Martha, that 'gigs from hell story' is hilarious...been there done that... with stoned rather than drunk folks. I wonder how Greg will subsume that under his "caller is always to blame' rubric.
--- On Thu, 4/15/10, Martha Wild <[email protected]> wrote: From: Martha Wild <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [Callers] Putting out fires To: [email protected] List-Post: [email protected] Date: Thursday, April 15, 2010, 12:32 AM To return to that responsibility issue - I didn't say the caller was to blame, you know. Taking responsibility is subtly different from being to blame. It is also the caller's responsibility to determine how much "chaos" can be tolerated in the dance. Sometimes you decide that even if the walkthrough isn't perfectly solid, the music will straighten things out and even if the first one or two times might be rocky, it will even out and will be worth getting the hall dancing. With experience it gets easier to decide when to make that call. In the situation with a huge hall and hundreds of dancers, even with good teaching and calling, a breakdown in a line where there is a sudden confluence of confused people may almost be certain to happen sometime in a night - the question then becomes whether consistent clear calling will allow the neighboring dancers to clear out the situation - and often it does. And occasionally in a huge hall, the decision has to be made that stopping the dance that is going gangbusters for 90% of the people, with great energy and great music, and has ground to a halt for 10%, is no longer a good idea. With luck, in a huge hall, some of the "defunct" dancers can run to the end of a working line and get going again. Now drunken dancers - that's actually more the managers' responsibility, though a caller may want to alert the managers if they are unawares. As a manager once I did have to ask a drunken dancer to "please sit out for a while until you're feeling better", whereupon he left, which was fine with everyone. That rarely happens here, thankfully. I did do a gig from hell where I was hired to call a contra for an American Airlines sales convention. It was in a large outdoor tent where they had various "fun" activities for the attendees, including a rock wall to climb, some county fair arcade type games, loads of alcohol, and, because one of their associates had suggested it, contra-dancing. Or at least that's what it was supposed to be. They put down a small parquet floor about 9 by 9 foot wide - I begged the people putting it up to add some extra panels, so it ended up 12 by 12. Aside from that the surface was just hard-packed dirt or grass. Had a nice old-timey band of my friends playing. People enjoyed the music and that brought them over to the "dance floor". But they kept getting drunker as the night went on. I would teach some simple dance, often a square (which fit best on the floor) and start it going, and suddenly a few more inebriated people would wander into it and start dancing, grabbing the other people and swinging them around, and I'd just have to make stuff up to try to accommodate everyone on the fly. It was sort of like the never-ending running set. Or maybe the never-ending stumbling set. Gave new meaning to the term "reel". In retrospect they all seemed to be having a good time, but I was just trying to keep people from hurling each other off the floor (or onto it) or smashing into other dancers in their drunken exuberance. The bartenders nearby came over at the end and told us how much they enjoyed the music, which was nice of them. It was a funny gig - I had gotten a call from a woman who said they wanted to hire a caller and some musicians for this event, but they couldn't pay more than $700, take it or leave it. So we took it, and I certainly earned my keep on that one. Can't say that I felt I was to blame for any of it - but I did continue to be responsible for trying to call some semblance of a dance. Martha On Apr 14, 2010, at 8:57 AM, [email protected] wrote: > Send Callers mailing list submissions to > [email protected] > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > [email protected] > > You can reach the person managing the list at > [email protected] > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Callers digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Re: Putting Out Fires (Dan Pearl) > 2. Re: Putting Out Fires (Leda Shapiro) > 3. Re: Not always the caller's fault! (J L Korr) > 4. Re: Not always the caller's fault! (Chris Weiler (home)) > 5. New Dance (Rich Goss) > 6. sometimes not the caller's fault! (Lewis Land) > 7. Re: sometimes not the caller's fault! (Greg McKenzie) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 20:04:18 -0700 (PDT) > From: Dan Pearl <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [Callers] Putting Out Fires > Message-ID: <[email protected]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii > > Until very recently, I thought "it is always the caller's fault". The problem > with absolutes like "always" is that a counterexample jumps up and hits you > in the face. > > I like (and use) the tactics for putting out fires that others recommended: > Beef up the calling (earlier, more directional, more complete), NOT calling > to the late group, etc. Not mentioned here yet is the old "manual > intervention". I use a wireless mic, and that allows me to move around, > hopefully addressing issues before they erupt in flames, but also providing > an in-your-face hard-to-ignore knowledgeable guide post. > > If you ever read Asimov's Foundation Trilogy, you'll remember that the > science of psychohistory which allowed practitioners to essentially predict > the future of civilizations was compromised by a random mutation ("The > Mule"). I was thinking of that a few Saturdays ago when I was calling for a > challenging dance. I don't mean challenging to the dancers: I mean > challenging to me to call! It was a regular dance series, and the "regulars" > weren't there, and there were lots of new dancers. That's OK with me; I do > that all the time. I found myself presenting pretty easy stuff, and > astonishingly, I needed to make it easier as the evening went on. I was > running out of easier-than-dead-easy material. That's also OK -- I know how > to write dances on the fly. What I was not prepared for was a concentration > of dancers that needed special handling. > > One dancer, an older fellow who had been dancing for some time, was literally > moving in slow motion, and in a time delay so that the people around him were > sucked into his rift in the time-space continuum. Another dancer, a newcomer > who seemed to "get it" initially, began careening in random directions at > high speed, with a great big smile on her face. Another new gentleman, also > after seemingly "getting it", started to regress to periods of non-movement. > I moved right next to him and said "right hand star", putting my own hand out > to model the action. He just stood there and repeated "right hand star". > > This made me think about, and question, the assumption that the caller is > always at fault. Perhaps that is a fine mental state to be in (that is, not > blaming the dancers), but you know, the conduct of the evening is not, and > cannot be entirely one person's responsibility. A dance is like a machine > with many moving parts, and they need to be functioning in expected ways for > a smooth experience. Mistakes? They are part of what the machine does. I > have more trouble when communication that has worked before begins to fail, > when lessons learned are forgotten, and when other unexpected behaviors arise. > > So this was one of the least fun, least rewarding gigs in my 30 years of > calling. I chalk it up to an unfortunate confluence of factors likely not to > be repeated for another 30 years. > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 20:36:55 -0700 > From: "Leda Shapiro" <[email protected]> > To: "'Caller's discussion list'" <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [Callers] Putting Out Fires > Message-ID: <F067F11434C849D4A789A63A630B55EA@LEDAXP> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > > Thank you for reminding us that we, after all, are human...and sometimes > those there does seem to be a random mutation in one evening...and yes, > have read Asimov's Trilogy -in fact I read all three more than once. > > Thankfully there are all those other nights to remember! > > One every 30 years ain't bad.. > Leda > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Dan Pearl > Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 8:04 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [Callers] Putting Out Fires > > If you ever read Asimov's Foundation Trilogy, you'll remember that the > science of psychohistory which allowed practitioners to essentially predict > the future of civilizations was compromised by a random mutation ("The > Mule"). I was thinking of that a few Saturdays ago when I was calling for a > challenging dance. I don't mean challenging to the dancers: I mean > challenging to me to call! It was a regular dance series, and the > "regulars" weren't there, and there were lots of new dancers. That's OK > with me; I do that all the time. I found myself presenting pretty easy > stuff, and astonishingly, I needed to make it easier as the evening went on. > I was running out of easier-than-dead-easy material. That's also OK -- I > know how to write dances on the fly. What I was not prepared for was a > concentration of dancers that needed special handling. > > One dancer, an older fellow who had been dancing for some time, was > literally moving in slow motion, and in a time delay so that the people > around him were sucked into his rift in the time-space continuum. Another > dancer, a newcomer who seemed to "get it" initially, began careening in > random directions at high speed, with a great big smile on her face. > Another new gentleman, also after seemingly "getting it", started to regress > to periods of non-movement. I moved right next to him and said "right hand > star", putting my own hand out to model the action. He just stood there and > repeated "right hand star". > > This made me think about, and question, the assumption that the caller is > always at fault. Perhaps that is a fine mental state to be in (that is, not > blaming the dancers), but you know, the conduct of the evening is not, and > cannot be entirely one person's responsibility. A dance is like a machine > with many moving parts, and they need to be functioning in expected ways for > a smooth experience. Mistakes? They are part of what the machine does. I > have more trouble when communication that has worked before begins to fail, > when lessons learned are forgotten, and when other unexpected behaviors > arise. > > So this was one of the least fun, least rewarding gigs in my 30 years of > calling. I chalk it up to an unfortunate confluence of factors likely not to > be repeated for another 30 years. > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > [email protected] > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 3 > Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 01:46:14 -0400 > From: J L Korr <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [Callers] Not always the caller's fault! > Message-ID: <[email protected]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > > Sorry, folks, but this conversation is pushing a personal button about not > using words like "always" and "never" unless it's truly so. I completely > agree with Greg, Martha, and others that in general, the caller does and > should bear responsibility for problems on the dance floor. But I can't agree > that this is always the case. Consider these two scenarios, among others: > > 1) In a large dance hall at a festival with 500 dancers, one of ten contra > lines begins to break down when pairs of less experienced dancers happen to > meet simultaneously in three different minor sets and become confused. The > rest of the hall is fine. The caller can't intervene personally by, for > example, running out on the floor. > > 2) During the 12:15 am - 2:00 am set at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, again > with hundreds of dancers, the caller calls a relatively easy dance requiring > little thought. Some dancers, who are in a range of mental states from > alcohol, etc., have trouble staying oriented and coordinated, causing > recurring problems in their sets. > > I'd argue that in these contexts, though the dance floor itself is > experiencing a breakdown, the caller hasn't done anything wrong, nor does > s/he have the responsibility of fixing the problem. In the first scenario, > the caller must select dances for and call to the broadest possible swath of > dancers among those present, recognizing that some minor problems are > inevitable. In the second scenario, the inebriated dancers are entitled to > participate in the dance at that venue, and there's little the caller can do > to improve their mental coordination. > > So I'd say the caller almost always has responsibility for problems that > occur in the hall, but in certain scenarios does not, or at least has limited > responsibility relative to most situations. --Jeremy > >> From: Martha Wild <[email protected]> > >> Oh, yes, and it's always the caller's responsibility. > >>> From: Greg McKenzie <[email protected]> > >>> There are never fires in the hall--only in your own mind. If there >>> is trouble anywhere in the hall it is because you have screwed >>> up...somewhere. <snip> The caller should take full responsibility for >>> the gaff. > > > _________________________________________________________________ > The New Busy is not the old busy. Search, chat and e-mail from your inbox. > http://www.windowslive.com/campaign/thenewbusy?ocid=PID28326::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WM_HMP:042010_3 > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 4 > Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 06:31:29 -0400 > From: "Chris Weiler (home)" <[email protected]> > To: Caller's discussion list <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [Callers] Not always the caller's fault! > Message-ID: <[email protected]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed > > I think there needs to be a distinction between what is really happening > in the hall and the stance that we take from the microphone. There are > hundreds of variables that are all outside of our control at a dance. We > pretend to have control, but all we can do is influence. It is our > responsibility to use that influence to try and help everyone have a lot > of fun. But you're not going to be able to stop some problems from > happening. > > That said, there is a lot of power in taking responsibility from the > microphone for problems, even when it's not your fault. Some have been > listed here already. It puts people at ease. They can relax and enjoy > the next dance without being overly focused on what went wrong. It > reinforces your authority when lines falling apart are creating a > feeling of chaos. And sometimes, it really is your fault. ;) > > I had this happen at a recent dance. I called a very simple dance, but > it is constructed symmetrically, so sometimes it can be difficult to > know if you're in the As or the Bs. The second time through the dance, I > called "neighbor" instead of "partner" and half the hall believed me and > the other half didn't. Everyone was in a different place very quickly. > After seeing that I couldn't get everyone back to the same place to > recover after a couple of attempts, I stopped the music and immediately > announced "Sorry, folks, my fault completely. Let's try this again." The > crowd erupted in applause! They lined up and we started again without > any further trouble. People respond to humility and to people who take > responsibility for their actions. It humanizes you in their eyes and > they'll cut you a lot of slack for it. > > Chris Weiler > Goffstown, NH > > > J L Korr wrote: >> Sorry, folks, but this conversation is pushing a personal button about not >> using words like "always" and "never" unless it's truly so. I completely >> agree with Greg, Martha, and others that in general, the caller does and >> should bear responsibility for problems on the dance floor. But I can't >> agree that this is always the case. Consider these two scenarios, among >> others: >> >> 1) In a large dance hall at a festival with 500 dancers, one of ten contra >> lines begins to break down when pairs of less experienced dancers happen to >> meet simultaneously in three different minor sets and become confused. The >> rest of the hall is fine. The caller can't intervene personally by, for >> example, running out on the floor. >> >> 2) During the 12:15 am - 2:00 am set at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, >> again with hundreds of dancers, the caller calls a relatively easy dance >> requiring little thought. Some dancers, who are in a range of mental states >> from alcohol, etc., have trouble staying oriented and coordinated, causing >> recurring problems in their sets. >> >> I'd argue that in these contexts, though the dance floor itself is >> experiencing a breakdown, the caller hasn't done anything wrong, nor does >> s/he have the responsibility of fixing the problem. In the first scenario, >> the caller must select dances for and call to the broadest possible swath of >> dancers among those present, recognizing that some minor problems are >> inevitable. In the second scenario, the inebriated dancers are entitled to >> participate in the dance at that venue, and there's little the caller can do >> to improve their mental coordination. >> >> So I'd say the caller almost always has responsibility for problems that >> occur in the hall, but in certain scenarios does not, or at least has >> limited responsibility relative to most situations. --Jeremy >> >> >>> From: Martha Wild <[email protected]> >>> >> >> >>> Oh, yes, and it's always the caller's responsibility. >>> >> >> >>>> From: Greg McKenzie <[email protected]> >>>> >> >> >>>> There are never fires in the hall--only in your own mind. If there >>>> is trouble anywhere in the hall it is because you have screwed >>>> up...somewhere. <snip> The caller should take full responsibility for >>>> the gaff. >>>> >> >> >> _________________________________________________________________ >> The New Busy is not the old busy. Search, chat and e-mail from your inbox. >> http://www.windowslive.com/campaign/thenewbusy?ocid=PID28326::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WM_HMP:042010_3 >> _______________________________________________ >> Callers mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers >> > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 5 > Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 07:15:21 -0700 > From: Rich Goss <[email protected]> > To: Shared Weight <[email protected]> > Subject: [Callers] New Dance > Message-ID: <c7eb1c09.8c6e%[email protected]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" > > Wrote this dance recently in honor of one of our dancers who recently passed > away, Betty Stewart. Has this one already been written? > > Betty?s Night Out ? Rich Goss > Improper, Double Prog > > A1: Neighbor Dosido and Swing (end facing down hall) > A2: Down hall 4-in-line, turn as couples; Return, face across > B1: 1/2 Hey, Gents Ricochet Back (Ladies cross rt sh) > Partner swing > B2: Circle Left 3/4 > As Couples, zig left, zag right, zig left > > > Rich, Portland Or > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 6 > Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 08:15:03 -0600 > From: Lewis Land <[email protected]> > To: Caller's discussion list <[email protected]> > Cc: J L Korr <[email protected]> > Subject: [Callers] sometimes not the caller's fault! > Message-ID: <[email protected]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed > > Regarding J L Korr's message observing that it's not always the caller's > fault, he is completely correct. The point Greg and I were trying to > make is that the caller is sort of like the conductor in an orchestra, > the person who is ultimately responsible for making everything go > smoothly and happen on time. > > Things don't always go smoothly, of course. Where I call we often have a > group consisting of more than 50% newcomers, and when I tell them that > any mistakes in the dance are always the caller's fault, it's my way of > putting the newcomers at ease and making them feel welcome. Some people > that show up have never done any kind of dancing before, in their entire > lives (these are usually guys), and the prospect of community dancing > can be quite intimidating. Based on my own experience when I first > started contra dancing, I try to make it clear to the novices that we're > a very non-judgmental group, so even the most catastrophic missteps on > their part are ultimately my responsibility. > > That said, at almost every dance I've called I have found myself rolling > my eyes at the sight of, for example, some dancer who has been showing > up regularly for /years/, and still has no sense of timing (again, > usually a guy), or the group of young, inexperienced dancers who insist > on dancing exclusively with each other, disrupting the entire line > because they seem to think contra is somewhat like break dancing. There > are plenty of times when incompetent dancers screw things up, and during > post-dance conversations with our other caller I will rant about them > unmercifully. But at the dance the best thing I can do is try to project > an air of confidence and let people know everything's going to be fine, > and fun. It's very similar to the attitude I tried to project when I was > raising teenage children. > > One final comment: I sometimes find myself dancing in a venue where the > caller is very experienced and is obviously experimenting with new and > challenging dances, at a level that is clearly incompatible with the > experience level of most of the dancers in the hall. I think this is > very self-indulgent. We all need to grow as callers, but the best > callers can gauge the experience level of the group and call > appropriately. Some of my best calling experiences have involved calling > a dance that I've labeled "painfully easy", and afterward having a new > dancer come up to thank me for my calling and tell me what a wonderful > time they've had. That's really what it's all about. -Lewis Land > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 7 > Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 08:57:15 -0700 > From: Greg McKenzie <[email protected]> > To: Caller's discussion list <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [Callers] sometimes not the caller's fault! > Message-ID: <[email protected]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; format=flowed > > > Thanks to all who spoke up, for bringing this > issue into more clarity. ?It?s always the > caller?s fault,? is a clever line that is often > misunderstood. Too many callers see it as a > throw-away gesture that has a laudable sentiment, but no real substance. > > It might be more accurate, and more useful to > say: ?The caller always takes full responsibility > for anything that happens in the hall.? > > This posture is one with a history that grows out > of the caller?s role as the master of > ceremonies. MCs have always understood the need > for taking responsibility as part of their task > of holding the attention of the hall. This is > how they maintain their position of > leadership. It was with the development of > amplified public address systems that this > responsibility became much more salient and much > more necessary. When speaking with a microphone > the emcee has the awesome power of projecting > their thoughts into the minds of all present, > with little effort. This ability comes with a > great responsibility of leadership, and > professional emcees have learned that their role > is to always speak on behalf of the interests of > everyone in the hall. That means taking full > responsibility for anything that goes wrong. > > How can the caller take responsibility for > everything that happens? If the toilet in the > ladies bathroom backs up, is it the caller?s fault? > > Actually, it is. More to the point, it is the > caller?s responsibility, as a leader, to deal > with the situation. Here is one possible example: > > ?Ladies and gentlemen: Please accept my sincere > apologies. I have been informed that there is a > serious problem with the plumbing in the ladies > bathroom. I am sorry about this inconvenience > and ask for your gracious cooperation. The > ladies bathroom will be closed for the rest of > this evening. Julie, our wonderful dance > manager, has made a sign with both a ?Men?s? and > a ?Ladies? side which will be hung on the working > bathroom. Julie will take responsibility for > switching the sign during each dance. We ask > that you use this bathroom only when it is > labeled for your gender. Once again, I am sorry > about this inconvenience. We all appreciate your > cooperation and consideration in dealing with > this problem. Now, please take hands in groups > of four from the top of the hall.? > > This announcement could, of course, be made by > the dance manager or some other responsible > party. The caller, however, should apologize, in > any case, for the disruption of the dance > program. In the absence of anyone else stepping > forward it is the caller?s responsibility to > address the problem. The point is to put the > dancers at ease so that they can do their job of > enjoying a wonderful evening of social dance with live music. > > Someone brought up the issue of dancers who fail > to integrate into the community and form clumps > of newcomers. Is this the caller?s fault? Yes > it is. The tradition of contra dance includes > learning at a regular dance rather than in > separate lessons. Consequently, integrating > newcomers into the community is the caller?s > responsibility and is one of the most essential > core skills that define an excellent contra dance > caller. Clumps of newcomers in the hall are a > clear symptom of poor calling. Sorry. It?s one > of your primary responsibilities. (Note that if > we relinquish this responsibility it eliminates > any discussion of how the caller can integrate > newcomers, something that really should be addressed.) > > There have been some good points made in this > thread. In the final analysis, however, the idea > of the caller taking total responsibility is an > inescapable position. While it may be true that > the caller is not omnipotent I would submit the > following points about the caller?s responsibility for the hall:: > > * This is not a statement of fact. It is a > statement of policy which defines the professional role of a caller. > > * Any alternative policy offers no possible > action that the caller can take to ?put out > fires? or improve the situation. Other positions > offer only excuses for the caller to relinquish leadership. > > * By accepting this policy the caller can > provide both leadership and a positive example > for others. If the caller makes excuses others will follow that example. > > If there is any core principle to calling > effectively and with professionalism, this is > it. If the caller is not willing to take > responsibility for everything that happens in the > hall they are simply not doing their job. If > there is a problem with the evening?whether it be > disruptive dancers, a band that plays > inappropriate tunes, or ?incompetent dancers,??an > excellent caller will always ask: ?What could I > do differently next time to better address this > problem?? Without taking full responsibility the > caller will not have the motivation to > improve. There are always excuses to employ. A > professional caller does not make excuses. Most > importantly, this action sets an example for everyone. > > Calling is a role of leadership. If the > caller?who has a PA system?is not willing to take > responsibility, why should anyone else? > > Greg McKenzie > > > > ------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > [email protected] > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers > > > End of Callers Digest, Vol 68, Issue 12 > *************************************** _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list [email protected] http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
