I'm surprised people feel obligated (or even want) to dance 30 minutes in the same line with the same partner. A few years ago Cleveland did a 3-hour medley dance. People danced for however long they wanted, then found a new partner or sat out once they got to the end of a line, switching around just like a regular contra evening. Of course I wouldn't expect people to keep a partner for that 3-hour dance, but there's no reason it couldn't work the same way for, say, an hour-long medley. Perhaps longer medleys would be fine, as long as dancers understood they were encouraged to change partners throughout. I suppose the lines would have to be short enough so that dancers reached an end often enough. At that dance, the bands switched out too, so there was no problem with the musicians getting tired. -David Giusti
----- Original Message ----- From: Beth Parkes <[email protected]> List-Post: [email protected] Date: Thursday, May 1, 2008 4:50 pm Subject: Re: [Callers] Calling contra medleys To: 'Caller's discussion list' <[email protected]> > Just about my favorite story of this past NEFFA weekend was someone > (whoshall remain unnamed, but is a member of this list <G>) who was > at the NEFFA > annual meeting Sunday morning on her cell phone saying "Yeah, he > called me > at midnight last night to say he wasn't going to dance the medley > with me > after all. So now I need to find a medley partner." (Or that is how I > remember it. I'm sure it's not a direct quote, but a paraphrase > through my > own brain.) > > I call medleys frequently and break several of the previously > mentionedrequirements: > > I don't warn the dancers. > I call my medley as the last dance of the evening. > I call dances that all begin the same way (usually neighbor balance > andswing). > I call dance medleys even if there are still beginners in the line - > the new > folks who are still there for the last dance have usually gotten > contradancing well enough to be no more confused in a medley than > they are in all > the other dances. > > I use the most basic glossary dances for my medleys. One of my most > common:Lady of the Lake > Woods Hole Jig (or what I call "Woods Hole Reel - which replaces > the last B > with long lines forward and back, ones swing) > Forgotten Treasure > Hey Fever > > I can get even more basic and do > Lady of the Lake > Lady Walpole's Reel > Woods Hole > Forgotten Treasure > > These are almost the same dance in different orders. In other > words, dances > I wouldn't usually use as a stand-alone because they might be just > too plain > for a crowd of regular Scout House dancers. > > My closing medleys are usually 4 dances 4 or 6 times through (six > if the > dancers are having trouble, four if not.) The last dance is, of > course, 5 > times. > > I know my band well and I call the tune changes. If I am working > with a band > I don't regularly work with, I will talk to them about it and forgo > thewhole thing if it sounds like the hot ending is important to > them. > > I sometimes don't worry about tune change matching dance change. > > If I have any doubt about getting all of the dancers through it > successfully(say, I have one or two "riderless horses") I will not > do the medley. > > HTH, > Beth > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > [email protected] > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers >
