Thanks for the advice and suggestions so far. Many of the suggestions that you all make are fairly generically about good practices when calling squares in a traditional setting, and I almost entirely agree. I appreciate the specificity and thoughtfulness especially of Mac's and Woody's comments about style and approach.
Just for context: I have been calling contra- and square-dances for over twenty years, at community dances in Tallahassee, Gainesville, Jacksonville, and occasionally elsewhere. This last year I organized and called four special Sunday-afternoon dances locally that were all-squares (which I used as license to do some other non-contra set dances as well….). I usually call one or two squares at each community contra-dance that I call. I have been working on getting better at several different styles of squares, including western and southern squares as well as New England squares, and recently have added a few singing squares to my repertory. So, if I may modify my question a bit: Do you have specific squares or figures that have worked well for you in this context? I realize there are hundreds, if not thousands, to pick from. Which ones do you reach for most often when you want to call a square in an evening of mostly contras? Richard ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Personally, I like to dance and call squares as much as contra dances, but in many locales there is a strong preference for contras. If you were going to program a square or two in an evening otherwise devoted to contra dances, which ones would you pick? Or what would be the characteristics of squares that you think would make the contra devotees say "That wasn't so bad after all"? (This is assuming you have asked and the organizers haven't told you they expect all contras). I am programming this Friday's Tallahassee dance right now, so this is not just an academic question. Richard Hopkins [email protected] 850-894-9212 850-544-7614 cell `````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` Richard Hopkins 850-894-9212 (home) 850-544-7614 (cell) [email protected]
