What happens when the cubs don't think they're cubs any more, but are? I think that was possibly the problem that Lindsay brought up.
In other words, what is the proper way for the dance leadership to get callers to continue to practice and learn? I'm guessing the very best callers do that anyway, and the newish callers do it because they have to, but what can we do to get people who have become comfortable with their skill level but are not actually doing the kind of job we want, to get excited again about "continuous improvement"? M E On Thu, Dec 17, 2009 at 1:12 PM, Laur <[email protected]> wrote: > Keeping cubs together sharing an evening with each taking turns managing > the programing for an evening - less of an open mic and more of an > multi-caller event - helps on a number of levels. > > > Laurie > > > --- On Wed, 12/16/09, Lindsay Morris <[email protected]> wrote: > > > From: Lindsay Morris <[email protected]> > > Subject: Re: [Callers] Cub Callers > > To: "Caller's discussion list" <[email protected]> > > Date: Wednesday, December 16, 2009, 2:13 PM > > Could be that we just put the cubs > > into the rotation too early. > > Sad to trash the democratic freewheeling nature of some > > groups, but maybe we > > need a vetting committee - or some less formal bar to > > people getting up on > > stage. > > > > Lindsay Morris > > Principal > > TSMworks > > Tel. 1-859-539-9900 > > [email protected] > > > > > > On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 2:06 PM, Martha Edwards < > [email protected]>wrote: > > > > > How bad would it have been to have the board basically > > put its foot down > > > and, after one of the not-very-great evenings, suggest > > that the next time > > > that person is asked to call, they prepare just half a > > night, or a third of > > > a night? > > > > > > I'm curious - how did you "bring along" the new > > callers? Was there a > > > teacher/student relationship, or more of a > > peer-to-peer setup? I ask > > > because > > > we have a bunch of cubs - I'm one of them - and it's > > always been > > > peer-to-peer, with input from experienced callers only > > from time to time. > > > To > > > a certain extent, we critique each other. When one of > > us manages to screw > > > up, we have a friendly enough atmosphere at our > > Calling Parties that we can > > > admit it, figure out what to do better, and move on. > > We've been at it for > > > almost two years, and are only slowly moving into the > > rotation, mostly at > > > shared caller nights until someone is "ready", and > > even then, not as often > > > as the regular callers. > > > > > > So far, it seems to be working. I hope that we don't > > develop a situation > > > such as the one you described! We should remain on our > > toes, just in case. > > > > > > Interestingly, we previously had a couple of regular > > callers whose dances > > > broke down often enough that it was becoming > > noticeable, but after the cub > > > callers started calling, it happened less often! I'd > > like to think that the > > > improvement was less from the competition than from > > the fact that more > > > people were paying attention to the callers' art, and > > so what had become > > > somewhat routine took on renewed energy. > > > > > > M > > > E > > > > > > On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 9:48 AM, Lindsay Morris <[email protected] > > > >wrote: > > > > > > > Our dance group brought along a group of > > half-a-dozen "cub callers" a few > > > > years ago. > > > > > > > > It was a bad thing. > > > > > > > > After they got into the calling rotation at our > > weekly dance, they never > > > > wanted to get off, of course. > > > > Our really good callers got to call less often; > > the new callers only got > > > to > > > > call a dance once every 3 months, so they never > > got any better. The > > > dance > > > > was plagued with inexperienced and not-very-great > > calling for years. > > > > > > > > Sorry to offer problems without solutions, but > > this well-intentioned > > > > debacle > > > > has stayed on my mind. Seem like this is the > > place to share the > > > > "cub-callers" problem. > > > > > > > > > > > > Lindsay Morris > > > > Principal > > > > TSMworks > > > > Tel. 1-859-539-9900 > > > > [email protected] > > > > > > > > > > > > On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 10:42 AM, Delia Clark > > <[email protected] > > > > >wrote: > > > > > > > > > David, > > > > > Let's do one of these for VT/NH! > > Aren't you just the guy to organize > > > > it!! > > > > > ;-) OK, I would help -- how about you > > put me in charge of organizing > > > > > supplies for the schmoozing part! > > > > > Delia > > > > > > > > > > On Dec 15, 2009, at 9:25 PM, Katy Heine > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > Hi, David-- > > > > >> > > > > >> Ever since the "Ted's Triplets" marathon > > eight years ago, we in > > > Central > > > > >> New > > > > >> York have had an annual callers' > > gathering on different themes. These > > > > have > > > > >> been more an opportunity to share > > repertoire than for older, more > > > > >> experienced callers to mentor younger, > > less experienced callers--so > > > > really > > > > >> not a parallel to what you're talking > > about, but maybe of interest > > > > anyway. > > > > >> > > > > >> The topics over the years have included > > dances in unusual formations; > > > > >> "living room dances" (i.e., dances for > > small numbers of people); the > > > > Gene > > > > >> Hubert legacy; English for contra dance > > callers; and calling for > > > > community > > > > >> dances, weddings, and one-night-stands. > > The next one (March 6) will be > > > > >> "Zesty Contras," which will be dances > > from Larry Jennings' first book. > > > > >> (Many > > > > >> of us have the book on our shelves but > > have not actually mined it for > > > > the > > > > >> gems that assuredly lie within.) > > > > >> > > > > >> These annual workshops are a great > > opportunity for the community of > > > > >> regional > > > > >> callers to come together to schmooze, > > share, and enjoy each other's > > > > >> company. > > > > >> I strongly encourage callers everywhere > > to give it a try! > > > > >> > > > > >> --Katy Heine > > > > >> > > > > >> -----Original Message----- > > > > >> From: [email protected] > > > > >> [mailto:[email protected]] > > On Behalf Of David > > > Millstone > > > > >> Sent: Tuesday, December 15, 2009 6:48 > > PM > > > > >> To: [email protected] > > > > >> Subject: [Callers] Callers' workshop > > > > >> > > > > >> Dear fellow dance callers, > > > > >> > > > > >> I have an opportunity coming up next > > spring to lead a day-long > > > workshop > > > > >> for > > > > >> dance callers. It'll be a small group, > > perhaps 10-12 people, with a > > > > range > > > > >> of > > > > >> experience. Some will have had only 2-4 > > years of active calling while > > > > >> others > > > > >> may > > > > >> have had 20 years or more. These will be > > folks who are comfortable > > > with > > > > >> contras > > > > >> and with traditional squares. They will > > know each other already. > > > They're > > > > >> open to > > > > >> a wide variety of topics and teaching > > methods. > > > > >> > > > > >> I've been invited to address just about > > any topics that are near and > > > > dear > > > > >> to > > > > >> me, > > > > >> so I'm relishing this prospect. > > > > >> > > > > >> At the same time, I'd like not to spend > > an entire day on a soapbox. > > > With > > > > >> that in > > > > >> mind, I'm soliciting opinions from this > > group-- rather than, say, the > > > > >> trad.dance.callers listserv-- because > > this Shared Weight group > > > includes > > > > >> some > > > > >> callers on the less experienced end of > > the spectrum. > > > > >> > > > > >> So, what are topics that _you_ would > > like to see in a workshop? > > > Assuming > > > > >> that > > > > >> one already has the nuts and bolts of > > programming an evening, teaching > > > a > > > > >> dance, > > > > >> and delivering the calls in good > > fashion, what skills would be useful > > > to > > > > >> address? > > > > >> > > > > >> Thanks for sharing your thoughts. > > > > >> > > > > >> David Millstone > > > > >> Lebanon, NH > > > > >> > > _______________________________________________ > > > > >> Callers mailing list > > > > >> [email protected] > > > > >> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers > > > > >> > > > > >> > > > > >> > > _______________________________________________ > > > > >> Callers mailing list > > > > >> [email protected] > > > > >> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers > > > > >> > > > > > > > > > > > > <>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<> > > > > > > > > > > Delia Clark > > > > > PO Box 45 > > > > > Taftsville, VT 05073 > > > > > 802-457-2075 > > > > > [email protected] > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > Callers mailing list > > > > > [email protected] > > > > > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > Callers mailing list > > > > [email protected] > > > > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > > For the good are always the merry, > > > Save by an evil chance, > > > And the merry love the fiddle > > > And the merry love to dance. ~ William Butler Yeats > > > _______________________________________________ > > > Callers mailing list > > > [email protected] > > > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Callers mailing list > > [email protected] > > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > [email protected] > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers > -- For the good are always the merry, Save by an evil chance, And the merry love the fiddle And the merry love to dance. ~ William Butler Yeats
