In a small dance I called recently, an enthusiastic but inexperienced
group of young people almost always lined up in a foursome together. There
it worked to walk the contra dances through twice, then start the dance from
the progressed positions where the foursome was not with each other. Some
communities wouldn't like this, but there I think everyone was also happy
with the suggestion they take whoever they ended up with after a mixer for
the next dance; also, they were happy with a few mixers in various
formations.
Another idea I often use when I teach the workshop is to make the last
dance they learn in the workshop the first dance of the evening, often Becky
Hill's Simplicity Swing or a variation of it with a hey at the end instead
of a star and do-si-do. (Is there a name and author for that dance? Surely
I didn't make that one up?) That way, the new dancers who attended the
workshop already know the dance and it's the experienced dancers who need
the walkthrough.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jerome Grisanti" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, January 26, 2009 1:25 PM
Subject: [Callers] Spreading out the "Inexperience"
I recently had the following exchange on a different list with Michael
Shapiro (guitarist with U4):
Michael wrote:
U4 just played the SwingShift weekend in Lexington/Berea. The caller
was
Barbara Groh. She did something that I think most callers should do, but I
haven't seen before. After the sets were formed and people had done the
hand
four, she then broke up the beginners sets that had formed at the end of
the
lines. She asked then to move forward and intersperse themselves with the
more advanced dancers (so that they were more toward the beggining of the
line and the foursomes were not all beginners).
She was also good at letting the music be heard ...
I wrote:
Regarding the caller asking sets to reform in order to spread the less
experienced dancers throughout the hall, much tact is required. Generally,
callers strive to avoid calling attention to particular dancers other than
when asking people to watch a demonstration, but asking people to change
sets can have the effect of making them feel like there is attention on
them. In addition, newish dancers want to dance with people they know,
even
if those friends may also be newish dancers.
Speaking to the entire crowd, I do encourage experienced dancers to
share
their experience by asking someone they've never met to dance at least
once
in the evening, and praise the community for being so welcoming to
newcomer
dancers. So while I might be thinking "let's break up this clump of
confusion," it would not be good to say something that draws attention to
"you people right here."
I have asked, off mic, for a set of experienced dancers to offer to
repartner with a set of inexperienced dancers down the line.
To this list, I ask:
I'd be interested in the wording that Barbara Groh used (which I'm
assuming
was quite gentle). I'm also guessing other callers on this list have
developed tactful ways to address this issue.
Thanks,
Jerome
--
Jerome Grisanti
660-528-0858
http://www.jeromegrisanti.com
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