
Raising the bar
Wow- when you look at al the Hatchlings have accomplished – it is very impressive. We have tried to make calling opportunities available for everyone to get their feet wet. Now it is time to raise the bar.
Childgrove will try to set aside one dance each month for the further development of the hatchlings. These can be used in any format that makes sense at that time. You can schedule the multi-caller format where everyone calls one or 2 dances and you program as a team – or we can use just 2 or 3 callers (who also need to coordinate their programs)
I have been asked (and reluctantly accepted) the responsibility of coordinating format and callers for each date. Do not approach Peggy about calling – she will simply set the dates and book the band – she will not book callers for these dances.
Hatchlings who have scheduled to call through Peggy from now to the end of June will stay on the schedule. All bookings beyond that are cancelled and will be handled in the new format.
Childgrove is committing 25% of the calling opportunities to the Hatchings. This is a bit of a risk. I am sure everyone will take this seriously and work to maintain the quality we are used to. Even with that – I am sure there is more demand than we can fill. I am not sure what we will work out to be fair to everyone. I expect I will make someone unhappy (remember – I didn’t ask for this job).
Now – about raising that bar…
By now everyone has had a chance to call several dances. No one is brand new and just needs some experience calling a dance. You should all be well beyond that first dance experience. Everyone should be aware of his or her strengths and weaknesses. Going forward I want all the callers to identify what they are trying to accomplish to improve. If you need suggestions you can talk to any of the more experienced local callers. I expect they would all be eager to help. That doesn’t just mean calling more dances than last time. Find specific things you need to do to challenge yourself and work on specific skills. It might mean just calling one dance that really needs your full attention.
Keep up the good work
Mac
Childgrove will try to set aside one dance each month for the further development of the hatchlings. These can be used in any format that makes sense at that time. You can schedule the multi-caller format where everyone calls one or 2 dances and you program as a team – or we can use just 2 or 3 callers (who also need to coordinate their programs)
I have been asked (and reluctantly accepted) the responsibility of coordinating format and callers for each date. Do not approach Peggy about calling – she will simply set the dates and book the band – she will not book callers for these dances.
Hatchlings who have scheduled to call through Peggy from now to the end of June will stay on the schedule. All bookings beyond that are cancelled and will be handled in the new format.
Childgrove is committing 25% of the calling opportunities to the Hatchings. This is a bit of a risk. I am sure everyone will take this seriously and work to maintain the quality we are used to. Even with that – I am sure there is more demand than we can fill. I am not sure what we will work out to be fair to everyone. I expect I will make someone unhappy (remember – I didn’t ask for this job).
Now – about raising that bar…
By now everyone has had a chance to call several dances. No one is brand new and just needs some experience calling a dance. You should all be well beyond that first dance experience. Everyone should be aware of his or her strengths and weaknesses. Going forward I want all the callers to identify what they are trying to accomplish to improve. If you need suggestions you can talk to any of the more experienced local callers. I expect they would all be eager to help. That doesn’t just mean calling more dances than last time. Find specific things you need to do to challenge yourself and work on specific skills. It might mean just calling one dance that really needs your full attention.
Keep up the good work
Mac
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Calling Workshop with Nils Fredland
One of the ways to get to be good at something is to adopt the belief system of someone who's really good at it. Nils Fredland, who actually makes a living as a contra dance caller, an amazing fact in and of itself, knows that his continuing success relies heavily on his ability to quickly establish himself with a new crowd as someone likable and reliable. This gets easier, he admits, as word travels and he faces new crowds who expect in advance that they will like him and have a good dance experience. Nothing like crowd expectation to lay the groundwork for a good time.
But he also has certain principles that help create that expectation, and they really work for him. One is to be rested, calm and centered, and focus on patience, sensitivity and flexibility. If you are calm and centered, and patient with less-skilled dancers, people feel that they can trust you, and listen to what you say. If you are sensitive to what it feels like to be in that "everything's new and there's too much to remember" stage, you will explain more clearly and gently, and people will learn. And if you are flexible (and don't take yourself too seriously) all sorts of good things can happen.
Other people in the workshop augmented what he said as well. Nils talked about the importance of trying to reconstruct dances in your head after you've danced one you like. Even if you don't get it all, if you get the part that made the dance fun, you may be able to fill in the rest (the glossary moves) and it will help you memorize new dances. Then Peter Yronwode told us that he and his wife (Paula Farling) often reconstruct from memory the entire dance they've just attended on the way home. Wow.
I also like something Jerome Grisanti said about what to do when the crowd just keeps chattering when you're trying to get the dance started - he said it's important to frame all that talking as "They're having a good time socializing," rather than "They're not paying any attention." You still need to get folks paying attention, but you'll do it with a good attitude rather than petulance, which never works.
We talked about voice production - that ability to get the folks in the last part of the hall hearing you. And we talked about speaking "interestingly" - which also involves having good vocal production. Nils said we should use "our own voice", which I didn't quite understand. That's great for someone like him who could probably make a good living doing those deep voices in documentaries, but I figure the rest of us probably need to figure out how to improve the voices we have. He did recommended doing some vocal exercises before one of our Calling Parties (which I interpret as saying "Ha Ha Ha, Ho Ho Ho" from the diaphragm in various interesting rhythms, possibly to really good music) and see if it improves people's delivery.
There was much more in the workshop, but this is the part I remember best. Perhaps someone else who was there will fill in some of the rest.
M
E
But he also has certain principles that help create that expectation, and they really work for him. One is to be rested, calm and centered, and focus on patience, sensitivity and flexibility. If you are calm and centered, and patient with less-skilled dancers, people feel that they can trust you, and listen to what you say. If you are sensitive to what it feels like to be in that "everything's new and there's too much to remember" stage, you will explain more clearly and gently, and people will learn. And if you are flexible (and don't take yourself too seriously) all sorts of good things can happen.
Other people in the workshop augmented what he said as well. Nils talked about the importance of trying to reconstruct dances in your head after you've danced one you like. Even if you don't get it all, if you get the part that made the dance fun, you may be able to fill in the rest (the glossary moves) and it will help you memorize new dances. Then Peter Yronwode told us that he and his wife (Paula Farling) often reconstruct from memory the entire dance they've just attended on the way home. Wow.
I also like something Jerome Grisanti said about what to do when the crowd just keeps chattering when you're trying to get the dance started - he said it's important to frame all that talking as "They're having a good time socializing," rather than "They're not paying any attention." You still need to get folks paying attention, but you'll do it with a good attitude rather than petulance, which never works.
We talked about voice production - that ability to get the folks in the last part of the hall hearing you. And we talked about speaking "interestingly" - which also involves having good vocal production. Nils said we should use "our own voice", which I didn't quite understand. That's great for someone like him who could probably make a good living doing those deep voices in documentaries, but I figure the rest of us probably need to figure out how to improve the voices we have. He did recommended doing some vocal exercises before one of our Calling Parties (which I interpret as saying "Ha Ha Ha, Ho Ho Ho" from the diaphragm in various interesting rhythms, possibly to really good music) and see if it improves people's delivery.
There was much more in the workshop, but this is the part I remember best. Perhaps someone else who was there will fill in some of the rest.
M
E
Friday, March 20, 2009
English Dance March 20
Two Hatchlings (okay, one newish caller, and one of our folks who has been flying for years) called the second evening in the new Webster Groves English Country Dancers series of dances, and were wonderful, if I do say so myself.
Chrystal started off the evening with four dances, one of which she choreographed.
Then, our beloved mentor, Dr. John Ramsay, called four dances by Loretta Holtz, all written in the last few years. Missy ended the evening with four wonderful favorites. I loved Missy's programming of the end - instead of the usual romp to a wow finish, the romp (Lover's Knot by Jim Kitch to Black and Grey) was the second to last dance, and we ended peacefully with the lovely Elizabeth by Colin Hume. We played Dave Wiesler's gorgeous Saturday Morning Waltz (to which we had danced The Molly Andrew last month) to end the evening.
This month, a respectable forty-five dancers showed up at the dance, and again, danced beautifully. We didn't quite break even - two more dancers would have done it - but Kent said he loved the dance, and he dances on the East coast all the time, so I put this one in the success column.
We (the band) tried to develop a new habit - of playing the next tune while the dancers are lining up, to give them something to help them make sense of the dance instructions. It's hard - we're not used to playing immediately after a dance ends, so there was much scrambling to get our heads in the right place (and the music open) to play the next tune. It's going to take some getting used to for the callers, also, but we think it's probably the right thing to do. I'm hoping the callers get accustomed to it, and begin to ask for it if we forget. So far, however, they forget, and we just barely remember. But I think we managed it 80-90% of the time tonight. It feels funny so far, but I think when we get smooother at it, it will really add to the experience. Next we'll add the rolling start, which isn't as hard as people make it out to be, but you do have to be ready and alert. Doing both the preview and the rolling start doesn't give the band as much down time as we're used to, but hey, you aren't paying us the big bucks for nothing.
M
E
Chrystal started off the evening with four dances, one of which she choreographed.
Then, our beloved mentor, Dr. John Ramsay, called four dances by Loretta Holtz, all written in the last few years. Missy ended the evening with four wonderful favorites. I loved Missy's programming of the end - instead of the usual romp to a wow finish, the romp (Lover's Knot by Jim Kitch to Black and Grey) was the second to last dance, and we ended peacefully with the lovely Elizabeth by Colin Hume. We played Dave Wiesler's gorgeous Saturday Morning Waltz (to which we had danced The Molly Andrew last month) to end the evening.
This month, a respectable forty-five dancers showed up at the dance, and again, danced beautifully. We didn't quite break even - two more dancers would have done it - but Kent said he loved the dance, and he dances on the East coast all the time, so I put this one in the success column.
We (the band) tried to develop a new habit - of playing the next tune while the dancers are lining up, to give them something to help them make sense of the dance instructions. It's hard - we're not used to playing immediately after a dance ends, so there was much scrambling to get our heads in the right place (and the music open) to play the next tune. It's going to take some getting used to for the callers, also, but we think it's probably the right thing to do. I'm hoping the callers get accustomed to it, and begin to ask for it if we forget. So far, however, they forget, and we just barely remember. But I think we managed it 80-90% of the time tonight. It feels funny so far, but I think when we get smooother at it, it will really add to the experience. Next we'll add the rolling start, which isn't as hard as people make it out to be, but you do have to be ready and alert. Doing both the preview and the rolling start doesn't give the band as much down time as we're used to, but hey, you aren't paying us the big bucks for nothing.
M
E
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Calling without a card
I mentioned in my facebook status that I had called a dance without a card. Of course I didn't explain that it was 'cause I forgot to bring my cards to the Hatchling party (oops).
Jerome responded via email with a message I think may be of general interest so with his permission, I'm posting it here:
Dale,
Congratulations!
Is calling without a card a movement among the hatchlings? If so, I welcome it. I believe it's a natural progression for a caller to begin setting aside the cards after having called for a year or two. (OK, it's unnatural for some, but with effort it can be done).
Two things that got me thinking this way:
1. Prior to attending Dance Callers Week at the John C. Campbell Folk School (Brasstown NC) with Bob Dalsemer, we filled in a questionaire about our goals and such. One of the questions was: You've arrived at a gig and realize that you've forgotten your cards. Which dances do you know well enough to call without cards? I came up with about six at the time, but now that I'm concentrating on memorizing sequences I've got dozens of contras and squares memorized. (It's great fun at parties as well as at dances to reach into my metaphorical back pocket for something I haven't done in a while).
2. Reading the book Calling New England Squares by Tom Hinds. Tom recommends to memorize every square as you prepare to call it: memorize the prompts and where they go, memorize where the dancers are at any stage of the dance. Squares in particular are horrible if the caller has his/her face in a card, because so much is about timing calls just as the dancers are almost finished with the prior move.
I have called entire dances using the cards only to keep track of which dance I had planned to dance next, but not to teach from or prompt with.
Not every caller can memorize easily, but the skill of visualizing entire sequences is important for callers to develop, and memorizing is certainly one way to develop that skill. If I had a good place to practice, I'd like to start developing my "hash-calling" skills (as in Modern Western Square Dancing), i.e. using modules (memorized sequences) connected by sections of improvization, and then resolving from certain formations using modules. I do it in the car while listening to contra music, but not at dances.
You're welcome to share these ideas on the Hatchlings blog if appropriate.
--Jerome
Jerome responded via email with a message I think may be of general interest so with his permission, I'm posting it here:
Dale,
Congratulations!
Is calling without a card a movement among the hatchlings? If so, I welcome it. I believe it's a natural progression for a caller to begin setting aside the cards after having called for a year or two. (OK, it's unnatural for some, but with effort it can be done).
Two things that got me thinking this way:
1. Prior to attending Dance Callers Week at the John C. Campbell Folk School (Brasstown NC) with Bob Dalsemer, we filled in a questionaire about our goals and such. One of the questions was: You've arrived at a gig and realize that you've forgotten your cards. Which dances do you know well enough to call without cards? I came up with about six at the time, but now that I'm concentrating on memorizing sequences I've got dozens of contras and squares memorized. (It's great fun at parties as well as at dances to reach into my metaphorical back pocket for something I haven't done in a while).
2. Reading the book Calling New England Squares by Tom Hinds. Tom recommends to memorize every square as you prepare to call it: memorize the prompts and where they go, memorize where the dancers are at any stage of the dance. Squares in particular are horrible if the caller has his/her face in a card, because so much is about timing calls just as the dancers are almost finished with the prior move.
I have called entire dances using the cards only to keep track of which dance I had planned to dance next, but not to teach from or prompt with.
Not every caller can memorize easily, but the skill of visualizing entire sequences is important for callers to develop, and memorizing is certainly one way to develop that skill. If I had a good place to practice, I'd like to start developing my "hash-calling" skills (as in Modern Western Square Dancing), i.e. using modules (memorized sequences) connected by sections of improvization, and then resolving from certain formations using modules. I do it in the car while listening to contra music, but not at dances.
You're welcome to share these ideas on the Hatchlings blog if appropriate.
--Jerome
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Congratulations to Wade
Congratulations go to Wade for calling his first whole dance at Childgrove! It was a wonderful dance, with interesting dances, and very well called. He has now graduated from "Fledgling" to "Caller" and earned his golden megaphone.
Dangerous Dancing - One Line or Two?
We've had a passionate conversation going on at Childgrove Discussions, our local contra dance online discussion group, on the subject of Dangerous Dancing. The initial post suggested that when callers suggested making one long line instead of two shorter ones, the dancing was more dangerous. We have had several foot stompings lately, and it does seem as if crowding could be contributory.
I myself took a fall last night, and, though I haven't seen the video yet, I'm pretty sure it was a crowding issue, since the move we were doing was not complicated (a circle left, I think). But the hall we were in, down at the wonderful Cape Girardeau Chance Dance, had a most strange effect on dancers. The right line (stage right, house left) tended to drift to the bottom of the hall, while the left line (stage left, house right) tended to drift to the top of the hall. I was in the left line, about second couple from the top when someone's right foot was to the right of my left foot, and down I went. This can only have happened because we were packed too closely together.
Earlier in the evening, we were in two lines and the caller suggested that the dance (a double-progression dance) would be better if we were in one line. Okay. What I noticed was that one of the moves, a diagonal ladies' chain, I think, happened not so much on a right diagonal as on slight, very slight, veering to the right (see the diagram). The dance, in other words, needed a lot of room, so we took it across the set since we didn't have the room up and down the set. The sets ended up about ten feet apart. It was fun, and those who felt that it was right to put two shorter lines together could feel they made the right choice (especially given that it was a double-progression dance). On the other hand, those who wanted two lines could also feel vindicated, given that it was often difficult to dance through the other line, as the movements would get slowed down as they had to plow through traffic.
I myself am on the verge of making a strange proposition, one I would not have imagined possible - that the caller NOT make one line when the dancers have made two. There may be wisdom in the unconscious choices that the dancers make.
At the same time, we callers need to find a way to suggest to the dancers that they remain aware of the dancers around them, indeed, the whole line of dancers, and know what the optimum distance between the dancers should be. It is possible for a single person to fix a line that has drifted up or down, just by insisting on being in the place where that set would be if it were spaced out correctly, forcing the dancers above and below them to chose a better spot to dance in. Imagine if each dancer did the same thing, and automatically adjusted the space so that the dance came out just right.
I myself took a fall last night, and, though I haven't seen the video yet, I'm pretty sure it was a crowding issue, since the move we were doing was not complicated (a circle left, I think). But the hall we were in, down at the wonderful Cape Girardeau Chance Dance, had a most strange effect on dancers. The right line (stage right, house left) tended to drift to the bottom of the hall, while the left line (stage left, house right) tended to drift to the top of the hall. I was in the left line, about second couple from the top when someone's right foot was to the right of my left foot, and down I went. This can only have happened because we were packed too closely together.
Earlier in the evening, we were in two lines and the caller suggested that the dance (a double-progression dance) would be better if we were in one line. Okay. What I noticed was that one of the moves, a diagonal ladies' chain, I think, happened not so much on a right diagonal as on slight, very slight, veering to the right (see the diagram). The dance, in other words, needed a lot of room, so we took it across the set since we didn't have the room up and down the set. The sets ended up about ten feet apart. It was fun, and those who felt that it was right to put two shorter lines together could feel they made the right choice (especially given that it was a double-progression dance). On the other hand, those who wanted two lines could also feel vindicated, given that it was often difficult to dance through the other line, as the movements would get slowed down as they had to plow through traffic.I myself am on the verge of making a strange proposition, one I would not have imagined possible - that the caller NOT make one line when the dancers have made two. There may be wisdom in the unconscious choices that the dancers make.
At the same time, we callers need to find a way to suggest to the dancers that they remain aware of the dancers around them, indeed, the whole line of dancers, and know what the optimum distance between the dancers should be. It is possible for a single person to fix a line that has drifted up or down, just by insisting on being in the place where that set would be if it were spaced out correctly, forcing the dancers above and below them to chose a better spot to dance in. Imagine if each dancer did the same thing, and automatically adjusted the space so that the dance came out just right.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
ThankyouThankyouThankyou
A big thanks goes out to everyone who helped make this night of the first Webster Groves English Country Dancers dance a big success:
- dancers - you came! I didn't know whether to expect you or not - but there you were, and dancing so well, too!
- callers - Bob and Kimberly and Kay were seriously on their game. There was wonderful contrast in the dances, too - some good fast romps and some gorgeous melting softer ones. And the evening started right on time, and finished, twelve dances later, with time left over for a nice waltz.
- Mac on sound - we gave him exactly zero minutes to do a sound check, but he nailed it. How'd he do that?
- band - my wonderful musician friends poured their hearts out. As much as I wanted to be out on the floor dancing, I can tell you I was having a great time on stage.
- Blackthorn Morris - no beginning venture should be without the blessing of a Morris team. I have noticed that the sudden appearance of men (and women) in bells with sticks always seems associated with success.
- Peggy and the women of the Monday Club - thanks for having such a lovely hall and thanks for sharing it with us!
- especial thanks to the folks who helped put up the little lights which gave the hall such a lovely glow, and the ones who brought tasty treats and put out the liquids for people to drink, and the ones who helped us clean up afterwards, and the ones who helped greet people at the door.
I don't think it would be possible to be much happier with the way things went tonight. Thank you all again for taking part in it!
M
E
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Calling Party Tonight - New English Dance on Friday
Calling Party tonight! As usual, there is much to prepare for. The new dance series, the Webster Groves English Country Dancers, starts this Friday, and our very own Kay Tomlinson, Bob Green and Kimberly Hall will be calling this month (and next month, Missy Reisenleiter and Chrystal Gallacci - joined by Dr. John Ramsay).
On Saturday, February 21, Kimberly Hall will be calling an English dance in Rolla, MO, sponsored by the Jovial Beggars.
Next Tuesday, February 24, Dance Discovery has again invited callers to call and dancers to dance - that's at the Brentwood Congregational Church at 7:00pm. The dances will be the ones that the Tu'Penny Uprights are planning to record for a future dance CD. Come and help us determine the tempos - your chance to influence the dance experience of future generations of dancers!
And, in a week and a half, on March 1, the excellent Wade Pearson will be calling his first Whole Dance at the Childgrove Sunday night contra dance, thereby earning his Golden Megaphone. Wade appears to disdain these whimsical little tokens of our admiration, preferring to retain his air of sophisticated restraint, but we continue to hope he secretly savors our admiration.
If that's not enough activity for you, in a mere two and a half weeks, on March 7, we'll have another First Saturday Hatchling Dance. So, ladies and gentlement, start your engines, think of what dances you want to call, and prepare to call them!
M
E
On Saturday, February 21, Kimberly Hall will be calling an English dance in Rolla, MO, sponsored by the Jovial Beggars.
Next Tuesday, February 24, Dance Discovery has again invited callers to call and dancers to dance - that's at the Brentwood Congregational Church at 7:00pm. The dances will be the ones that the Tu'Penny Uprights are planning to record for a future dance CD. Come and help us determine the tempos - your chance to influence the dance experience of future generations of dancers!
And, in a week and a half, on March 1, the excellent Wade Pearson will be calling his first Whole Dance at the Childgrove Sunday night contra dance, thereby earning his Golden Megaphone. Wade appears to disdain these whimsical little tokens of our admiration, preferring to retain his air of sophisticated restraint, but we continue to hope he secretly savors our admiration.
If that's not enough activity for you, in a mere two and a half weeks, on March 7, we'll have another First Saturday Hatchling Dance. So, ladies and gentlement, start your engines, think of what dances you want to call, and prepare to call them!
M
E
Monday, February 16, 2009
What I learned at the workshop...
Last Wednesday Ted, Mac, and Judy shared some excellent tips for us hatchlings. I took some notes about what was discussed. The information was so helpful that I thought I'd post some of what I learned. Ted and Mac, I hope you don't mind; feel free to make any corrections/additions!
Planning the evening:
---Simple, familiar dances are often the best. The tried and true "Chestnuts" are your friends.
---A good program has variety. Consecutive dances should employ different moves or formations so that they don't feel the same.
---Picking a really fun dance just before the break can help encourage people to stay for the second half.
---Know your dances well. Ghost-walking can help make sure that you understand the dance and are prepared to teach it.
Teaching the dance:
---Your teaching should answer these key questions: 1) What do I do? 2) Who do I do it with? 3) How will I end up?
---Wait until all the dancers are in position before starting the walkthrough.
---To quiet a room, try talking softly. If you're ready to start the walkthrough, giving a preliminary instruction can help get people's attention (e.g. "face your neighbor")
---Use common words/phrases when teaching and calling. Listen to experienced callers' terminology.
Calling the dance:
---Relax and have fun!
---Watch the entire hall, especially the line to the caller's right, which often has the most beginners.
---If something goes wrong, don't blame the dancers. The dancers will love you for your mistakes, as long as you're good natured or humorous about it.
---Don't call more than you need to. As the dancers catch on, gradually reduce your calling to key words, like "chain" and "star". Obvious moves like swings are the first to omit. When you drop out altogether, keep watching the dancers.
---Don't call to long or too short. 8 minutes is a pretty good average, but the enthusiasm of the dancers (or lack thereof) can help you gauge when to stop.
---Get to know the band ahead of time and write down their names. When introducing each musician, use this formula: "and on the fiddle, Martha!"
---When giving a band the 1 or 2 more signal, make sure you know who to look to for acknowledgement.
Planning the evening:
---Simple, familiar dances are often the best. The tried and true "Chestnuts" are your friends.
---A good program has variety. Consecutive dances should employ different moves or formations so that they don't feel the same.
---Picking a really fun dance just before the break can help encourage people to stay for the second half.
---Know your dances well. Ghost-walking can help make sure that you understand the dance and are prepared to teach it.
Teaching the dance:
---Your teaching should answer these key questions: 1) What do I do? 2) Who do I do it with? 3) How will I end up?
---Wait until all the dancers are in position before starting the walkthrough.
---To quiet a room, try talking softly. If you're ready to start the walkthrough, giving a preliminary instruction can help get people's attention (e.g. "face your neighbor")
---Use common words/phrases when teaching and calling. Listen to experienced callers' terminology.
Calling the dance:
---Relax and have fun!
---Watch the entire hall, especially the line to the caller's right, which often has the most beginners.
---If something goes wrong, don't blame the dancers. The dancers will love you for your mistakes, as long as you're good natured or humorous about it.
---Don't call more than you need to. As the dancers catch on, gradually reduce your calling to key words, like "chain" and "star". Obvious moves like swings are the first to omit. When you drop out altogether, keep watching the dancers.
---Don't call to long or too short. 8 minutes is a pretty good average, but the enthusiasm of the dancers (or lack thereof) can help you gauge when to stop.
---Get to know the band ahead of time and write down their names. When introducing each musician, use this formula: "and on the fiddle, Martha!"
---When giving a band the 1 or 2 more signal, make sure you know who to look to for acknowledgement.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Thanks to Ted and Mac (and Judy, too!)
Last night's workshop at the calling party was great. Ted presented a comprehensive overview of calling: the art of calling the dance itself, choosing dances, interacting with dancers, and working with the band. Ted, I hope you'll let us post your notes for the talk. Mac chimed in with lots of tips, and Judy offered her insights from a dancer's perspective. The rest of us got to ask questions and offer suggestions based on our own experience. So much valuable experience, shared so willingly!
And then we danced, of course, with greater or lesser success in the calling. I muffed mine, but the dancers mostly got it in spite of the tendrils growing out of my head, and Ted and others had valuable suggestions about how better to teach the figures.
This group is amazing. Thanks, all.
And then we danced, of course, with greater or lesser success in the calling. I muffed mine, but the dancers mostly got it in spite of the tendrils growing out of my head, and Ted and others had valuable suggestions about how better to teach the figures.
This group is amazing. Thanks, all.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Kudos to BillyBob and Dale
And, to wrap up a great weekend for the Hatchlings, Billy, Bob and Dale called a wonderful contra dance last night!
Dale gave a very good workshop, Bob did a masterful job with the early dances, calling to Lots and Lots of New People in a very crowded hall, Billy wound up the crowd with interesting dances before and after the break (including a square!) , and Dale earned his wings (see picture) as he ended the evening on a high note, with three of his four dances having been written by Hatchlings.
The Night Crawlers (Ted Vasquez on fiddle, Kristin Graham on keyboard, Mike Brown on bass and Rich Hibbs on banjo) were wonderful to dance to, and call to, too. What nice folks! And what drive! It was great.
Dale gave a very good workshop, Bob did a masterful job with the early dances, calling to Lots and Lots of New People in a very crowded hall, Billy wound up the crowd with interesting dances before and after the break (including a square!) , and Dale earned his wings (see picture) as he ended the evening on a high note, with three of his four dances having been written by Hatchlings.The Night Crawlers (Ted Vasquez on fiddle, Kristin Graham on keyboard, Mike Brown on bass and Rich Hibbs on banjo) were wonderful to dance to, and call to, too. What nice folks! And what drive! It was great.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Hatchling Dance on February 7, 2009
I'm happy to report that the dance was terrific! The new dances were very well received, the calling was good, the band played its heart out, the sound was good (thanks, Wade!), and the dancers were skilled and happy. This had to be the best of our dances so far.
We even came one dollar closer to breaking even - just $11 down (last month it was $12). One count of the dancers at some point in the evening was 44 people.
Hardly anyone sat out the English dances, though there is much to do to bring some of our contra friends around. But we are patient, and know we have much to learn, but I believe the pleasures of English will eventually be revealed Even to Them. Even to my son Alex, who thinks I'm completely cracked.
Here was the lineup:
First Half
1. David - Dog Branch Reel by Bob Dalsemer
2. Karen - Salmonchanted Evening by Steven Zakon
3. Kimberly - Jacob Hall's Jig - 1695
4. Billy - Halloween Twist - by Melanie Axel-Lute
5. Missy - Corelli's Maggot by Cathy and John Millar
6. Bob - Ionia Breakout by Bob Green
Waltz - Ashokan Farewell ("Too slow!" they told me afterwards)
Break
Second Half
1. Karen - A and J's Reel by Ken Johnson
2. Dale - With Thanks to the Hatchlings by Dale Wilson
3. Kimberly - Easter Morn by Erna-Lynne Bogue
4. Joe - Replacement Reel by Joe Felsen
5. Robyn - Wasatch Wiggle by Eric Weberg
6. David - Garden State of Mind by Sue Rosen
Waltz - The Molly Andrew ("Beautiful!" they said. I say "Come back on February 20 and do the dance that was written for it!")
M
E
We even came one dollar closer to breaking even - just $11 down (last month it was $12). One count of the dancers at some point in the evening was 44 people.
Hardly anyone sat out the English dances, though there is much to do to bring some of our contra friends around. But we are patient, and know we have much to learn, but I believe the pleasures of English will eventually be revealed Even to Them. Even to my son Alex, who thinks I'm completely cracked.
Here was the lineup:
First Half
1. David - Dog Branch Reel by Bob Dalsemer
2. Karen - Salmonchanted Evening by Steven Zakon
3. Kimberly - Jacob Hall's Jig - 1695
4. Billy - Halloween Twist - by Melanie Axel-Lute
5. Missy - Corelli's Maggot by Cathy and John Millar
6. Bob - Ionia Breakout by Bob Green
Waltz - Ashokan Farewell ("Too slow!" they told me afterwards)
Break
Second Half
1. Karen - A and J's Reel by Ken Johnson
2. Dale - With Thanks to the Hatchlings by Dale Wilson
3. Kimberly - Easter Morn by Erna-Lynne Bogue
4. Joe - Replacement Reel by Joe Felsen
5. Robyn - Wasatch Wiggle by Eric Weberg
6. David - Garden State of Mind by Sue Rosen
Waltz - The Molly Andrew ("Beautiful!" they said. I say "Come back on February 20 and do the dance that was written for it!")
M
E
Monday, February 2, 2009
First Saturday Hatchling Dance This Week
Hatchling Dance this week!
So far, the folks who have raised their hands to call this Saturday are
1. Billy
2. Bob
3. Dale
4. David
5. Karen
6. Kay
7. Joe
8. Martha
9. Missy
10. Robyn
David has asked to call two dances, which seems fair, and Robyn is a guest, so I think we might give her two dances as well, and each of the rest of us call one. I can easily bow out, since I'll be behind a fiddle anyway, if someone else wants to call two. Missy and Kay and Bob will each call an English dance.
We'll need to be very efficient this Wednesday so we can get all the practice in that we need for this weekend!
So far, the folks who have raised their hands to call this Saturday are
1. Billy
2. Bob
3. Dale
4. David
5. Karen
6. Kay
7. Joe
8. Martha
9. Missy
10. Robyn
David has asked to call two dances, which seems fair, and Robyn is a guest, so I think we might give her two dances as well, and each of the rest of us call one. I can easily bow out, since I'll be behind a fiddle anyway, if someone else wants to call two. Missy and Kay and Bob will each call an English dance.
Looking forward, Billy, Bob and Dale are calling the Childgrove dance on Sunday Feb 8, several of us are calling at the Open Mic Night at Dance Discovery on Feb 10 (come dance!), and Bob, Kay and Kimberly are calling the Webster Groves ECD dance on Friday Feb 20. Wade has a whole evening at Childgrove on March 1 (go Wade!), and Chrystal and Missy will call the Webster Groves ECD dance on Friday, March 20.
We'll need to be very efficient this Wednesday so we can get all the practice in that we need for this weekend!
Sunday, February 1, 2009
February, a New and Surprisingly Interesting Month
I think this has got to be the first time in my life that February (February!) has seemed interesting and exciting, because there is so much to look forward to!
There's a New English Dance in Town, the Webster Groves English Country Dancers.
We Hatchlings have been learning to call English dances along with our contra dances, and we've called a few of the easier ones at our First Saturday Hatchling Dances and the Youth Contra. The Dance Discovery group (bless their hearts) has made opportunities for us to call some of the more complex dances at open calling nights several times a year. But our local English dance already had a full roster of callers so we mostly got to call English in the living room. Not that it hasn't been a blast to call in the living room. But some of us are hungry for more, and the easiest course of action (incredibly) seemed to be to start a new dance. If there isn't enough pie to go around, make a bigger pie!
Here's the plan so far: we'll dance at the Monday Club on third Fridays, we'll invite different bands to play (as much as possible), and we'll have three callers at each dance. We'll post the dances we're going to do on our web site, and develop a core group of "repertoire" dances that most of the members of the community will be comfortable with (some easy ones, but some harder ones too).
The first three callers will be Bob and Kimberly and Kay. The first band will be the Tu'Penny Uprights (a band I'm in), which has been playing for Dance Discovery for about five years. We're working on some other interesting band options for future months.
M
E
There's a New English Dance in Town, the Webster Groves English Country Dancers.We Hatchlings have been learning to call English dances along with our contra dances, and we've called a few of the easier ones at our First Saturday Hatchling Dances and the Youth Contra. The Dance Discovery group (bless their hearts) has made opportunities for us to call some of the more complex dances at open calling nights several times a year. But our local English dance already had a full roster of callers so we mostly got to call English in the living room. Not that it hasn't been a blast to call in the living room. But some of us are hungry for more, and the easiest course of action (incredibly) seemed to be to start a new dance. If there isn't enough pie to go around, make a bigger pie!
Here's the plan so far: we'll dance at the Monday Club on third Fridays, we'll invite different bands to play (as much as possible), and we'll have three callers at each dance. We'll post the dances we're going to do on our web site, and develop a core group of "repertoire" dances that most of the members of the community will be comfortable with (some easy ones, but some harder ones too).
The first three callers will be Bob and Kimberly and Kay. The first band will be the Tu'Penny Uprights (a band I'm in), which has been playing for Dance Discovery for about five years. We're working on some other interesting band options for future months.
M
E
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Dance Discovery's Inaugural Ball, 2009
We had a blast at the Inaugural Ball on Tuesday at the Monday Club. Ninety-plus people attended, many of whom had never danced before. Several of our own Hatchlings called--Bob, Missy, and Chrystal--and did a wonderful job teaching and prompting. A grand time was had by all.
Here are links to a video by Dan Klarmann and a review on the blog at the Riverfront Times. English and American Country dancing is up and coming here in St. Louis!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Calling Party Tonight Wednesday January 21
Help celebrate a successful Inaugural Ball last night!
Calling Party, my house, 7:00pm, directions here.
Kimberly and Company will be calling the English Dance in Salem, MO this Saturday January 24th. Bob and I are going. Anyone want to join us?
Anyone calling at STL ECD on Monday the 26th?
We're also getting ready for January 27, when there's open calling at Dance Discovery -- and you're all invited to dance.
You're also invited to call at the Youth Contra on January 30 - let Billy know if you want to call! And if you're up for a high-energy time, come and dance too.
Then there's the February 7 First Saturday Hatchling Dance - time to pick a dance to call at that one.
And the February 8 Big Hawaiian Shirt Contra Dance at Childgrove (because Don and Jeanne will be in the Caribbean and we're just NOT jealous, uh-uh...) called by the often-copied, never-successfully-imitated BillyBob and Dale team.
February 13 is the Second Friday ECD dance.
Ted Steele is calling the Feb 14 contra with the White Mules (formerly the Whistle Pigs). Ask him if you can call a dance or two.
February 20 is the Webster Groves English Country Dancers first dance - Bob and Kay and Kimberly will be calling, the Tu'Penny Uprights will be playing.
Mac McKeever is calling the February 22 dance with Ben Smith and Matt Turino. Ask him if you can call a dance or two.
February 23 is the Fourth Monday ECD dance.
And February 28 is the CHANCE DANCE all-afternoon and night dance at the Cape. Open calling (contact John and Kathy Coffman). Chicory is playing in the afternoon, and the Old Cornlickers are playing at night. Good weather or your money back...
M
E
Calling Party, my house, 7:00pm, directions here.
Kimberly and Company will be calling the English Dance in Salem, MO this Saturday January 24th. Bob and I are going. Anyone want to join us?
Anyone calling at STL ECD on Monday the 26th?
We're also getting ready for January 27, when there's open calling at Dance Discovery -- and you're all invited to dance.
You're also invited to call at the Youth Contra on January 30 - let Billy know if you want to call! And if you're up for a high-energy time, come and dance too.
Then there's the February 7 First Saturday Hatchling Dance - time to pick a dance to call at that one.
And the February 8 Big Hawaiian Shirt Contra Dance at Childgrove (because Don and Jeanne will be in the Caribbean and we're just NOT jealous, uh-uh...) called by the often-copied, never-successfully-imitated BillyBob and Dale team.
February 13 is the Second Friday ECD dance.
Ted Steele is calling the Feb 14 contra with the White Mules (formerly the Whistle Pigs). Ask him if you can call a dance or two.
February 20 is the Webster Groves English Country Dancers first dance - Bob and Kay and Kimberly will be calling, the Tu'Penny Uprights will be playing.
Mac McKeever is calling the February 22 dance with Ben Smith and Matt Turino. Ask him if you can call a dance or two.
February 23 is the Fourth Monday ECD dance.
And February 28 is the CHANCE DANCE all-afternoon and night dance at the Cape. Open calling (contact John and Kathy Coffman). Chicory is playing in the afternoon, and the Old Cornlickers are playing at night. Good weather or your money back...
M
E
Friday, January 9, 2009
Double Figure of 8
Well, I was indulging in my favorite vice, thinking too much, and decided to try to solidify some of my thinking about the double figure of 8. The goal is to find the quickest, most pleasant way to teach this beautiful and fun figure.
The top drawing here, is a drawing of a double figure of 8, as seen from inside my head. You can see why I think of this as a "train set you got for Christmas".
The second drawing is one that was sent to me later by Chrystal, of a double figure of 8, as seen from inside her head. Read the comments section for more about these pictures. Basically, I think Chrystal's wins, so the following comments will serve merely as a whimsical historical perspective on the issue, but which helped me understand a lot.
In my picture, you can see that no one walks around anyone because there is no one standing inside the loops. Instead, everyone walks the same track, starting from different points on the track. Counterintuitive though it is when you're standing on the floor getting ready to start the move, everyone walks around the track in the same direction.
Theoretically, you could have four little train engines, all chugging around the track, one after the other, cheerfully avoiding each other so long as they observe one simple rule: "ladies first".
It is easy to see how you teach where the train crossing is - first corners and second corners merely point at each other, arms extended, and it lays out exactly where the track crosses. Harder to see is the part of the track which curves outside the set. Would it make sense to lay down some sort of token (a shoe, perhaps? or a plate of cookies?) between man 1 and man 2, and between lady 1 and lady 2, for the dancers to walk around as the upper couple "casts" around the outer curve of the 8 to start?
I think what we need here is some sort of "X" prize for the person who comes up with the wording to teach a new set of dancers this move in under one minute. I did it once, but it was an unfair test - they were four of my colleague Ben's friends and probably had a collective IQ of 800. Oh, and they saw the drawing.
What I did, with much protest from my calling friends standing nearby, was to have the ones simply walk a figure of 8 on the floor without the twos. Then the twos without the ones. Then both together, invoking the ladies first rule. I'd like to try it with just the ladies, and then just the men. It might work better that way because you see immediately that you're leading and/or following someone, and you're going the same direction.
Oooooh...just thought of something. How about having first corners do it first? The guy walks the outside of the 8, the girl walks across the train crossing. You're doing (and showing) both parts of the move at the same time, but simplified, by having just two people moving. It's quite clear in this move that lady 2 follows her corner around the track. You could then have the second corners do it, and remark that here, gentleman 2 follows his corner around the track. When everyone does it, you can point out that the lady 1 and gent 1 follow their (same gender) neighbors around the track. Re-emphasize the ladies first rule, and it should work fabulously.
Oh, and how awful would it be to call it a "simultaneous figure of 8" instead of a "double figure of 8"? No one does two eights. Each person only does one. We call it double because two couples are doing the figure of eight. It would make more sense to call that a "quadruple figure of 8" because four people are doing it! But even better would be the term "simultaneous figure of 8," for both accuracy and simplicity. Is there some sort of ECD academy where such suggested changes can be submitted?
Or have I reinvented a wheel?
M
E
The top drawing here, is a drawing of a double figure of 8, as seen from inside my head. You can see why I think of this as a "train set you got for Christmas".
The second drawing is one that was sent to me later by Chrystal, of a double figure of 8, as seen from inside her head. Read the comments section for more about these pictures. Basically, I think Chrystal's wins, so the following comments will serve merely as a whimsical historical perspective on the issue, but which helped me understand a lot.In my picture, you can see that no one walks around anyone because there is no one standing inside the loops. Instead, everyone walks the same track, starting from different points on the track. Counterintuitive though it is when you're standing on the floor getting ready to start the move, everyone walks around the track in the same direction.
Theoretically, you could have four little train engines, all chugging around the track, one after the other, cheerfully avoiding each other so long as they observe one simple rule: "ladies first".
It is easy to see how you teach where the train crossing is - first corners and second corners merely point at each other, arms extended, and it lays out exactly where the track crosses. Harder to see is the part of the track which curves outside the set. Would it make sense to lay down some sort of token (a shoe, perhaps? or a plate of cookies?) between man 1 and man 2, and between lady 1 and lady 2, for the dancers to walk around as the upper couple "casts" around the outer curve of the 8 to start?
I think what we need here is some sort of "X" prize for the person who comes up with the wording to teach a new set of dancers this move in under one minute. I did it once, but it was an unfair test - they were four of my colleague Ben's friends and probably had a collective IQ of 800. Oh, and they saw the drawing.
What I did, with much protest from my calling friends standing nearby, was to have the ones simply walk a figure of 8 on the floor without the twos. Then the twos without the ones. Then both together, invoking the ladies first rule. I'd like to try it with just the ladies, and then just the men. It might work better that way because you see immediately that you're leading and/or following someone, and you're going the same direction.
Oooooh...just thought of something. How about having first corners do it first? The guy walks the outside of the 8, the girl walks across the train crossing. You're doing (and showing) both parts of the move at the same time, but simplified, by having just two people moving. It's quite clear in this move that lady 2 follows her corner around the track. You could then have the second corners do it, and remark that here, gentleman 2 follows his corner around the track. When everyone does it, you can point out that the lady 1 and gent 1 follow their (same gender) neighbors around the track. Re-emphasize the ladies first rule, and it should work fabulously.
Oh, and how awful would it be to call it a "simultaneous figure of 8" instead of a "double figure of 8"? No one does two eights. Each person only does one. We call it double because two couples are doing the figure of eight. It would make more sense to call that a "quadruple figure of 8" because four people are doing it! But even better would be the term "simultaneous figure of 8," for both accuracy and simplicity. Is there some sort of ECD academy where such suggested changes can be submitted?
Or have I reinvented a wheel?
M
E
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Calling Party January 7, 2009
Nice calling party tonight. It was one of those nights when only the callers came, so we didn't get much "real-world" experience, but we had fun trying out some more complicated dances. Probably the highlight of the evening was figuring out the John Tallis canon. It's both easier and harder than you might imagine.
In a funny way, learning to call may make the Tallis canon easier - we're used to calling steps four counts before you do them, so it seems perfectly obvious if you're a second corner! (Maybe second corners always have an easier time of it.) We also found it easier to count just to four (instead of the usual eight) when we were trying to get it right, so that each half's moves made sense separately and together.
What was really really hard, however, was the progression. Since you dance with your corner, not your partner, you feel you ought to be progressing the same direction, but no! Also, there's a tricky bit where you have to chevron out and in, keeping from bumping into the person you're passing in order to progress. I'm still not clear about what to do there.
Kent called a nice smooth dance he wrote with gypsies and swings and circles and Mad Robins - there, the hard part was remembering where you are in the dance since many of the moves are repeated - but it was good fun and a great dance for our more flirtatious dancers. Not that many of us fall into that category. No sir. Uh-uh...
M
E
In a funny way, learning to call may make the Tallis canon easier - we're used to calling steps four counts before you do them, so it seems perfectly obvious if you're a second corner! (Maybe second corners always have an easier time of it.) We also found it easier to count just to four (instead of the usual eight) when we were trying to get it right, so that each half's moves made sense separately and together.
What was really really hard, however, was the progression. Since you dance with your corner, not your partner, you feel you ought to be progressing the same direction, but no! Also, there's a tricky bit where you have to chevron out and in, keeping from bumping into the person you're passing in order to progress. I'm still not clear about what to do there.
Kent called a nice smooth dance he wrote with gypsies and swings and circles and Mad Robins - there, the hard part was remembering where you are in the dance since many of the moves are repeated - but it was good fun and a great dance for our more flirtatious dancers. Not that many of us fall into that category. No sir. Uh-uh...
M
E
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
From Dance Discovery & Missy!
Happy New Year!
January is a “happening” month for Dance Discovery! Please read the information below, and come to one (or all) of our events!
1.) Dance Discovery is hosting an *Inaugural Ball*, some of you may have received an invitation and information on this event from“MoveOn”. The Ball will be held on *Tuesday, January 20, 2009, 7:00-9:00 p.m. at the Monday Club. * Dance Discovery will perform the Martha Quadrille (maybe other dances yet to be determined), so our folks will be in costume. The Tu’Penny Uprights will be with us! It is “open to the public”, so please come and let any other dancers know about this event. There is NO cost to attend, but we will ask for donations to help defray the costs. The public has been asked to wear fancy dress (as stated wonderfully by ECD, “your definition”).
2.) *Tuesday, January 27, will be an “Open Mike” night*, no band, dancin’ just for fun! If you wish to call a dance (Yes, Bob, I have you on my list), please let me know. Since there is no band, be sure your music for the dance you wish to call is on a CD. I will have my boombox there that evening.* /_ Let me know if you wish to call a dance on 1/27/09._/
Thank you,
Missy Reisenleiter
Dance Discovery
January is a “happening” month for Dance Discovery! Please read the information below, and come to one (or all) of our events!
1.) Dance Discovery is hosting an *Inaugural Ball*, some of you may have received an invitation and information on this event from“MoveOn”. The Ball will be held on *Tuesday, January 20, 2009, 7:00-9:00 p.m. at the Monday Club. * Dance Discovery will perform the Martha Quadrille (maybe other dances yet to be determined), so our folks will be in costume. The Tu’Penny Uprights will be with us! It is “open to the public”, so please come and let any other dancers know about this event. There is NO cost to attend, but we will ask for donations to help defray the costs. The public has been asked to wear fancy dress (as stated wonderfully by ECD, “your definition”).
2.) *Tuesday, January 27, will be an “Open Mike” night*, no band, dancin’ just for fun! If you wish to call a dance (Yes, Bob, I have you on my list), please let me know. Since there is no band, be sure your music for the dance you wish to call is on a CD. I will have my boombox there that evening.* /_ Let me know if you wish to call a dance on 1/27/09._/
Thank you,
Missy Reisenleiter
Dance Discovery
Friday, January 2, 2009
Nice Job, Everyone!
First off, congratulations to Dale, who did a superb job of herding everyone into an excellent program on New Year's Eve. And congratulations to all the callers, too. Walkthroughs were crisp, band communications were good, and it certainly looked from the stage as if everyone were having a great time!
Mac reported that a few dancers said that there were too many dances where you had to think too hard - understandable, when you've got twelve callers and each one wants to make his or her mark - but I checked with a few other dancers ("Did the dances seem a bit difficult or complicated to you?") and they seemed to think the dances were just fine. Still, it's something to remember for a future New Year's Eve party - no thinking!
I'm happy to report that our Avant Gardeners, George and Laura, were delighted with the event. They went to a fair amount of effort to get here but felt it was absolutely worth it. They really like our dance community - we're fun-loving and friendly people and know how to show our appreciation. Of course, so are they, so let me tell you, I was in music and dance heaven, watching all you new callers (and our wonderful regular callers, and our guests!) and jamming with my peeps.
On to the next - Youth Contra tonight, Hatchling Dance tomorrow night!
M
E
Mac reported that a few dancers said that there were too many dances where you had to think too hard - understandable, when you've got twelve callers and each one wants to make his or her mark - but I checked with a few other dancers ("Did the dances seem a bit difficult or complicated to you?") and they seemed to think the dances were just fine. Still, it's something to remember for a future New Year's Eve party - no thinking!
I'm happy to report that our Avant Gardeners, George and Laura, were delighted with the event. They went to a fair amount of effort to get here but felt it was absolutely worth it. They really like our dance community - we're fun-loving and friendly people and know how to show our appreciation. Of course, so are they, so let me tell you, I was in music and dance heaven, watching all you new callers (and our wonderful regular callers, and our guests!) and jamming with my peeps.
On to the next - Youth Contra tonight, Hatchling Dance tomorrow night!
M
E
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