Noah, good for you for calling a dance for some high schoolers! School groups, properly approached, can be loads of fun.
Absolutely you do not want to spend a lot of time instructing. Get them moving immediately with a very simple circle dance, maybe progress to a Sicilian circle, choose other material after that according to how they are doing. Many high school groups can certainly handle simple contra dances. Others not so much. You need to be flexible. Most people who ask for "contra dance" really just mean "traditional dance," and won't care whether you do actual contras or not. If the organizers did ask for 'contras' specifically, then I suggest talking about it with them in advance and see if they really do expect that, and why. Ultimately it's up to you to provide a program that is fun and appropriate for the crowd in front of you. The dancers won't care as long as they are having fun. High schoolers are at the age where they can start to appreciate the flirty aspects of the dance. You might toss in a carefully worded comment about how traditional dance provided a place where the sexes could exchange some words (briefly) while not within earshot of a chaperone. It'll get some smiles and giggles, and get the kids into their roles in the activity. You will also need to adjust both your expectations and possibly the teachers' concerning what you may see on the dance floor. It won't look as sharp as a regular public series. That's okay. The teachers -- who don't understand the real purpose of a walkthrough -- may be concerned that not everybody seems to "understand" before the music starts. That's okay too. Focus on the smiles and the laughter and be thankful you've had this great opportunity to share the dance we love with the next generation. Jon Southard Santa Barbara, CA www.jonsouthard.com -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Grunzweig, Noah C. Sent: Friday, May 21, 2010 7:34 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [Callers] Concerns calling for total beginners in highschool [bcc][faked-from] So, i hope this is being sent to the appropriate network. I was asked recently to call a contra dance for a highschool class of about 30-40 students. I would like to reach out for advice on working with not only youth, but total groups of non-dancers. in my experience, youth picks up rather quickly, but the last time i worked with a summer camp i spent waaay to much time instructing, so i wanted to see if i could get some pointers. any dance selections that you folks have found particularly friendly? the dance will only be one hour and i was asked to do contra dances. i am, at this point, planning on circle dances or mixers and a whole set dance like VA Reel; though, i would like to do a contra. dog branch reel or a dance where there is little or no crossing the set and pleanty of forgiving moments should there be confusion (which obviously should be mediated in the walkthru/lesson). so, that is where i am. any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciate. peace. Noah Grunzweig _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list [email protected] http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
