I have called to bands that sing occasionally. I've even thrown in a chorus or refrain once the dancers hit the groove. I'd be very careful. Singing tends to focus attention and energy to the song and away from being there for the dancers. There are any number of good waltzes with words, though I'd thrown in the caveat that not every song in 3/4 time is a waltz (though you can waltz to most of them). .
On Tue, Nov 27, 2012 at 4:32 PM, Greg McKenzie <[email protected]> wrote: > Maia wrote: > > > I've been talking with my band lately about coming up with some contra > > tunes that I/they/we can sing. > > > > Good question. This is something I've thought about over the years. In > general I would be very cautious about this kind of thing for several > reasons. It is something that seems more appropriate for events which are > gatherings of contra dance enthusiasts, rather than open public dance > events. > > > > a) suggestions for tunes? (Contra and waltz alike.) > > > > For myself, personally, I would choose simple songs with few words, > possibly that folks can sing along with. The singing will preclude other > activities--such as flirting and talking amongst dancers--so it has to be > done in small doses. This is often done by bands during waltzes around > here (San Francisco area). People seem to enjoy it. > > b) when do you usually stop calling and start singing? What do you do if > > the dance gets off track and you need to throw in some more calls? > > > > With a simple song I would start calling and allow dancers to carry the > song while I stepped in with calls. But I would probably not even try this > unless I were confident that there would be no problems. A simple song, > and an easy dance. > > > > c) other relevant things to consider when the band/caller tries to sing > for > > a less experienced group of dancers? > > > > I wouldn't do this to a hall with more than a few confident newcomers. I > wouldn't do it more than once in an evening. And if I did it I would > practice carefully with the band until we had it down pat. This is not > something you want to do half way. > > - Greg McKenzie > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > [email protected] > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers >
