Personally, if there is a significant number of new dancers, I try to avoid using technical terms for figures until I have taught them. I know that 'advanced' dancers hate this. However, my experience is that this is much more effective (try watching the most effective callers and you will see that this mostly what they do). Yes - advanced dancers can help new dancers if they know what they are going to be doing. However, this usually doesn't happen. What does happen is that the advanced dancers launch themselves into the figure and the new dancer cannot see what has happened and gets confused.
In this case, my preferred language is to say '.... end in long wavy lines along the set/line, xxx facing out, yyy facing in or end in short wavy lines across the set/line, xxx on the outside, yyy in the center'. The technical (short-hand) term for the figure can be associated with the figure either later during the walk through or a few turns into the dance. I also reserve tidal wave as a term for a wavy line down the center of the set. Michael Barraclough www.michaelbarraclough.com The On Wed, 2013-06-12 at 18:43 +0100, Colin Hume wrote: > On Wed, 12 Jun 2013 10:07:05 -0700 (PDT), Michael Fuerst wrote: > > In contra dancing, at least in the tradition on this side of the > > Atlantic, specialized names for figures should be avoided whenever > > possible. > > But "ladies chain", "hey", etc. are all specialised names for > figures. We use them because they are a shorthand which people > recognise. > > > A caller can teach a figure and designate name for prompting during > > the dance. > > Are you saying that it's OK in the walkthrough to say "I'm going to > call this a tidal wave" and then call "New neighbour allemande left > all the way to tidal waves"? If so I agree with you. I do think a > caller needs to make a distinction between a wave of four across the > hall and a long wave up and down the hall, and the easiest way to do > this is to use the phrases "ocean wave" and "tidal wave". Agreed, > you might need to explain to some people what they mean, just as you > might have to explain how to dance a ladies chain or a hey. > > Colin Hume > > Email [email protected] Web site http://www.colinhume.com > > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > [email protected] > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
