True, dat... Lindsay Morris Principal TSMworks Tel. 1-859-539-9900 [email protected]
On Mon, Dec 21, 2009 at 12:29 PM, Greg McKenzie <[email protected]>wrote: > > Lewis wrote: > >> So the moral of the story is, organizers can also err on the side of being >> too cautious about getting new callers in front of a mic. Sure, you can >> hold discussions about calling, think about calling, practice calling, dream >> about calling -- but the only way to learn is to get up there and do it. >> Over and over and over. >> > > There is some truth to this. There is nothing like the experience of a > full night of calling to a crowd with vastly different experience levels. > On the other hand it is certainly not "the only way to learn...." Dancing > to callers--both good and poor--is invaluable. Also sitting out and > observing both the dancers and the caller, very carefully, can bring many > insights about what excellent callers are doing and where poor callers > should make changes. Reading books--when combined with the above--can also > be very helpful. > > Personally, I do not consider a caller's "experience level" to be a primary > factor when I consider if I should drive through a stormy night to attend a > dance. New callers have some key advantages over many of the old stagers. > For one, new callers are less likely to be so full of themselves that they > expect the entire hall to hang on their every word. And some of these > "walking dance encyclopedias" have many, many words. > > The older veterans also seem to gain so much confidence that they sometimes > begin dropping some of the basics techniques of contra dance calling, such > as using effective word order in their prompts. I have attended dances with > nationally known callers, of vast experience, who have had a terrible time > integrating newcomers into the dance community. Some of this may come from > having the leisure to drop effective calling techniques when calling at > dance camps, festivals, and other events where few newcomers attend. > > I enjoy dancing to new callers. They are often much more intent upon doing > a good job and they pay attention. They are also more in tune with the > experience of newcomers...since they were there themselves more recently. > > The real factor I look at is the caller's concept of what their main job > is. Some callers call to teach. Some call to learn. Some call to be in > control. Some call to be seen and to be heard. Some call to be a leader. > And some call to facilitate a joyful social event with wonderful live music > and a crowd of pleasant, kind, and gracious people. > > The caller's intention is, in most cases, more important than their years > of experience behind the microphone. > > Just a thought. > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > [email protected] > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers >
