I had an interesting experience with this. It was with an English dance I had written. I original borrowed a tune that had an 4 bar tag at the end. This allowed for the dance to have both a star by the right and star by the left, approximately in the middle of the dance. When I went looking for a tune of its own for the dance, I found a nice AABB waltz that I liked, so I dropped the left had star- turned the dance into a "vomit comet" . just one little four bar interlude was enough to make the difference.
Bob On Mon, Feb 20, 2012 at 12:51 PM, barb kirchner <[email protected]>wrote: > > another good point. maybe good flow alternating with a chance to catch > your breath is the recipe for a really good dance :-) > > > > Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2012 09:39:33 -0800 > > From: [email protected] > > To: [email protected] > > Subject: Re: [Callers] heys for new dancers > > > > And some of those dances that flow so well, flow because they keep going > in one > > direction (usually clockwise) almost the whole time, resulting in very > nauseous > > dancers. It has happened to me many times (mostly as a dancer). Please > watch out > > for this when choosing a very flowy dance. Count the number of bars in a > dance > > spent moving clockwise (circle L, gypsy, swing, allemande R, orbit...). > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ---- > > From: tavi merrill <[email protected]> > > To: [email protected] > > Sent: Sun, February 19, 2012 10:58:17 AM > > Subject: Re: [Callers] heys for new dancers > > > > Yeah Beth! I couldn't agree more... the courtesy turn is so > underestimated > > in how much coordination dancers must have to do it gracefully, and the > > regional variation in R&L through can be befuddling... but heys are so > > wonderfully innocuous, provided the ratio of experience levels is > > appropriate. > > > > It's interesting how organizers' and dancers' experience with the > > overcomplicated ways some callers teach specific moves biases them > against > > the move rather than against a caller's overcomplicated teaching method : > > / As a developing caller i'm finding that the best way to learn is > > listening to dancers talk about what teaching methods they've seen work > > well versus badly. Listening to dancers has radically improved my > teaching > > all around. > > > > When it comes to dances with good "flow", i'm learning they (can) be a > > double edged sword. I love how Bob put it that in Flirtation Reel "the > body > > WANTS to go in the right direction, and the soul follows". However, a > > fellow caller pointed out to me recently that some dances which "flow" > > beautifully also have high piece count. In his opinion, sometimes dances > > which have a moment to pause between moves (eg. ladies' chain to circle > L) > > are good because they give newbies a moment to think/digest the motion. > > Still figuring out how i feel about that idea on a dance-by-dance basis. > > Either way, it strikes me how often we humans can take a good > rule-of-thumb > > and make it a terrible ironclad principle. > > > > > > > > > > > > > On Feb 18, 2012, at 2:43 PM, [email protected] wrote: > > > > > > > LOL, I once had a caller berate me for using Flirtation Reel as a > > > > dance to teach beginners (this was a beginner's workshop at NEFFA, > > > > they really were beginning something.) He rather emphatically said > > > > "how could you use a non-standard hey as a teaching tool?" Until > > > > then I hadn't realized there was a standard vs. a non-standard hey. > > > > Actually I still don't think there is. > > > > > > > > I don't remember who the caller was, but I do remember the comment > > > > <G>. > > > > > > > > I also once had a dance organizer inform me "Do not teach a hey in > > > > the first half of the evening." There are so many other moves that > > > > people think are easy that are actually quite difficult for new > > > > folks: right and left through for example. Banning a hey seems a bit > > > > arbitrary, but I assume the dance had a bad experience at some time. > > > > > > > > Beth > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > > From: Linda Leslie > > > > Sent: Friday, February 17, 2012 11:24 PM > > > > To: Caller's discussion list > > > > Subject: Re: [Callers] Heys for new dancers > > > > > > > > > > > > On Feb 17, 2012, at 7:55 AM, barb kirchner wrote: > > > > > > > >> > > > >> i like teaching "the ladies' pattern". ladies walk the same path > > > >> (turn left, end on right) for a promenade, right and left through, > > > >> ladies chain, and hey. they're kinda used to looping out a little, > > > >> because in the first three figures, they're actually walking around > a > > > >> person - easy enough to get the concept of walking around a ghost > > > >> from > > > >> there. > > > >> > > > > Certainly useful techinique, if heys you will be using for the > > > > evening are right in the center, left shoulder at the ends. > > > > Flirtation Reel is a good example of Left shoulder in the center, > > > > right shoulder at the ends. Most dancers don't have trouble with > > > > this difference, but I have occasionally had dancers be a bit > > > > surprised that heys can and do vary. > > > > Linda > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > > > > > Message: 3 > > > Date: Sun, 19 Feb 2012 02:28:28 +0000 > > > From: barb kirchner <[email protected]> > > > To: <[email protected]> > > > Subject: Re: [Callers] Heys for new dancers > > > Message-ID: <[email protected]> > > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > > > > > > > > any dance that has good "flow" is going to be easier for dancers, old > and > > > new. when you find them, you keep them - because they work. > > > > > > > > > Message: 4 > > > Date: Sun, 19 Feb 2012 00:45:49 -0500 > > > From: Robert Golder <[email protected]> > > > To: Caller's discussion list <[email protected]> > > > Subject: Re: [Callers] Heys for new dancers > > > Message-ID: <[email protected]> > > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii > > > > > > If there is a "standard" in hey dances, then Flirtation Reel is the > gold > > > standard. It is a perfect blend of aesthetics and ergonomics. It works > > > because the body WANTS to go in the right direction, and the soul > follows. > > > > > > I have just returned from calling a little community dance of 1/3 > > > experienced dancers and 2/3 beginners, much as Linda described. Of > course > > > we danced Flirtation Reel. Committed to memory for use at a moment's > > > notice, Flirtation Reel is at the top of my list of dances that are > > > accessible to newcomers, but reward my experienced folks on the floor > for > > > hanging in there. ... Bob > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > 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 >
