I completely agree with Greg McKenzie about volume control. It's
sometimes tempting to raise the volume of your calling when you see a
couple or small group on the floor that are totally not getting it. The
temptation is to raise your voice in hopes that they will hear you,
which usually doesn't seem to help very much. Ultimately what it takes
is for the clueless couple to migrate farther down the line to a section
where there are more experienced dancers who can help them out.
My problems with volume control usually arise when I'm working in a
venue with an inadequate sound system, and I'm forced to raise my voice
to be heard. I end up feeling pretty hoarse and gulping water by the end
of a single dance. By contrast, I had the pleasant experience a few
weeks ago of calling at a dance with an excellent sound system, which
allowed me to speak into the mike at a conversational level. After a few
minutes I could reduce my calling almost to a whisper as the dancers
started getting the hang of things.
Nevertheless, it's hard for me to imagine operating without a mike
during the newcomers instruction. Where I usually call, the band is
warming up, tuning up, and doing sound check while I'm instructing the
novices. If I have a *very* small group (2 or 3 couples) I will take
them aside and instruct without a mike. But it's more common for me to
have over a dozen couples who have *never* danced before, and I simply
can't communicate with them without electronic assistance. On those
occasions when I've tried (because the sound system wasn't set up yet) I
will invariably see newcomers at the end of the line cupping their hands
around their ears, trying to hear my instruction.
I always enjoy reading Greg McKenzie's input about calling issues,
especially knowing that he's a speech communications professional. That
said, I have to ask, what's the point of newcomers instruction if you're
not going to teach a few basic dance figures to the novices? I can
testify from much personal experience that some of those newcomers would
end up standing frozen, terrified, and immobile after the music starts
if they haven't had adequate instruction about the most common dance
figures. I can only assume that Greg calls to a much more experienced
crowd, where there are more seasoned dancers who can assist the novices.
Lewis Land
attempt to teach any dance figures in your session you will face the
additional problem created by spreading the listeners into a line, which
makes it more difficult to speak without a mike. (This is one of many
reasons I recommend *not *teaching any figures during the optional
first-timer's orientation.) It is much more effective to teach the basics
of walking and giving weight in a small circle where you can communicate
without a mike and keep the session under 10-15 minutes.
