Contact David directly if you are interested.
Begin forwarded message:
From: [email protected] (David Millstone)
Date: April 28, 2005 7:19:30 PM EDT
To: (Recipient list suppressed)
Subject: Wanted! New callers!
Reply-To: [email protected]
Calling all potential callers!
I'm looking at the possibility of starting up a class in the fall for
people who
would like to learn to call traditional American dance-- contras,
squares, and
other related dances. Your interest might be in calling at a regular
dance
series with experienced dancers, or you might be inclined toward the
repertoire
of dances that are useful for working with children, family groups,
and other
less-experienced dancers.
I have a calling apprentice at the moment, with funding provided
through the
Vermont Folklife Center, and that's been a good one-on-one
arrangement. One
difficulty, though, has been that it's hard to practice in the absence
of
dancers; this is especially true when trying to teach a dance, which
in many
cases is harder than the actual calling. This next time around, I'm
thinking
that having a small group (eight people would be ideal) might work
well.
I'm open to working with all ages, and I'm especially hopeful that
some of our
younger dancers might take a step toward becoming callers. We do have
some good
younger musicians in the area and it's fun to contemplate a new
generation
inheriting our thriving dance scene.
So, would you like to learn how to be the person on the other side of
the
microphone?
I'm imagining a regular series of meetings, once or twice a month,
starting in
the fall of 2005 and running through spring of 2006. We'd meet as a
group and
participants would have opportunities to practice on each other and to
offer
support and encouragement. I'll share my thoughts as well, will direct
you to
helpful resources, and will offer specific suggestions as well. I'd
hope that
the members of the group could call at area dances. I know I'd be
happy to have
a "new caller" slot at our monthly Northern Spy dances.
Before putting more effort into planning this project, however, it'll
be helpful
to know if there are enough possible participants. Please let me know
sometime
in the next week or two if this is something you might enjoy doing.
Once I have
a list of interested folks, we can talk more and figure out the details
together. You can phone me at 603-448-29050 or simply reply to this
e-mail.
Looking forward to working with some of you!
David Millstone
