I will agree that botching it is much worse than leaving it as is.

On Tue, Jan 24, 2012 at 19:55, George Mercer <[email protected]> wrote:
> To be honest (and I do try to be), as a dancer I don't care all that much
> about getting that last swing.  Indeed, too many times callers attempt to
> do it and botch it.  Generally speaking, chaining across to a swing doesn't
> work very well. Crossing the set for a last ditch swing also takes time and
> the one or maybe two whirls seems to me to be somewhat disruptive.  It's
> okay if it works, but...
>
> Thanks, George
>
> On Tue, Jan 24, 2012 at 6:01 PM, Alan Winston - SSRL Central Computing <
> [email protected]> wrote:
>
>>
>> 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
>> > >>
>> ===============================================================================
>> > >>
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>> --
>>
>> ===============================================================================
>>  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
>>
>> ===============================================================================
>>
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