A data point, or something. Last Monday I attended a dance with Elixir, Nils Fredland calling and playing. This was a special dance in Palo Alto, California, where we don't get them very often. Hall full of happy people; still four lines all the way to 10:30 pm on a Monday night.
I noticed that Nils didn't change the endings of _any_ contras. He would have had to put down the trombone to do it. (In fact, because I'd been thinking about the issue of endings and whether you're with your partner, I noticed that the band mostly finished a round of the dance/tune and then played a few additional ending notes, so that it more than once happened that you'd start the next round interacting with neighbor, who you then either have to turn away from to bow to partner, or acknowledge first to thank your partner.) One dancer commented to me on the tune endings. No dancer commented to me on changing or not changing to end with partner swing. Many dancers commented to me (as one of the organizers of the dance) on what a wonderful evening it was, what a great time they had, etc. I conclude that this is not an issue of overwhelming importance to most dancers - and yet still worth thinking about for callers. -- Alan > >> Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2012 18:00:44 -0800 > >> From: [email protected] > >> To: [email protected] > >> Subject: [Callers] Changing on the last round for a partner swing > >> > >> Callers -- > >> > >> Looking for opinions. > >> > >> As a caller, I will usually alter (if necessary), the last dance of a > >> medley, > >> the last dance of the first half, or the last dance of evening to end with > >> a > >> partner swing if it doesn't work that way in the choreography. (You know, > >> that > >> "This time, circle half and swing your partner" or "This time, just keep on > >> swinging!" thing.) > >> > >> I'll usually leave the other dances alone. They end how they end; the band > >> gets to crescendo and I don't have to be heard, and the dancers get > >> something > >> other than utter predictability. > >> > >> (As a dancer I don't like utter predictability; I begin to get a teeny bit > >> bored if the callers changes every dance to end with a partner swing.) > >> > >> But I mentioned this to my date, and she *loves* it when the caller > >> changes the > >> dance to make it a partner swing so that it feels like you're finishing > >> with > >> the partner who asked you, and feels disappointed if the caller doesn't > >> make > >> those changes. I mentioned the issue of stepping on the band's hot ending; > >> as > >> a dancer, that meant nothing to her. > >> > >> So what do y'all think? What do you do? How you do think people like it? > >> > >> (Nobody's ever complained to me that I didn't alter endings enough, and I > >> doubt that's the kind of thing anybody complains to anybody about, but it > >> probably has some impact on dancers enjoyment of the evening.) > >> > >> Thanks! > >> > >> -- Alan > >> > >> -- > >> =============================================================================== > >> Alan Winston --- [email protected] > >> Disclaimer: I speak only for myself, not SLAC or SSRL Phone: 650/926-3056 > >> Paper mail to: SSRL -- SLAC BIN 99, 2575 Sand Hill Rd, Menlo Park CA 94025 > >> =============================================================================== > >> > >> _______________________________________________ > >> 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 -- =============================================================================== Alan Winston --- [email protected] Disclaimer: I speak only for myself, not SLAC or SSRL Phone: 650/926-3056 Paper mail to: SSRL -- SLAC BIN 99, 2575 Sand Hill Rd, Menlo Park CA 94025 ===============================================================================
