Calling Party Wednesday May 28 - Getting ready for three dances

Yes, Virginia, there is a calling party tonight.

We have three dances coming up to get ready for: the Youth Contra on Friday (May 30), the Hatchling Dance on June 7, and the Childgrove dance on June 22.

...time passes...

Great party tonight. John and Kathy from Cape Girardeau used some of their vacation time to stop by - they added a lot to the discussion. We all had a lot to hash over after our Kimmswick weekend, and we also watched the barn dance section of "Farmer Wants a Wife". Some pretty funny stuff in them there footage.

We danced a lot of contras - some a bit more complex than would work at a regular contra (or the Hatchling Dance) but lots of fun. We did just "Mage on a Cree" for English.

There were about 15-16 people tonight - far more than I expected on an "extra" night, and a smart, fun group. Sometimes I just think these Calling Parties are turning out better than I had any right to expect.

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Kimmswick Weekend

Wow!

What a weekend for the Hatchlings!

Wade, Bob, Chrystal, Kay, David, Larry and Martha called during the weekend, as well as our good friends, experienced St Louis callers Mac, Deborah and Judy. We were also treated to calling by our Cape Girardeau cousins Kathy and John Coffmann, as well as the Gail Hintze and Michael Fuerst from Illinois, Jerome Grisanti from western Missouri, Jim Williams from Kansas, and David Kirchner from Minnesota. Dan from Illinois led a workshop on dances in unusual formations.

My lord, we learned a lot. We learned that, if you call a no-walkthrough medley, you should call each dance an even number of times (an odd number leaves someone out at the top). We found out that some dances just can't be danced in a crowded hall or one where people inevitably bunch up in one corner of the hall because you can't get across the set when you're closer than shoulder to shoulder. I'm not sure if we learned what to do about it, but we learned that some moves don't work too well on a slick floor, either.

On the whole, I was really proud of our contribution - in less than a year, six of the Hatchlings were good enough to provide a third of the callers at a great dance weekend.

Okay, one dance broke down but was recovered with aplomb without the band stopping at all. Quite a few times we hadn't planned how to get back to your partner to end the dance with a partner swing, and our communication with the bands about going out wasn't always, um, perfect, and we didn't always get the calls out before the moves, but honestly, even in the presence of other really excellent callers, we didn't look so bad! Of course, with such good dancers, all you really need to do is read the card right.

One set of calls went awry, but provided one of the most fun events of the weekend. The dancers, who had gotten the dance into muscle memory, refused to dance to the wrong calls, but instead started calling the dance themselves. The band was playing "Liza Jane", and the crowd was lustily singing the lyrics ("Going down to Cairo, goodbye, goodbye, Going down to Cairo, goodbye Liza Jane"), mixed in with the calls ("Swing!", "Long Lines!", "Hey!"). When the calls from the microphone converged with the calls from the floor, the crowd cheered mightily. We discussed how we could make something like that happen on purpose. Someone remembered that George Marshall sometimes gets dancers to call the moves while they're dancing. I'd love to find a way to do that.

The English with Contra Subtitles workshop went swimmingly. There were about fifty or so attendees, but I counted only seven from St. Louis! Either my count was wrong, or we have a lot more work to do to convince St. Louis contra dancers that English is a wonderful dance form - and part of the contra tradition. But the workshop surely proved that we have a shot at doing just that! Bob and Chrystal and Kay did a great job of getting everyone moving and enjoying the pleasures of sweeping moves done to joyful music. (The Tu'Penny Uprights: Kristin, Paul, and Martha, plus Pam from Cincinnati, played the music). We got a lot of positive feedback afterwards, and there were certainly a lot of smiling, laughing people who were cheering at the end of the workshop. So I'm counting it as a win.

I'm bone-weary from a weekend of little sleep and lots of paying attention, but so happy to have smart, talented and loving friends, and a FINE dance community. Bless you all.

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Calling Party Tonight Wednesday May 21

Two days until Kimmswick, but who's counting?

Calling Party tonight at 7:00pm, my house. Here are the directions.

Kay and Chrystal and Bob and I have been working on a workshop for Kimmswick, scheduled for Sunday at 1:00pm, titled "English with Contra Subtitles". We'll want to try a few of our ideas out on you tonight...

Also, I hope that those of us who are calling at Kimmswick will bring a list of dances we'd like to call just so we can avoid calling the same ones. It's inevitable that some caller or other will call a dance we had our heart set on calling, but at least it won't have to be one of us!

I have talked with Peggy about finding a time for a separate Hatchling Dance - one where we get to call whatever we want, contra, English, squares, odd formations - and she has gotten back to me with an offer to let us use the Monday Club on first Saturdays. I've talked with most of the Hatchlings who have already called at least once to see if they'd be ready to start in June 7, and the answer seems to be YES!

You experienced callers are also invited to participate, of course. It can't be a paid gig until we find a following, but you can get in for free if you call.

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Welcome Missy! (Does this mean I have to pick some English dances to call!?)

Calling Party May 14

Good party tonight!

Special guest Missy graced us tonight - and we got to dance several English dances in preparation for our Kimmswick workshop. It was a good test. Enough of us are not familiar enough with English moves that they needed to be clearly explained, so we were able to see that we're going to have to make it simpler than we thought (okay, or we have to get better...).

And it's not just English. I tried calling Where's Alex again, this time understanding (and teaching) it better, and I still couldn't get everyone to remember what to do. So I guess I'm going to have to scrap it for Kimmswick this time, but I'd sure like to figure out what I have to say to make it easier. Lisa Greenleaf could...

So, one more party before Kimmswick. Must figure out what I want to call...

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What to Call at Kimmswick

Martha asked "Is it generally okay to call slightly harder dances at Kimmswick?"

Sure, generally. But you might want to keep the following in mind:

• Is the dance hard but interesting? Or is it just hard? Why not pick one that's just interesting?
• Keep in mind the temperature, time of night, night of the weekend, etc. At a certain point, even the most hotshot dancer gets brain dead and can use a break.
• Did the caller before you struggle at all? Maybe you want to look good in contrast--go w/ a dance you know cold.
• If the band is particularly hot, why not let folks just enjoy moving to the music instead of racking their brains?
• A good general rule for most things in life is "Just because you can doesn't mean you have to."

That said, pick whatever you like. You'll be sure to learn something from the experience either way.

Calling at Kimmswick

Different dance weekends do things differently, but here's how I've coordinated the Kimmswick calling in the past. Please note that I took over the caller coordinating from someone who used to write the available time slots on a sheet of paper, fill his name in at the peak spot, and then hang it up on the wall for anyone to sign up. So I've tended to manage things a little more closely. Not saying it's better.

• I look at the list of attendees for callers I know, ask around for new callers, and then generate a list each night.
• I keep a lot of factors in mind: reputation, parents who need to put toddlers to bed, squares or contras, old-time or other, etc. Callers who are prone to being dance-killers (the ones where people will decide just to go off to bed rather than suffer through interminable walk-thrus) never ever get to go late at night.
• I never ask callers what exact dances they want to do, but I do know who likes to call squares and try not to put them back to back w/others who like to do squares. That way, a caller could do 2 squares if he or she wants to & not have to worry about the next caller wanting to do the same thing.
• I also "program" only to the extent that I like to slot in at least 3 of the more dynamic callers in a clump near to the peak of the evening.
• I will often go first as I know it's not a favorite slot, but if someone is willing to go early or very late, I'll make it up to him/her the next night. As we get older, it's getting harder to find late-night callers.

How can you get to call? You can let me know here that you're interested, look for me at the event, or send me an email. I will just keep your name in mind until I set up the schedule on the first evening.

Slots are on a half-hour basis and you should be able to get 2 dances done during that time. Generally speaking, it's bad form to go over time. If we start late, the breaks go long b/c of some variety show, another caller takes a year and a day, or whatever, I may ask you to really focus on making up some time. If so, keep it short, keep it simple. Doing so is a service to the community, not some personal affront on my part.

Some other things:

• If you're not feeling up to doing 2 dances, that's totally fine & I appreciate your honesty and effort. You can split with any other caller of your choosing.
• There will be a lot of great bands there, so generally speaking, please don't insist that I put you with a certain band. If there is one you like particularly, feel free to let me know, but it may not be possible to work it out. Trust me, they're all good.
• Depending on how many callers are there, you may not get to go every evening (odds are good you will though).
• Being willing to go really early or really late get you bonus points, especially if you keep it relatively simple at the late ones. When I was learning to call, odd times were one of the many things that I did in the name of "paying my dues."
• If you decide to go to bed and are still on the list, please let me know.
• If you want feedback on your calling, I'd be happy to give it, but only if asked. Other callers, I'm sure, will also give you feedback if asked. I hope you take the opportunity to talk to many of the callers and bands that weekend.

Hope that helps answer some of your questions. If you have more, by all means, post them here.

edited to add: I've got to leave now to call a dance out of town, and will have sporadic email for the next few weeks. If I don't get back to you in the nanoseconds that the internet seems to demand, my apologies. I'll be catching up every few days.

The 100th Post - And welcome to new members!

I don't know if it's significant, but this is the 100th post on this blog (not counting comments).

Welcome to new members Reida and Bonnie!

There were eighteen (18!) folks at the Calling Party last night (May 7). We pulled out all the dances we'd been wanting to try, but which needed more than three couples or so. We did one that kind of turned into a double square, and a triple minor, and the Levi Jackson Rag, which needs exactly ten people, and Bob's XYZ, which becomes a lot easier when you don't have to deal with end effects as often. We also did Michael Fuerst's "Where's Alex", in which you do a hey with your home set, then a hey with a second set of new neighbors, a gypsy with yet a third new neighbor, then return to start the dance over with the second set of neighbors. Try that with just four couples! But with eight or nine couples, it's almost doable.

I need a bigger family room.

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Welcome Reida and Bonnie! (Wade and I are not the new guys anymore.)

Why Don't Contra Dancers Like English?

Having fallen in love with English Country Dancing in the last few years simply from playing the music, I now display some of the fanaticism of a convert, and long to find a way to explain to my fellow contra dancers why I think they would love it too.

So I've been reading.

And one of the things I read was this remarkable essay by Henry Morgenstein:

For a number of reasons many contra dancers do not like English Country Dances (ECD). The most common complaint is that ECD is too slow, too stately, and too often some dancers stand around while other dancers get to do all the moves. The complaint against ECD echoes the complaint against "proper" contras: they are not aerobic enough. There is too much standing around & waiting.

There are other reasons why contra dancers do not like English Country Dances. The Swing is the most popular move in Contra dancing and, with the rare exception of one or two dances, there are no swings in English Country Dances. Some English Country Dances are very complex and take a long time to teach. Contra dancers want a minimum of teaching, a maximum of dancing. For some Contra dancers, English Country Dances remind them of pompous nobility, a class system -- all that America is not. I have met dancers who say they can't stand the feelings ECD engenders in them.

Personally, I love the very different feel of English Country Dances. I, too, do not like the more complex English Country Dances. I like the simple flowing dances that do not take too long to teach. In some English Country Dance workshops, I have encountered the contra dancer's ultimate nightmare: 45 minutes of teaching, six minutes of dancing. But there is a beauty in English Country dances that is simply radically different from the beauty found in Contras. In addition, the music is sublime, and it is music that you will miss hearing if all you do is Contra dances.

One final word which is aimed primarily at American dancers. When we think of English Country Dances we are really thinking of one "sub-set" of such dances: Playford Dances, or dances that were popular hundreds of years ago. We think English Country Dance is a "dead" form, an ancient, irrelevant, stagnant form that was done in drawing rooms by genteel nobility and is simply being aped/revived in our time.

We know (or should know) that on any given night, nine out ten of the Contras we dance were written within the last twenty years. If you dance English Country Dances today in England, perhaps eight out ten of the dances were written within the last twenty or thirty years. English Country Dances are a living dance form in England. In England, Contras are merely one kind of English Country Dance. It is only in America that Contras are seen as a totally different kind of dance, one that is not anything like English Country Dances. As I explain in another essay, contras are simply one kind of English Country Dance.

Wow. I had no idea. I thought it was all re-enactment, all the time, and I still loved it. But this is great. If ECD is a living tradition in England, why not here too? Does anyone know of a source of "modern" English dances? Let's see, I've heard of Fried de Metz Herman (spelling?) and Colin Hume and Jenson, and I know that Jenny Beers wrote my favorite dance (okay, maybe it's just my favorite tune), Key to the Cellar. And Chrystal Galliacci. She's good. Anyone know any others?

I've been reading Mary Dart's book on the change in contradancing from the older, slower, less active form of seventy years ago to the "zesty" form we know now, and wonder if that's what happened in England to ECD. Is there a "zesty" English tradition in England now?

Edit added later: Here's a video that suggests that there is a very "zesty" tradition of ECD in England. This is the Newcastle English Country Dancers dancing Mage on a Cree to the tune of Lilibulero.

Edit added even later: Never mind. This is the zesty English tradition from Southern California.



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