We tried to meet monthly, use it as a place for our "mentors" or the schooled callers to experiment with new things and lend the newer callers their practiced feedback, and for others at different levels to learn and practice and get and give feedback. It was great for two years. It inspired them, it helped us, we all helped one another. But then time and life happened and the group broke down. We all miss it, the community and sharing of it, whatever our level.
But yes, I see what you mean Martha, and agree. I'm trying to remember our process. We had a lot of dancer feedback; interesting, as it appears they claimed some of us as "their own" and were pretty free with dispensing tidbits of disfavor or encouragement. And we were pretty open, and honest, with one another. But there was a lot of internal things going on in this discovery process. Lp --- On Thu, 12/17/09, Martha Edwards <[email protected]> wrote: > From: Martha Edwards <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [Callers] Cub Callers > To: "Caller's discussion list" <[email protected]> > Date: Thursday, December 17, 2009, 6:57 PM > 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 > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > [email protected] > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers >
