Hi Maia,
A number of folks have responded with some good advice, and I think
Jack's is particularly insightful. Yes, there are some general
principles, and some techniques are pretty tried-and-true. But I would
like to come at this from a slightly different approach . . .
To learn a lot about programming, once you have a few calling evenings
under you belt and an array of at least 20-30 dance cards so you are
familiar with some dance choreography and dances of different styles,
here is my suggestion: go to other dances that are called by good
callers. And that is a judgement call (sic) -- I'm talking about callers
you know are superb and have very good skills -- people whose
behind-the-scenes judgements you would respect. Go to their dances and
talk to them about how they program that evening. Get to visiting with
them prior to the beginning of the dance (maybe by phone so they know
who you are). Then, just prior to the dance, maybe during setup, take a
few minutes and ask the caller to go over the intended program (assuming
he/she has a program). Do this dance-by-dance. Then dance through the
evening as a dancer. But in addition to being a dancer, watch the crowd
and the musicians and the caller with a caller's eye. See what you see.
Have fun, but observe how the crowd is reacting/dancing/experiencing
each dance.
(BTW, I am not talking about dance weekends -- those programs and
dancers don't represent typical dance gigs).
Then, after the gig is over, at the end of the evening before you leave
(if possible), go back to the caller and visit again. This is the review
session. Ask him/her to review what actually happened, dance by dance.
Particularly which dances/moments the caller felt worked well and which
dances/moments did not, and why, and any changes that were made from the
original plan, and why. Not be in any way judgmental -- just try to
learn from that caller the hows and whys of the evening. And I am not
talking about or suggesting that you copy that program or go through
their dance cards. No, that is not the purpose of this visit. You would
be talking to them to seek an understanding of their judgement calls and
insights into their art.
Do this a few times -- with a couple of different good callers. Each
will have their own style and approach, and many may be very different
from what you'll read on an Internet listserv. There are great
subtleties here. It's all a matter of judgement, and rules are made to
be broken. All good artists -- and good callers are artists -- know this
and do it all the time. Good luck.
Woody
On 9/15/2013 10:34 AM, Maia McCormick wrote:
Given the recent discussion about the role of the list, and the comment
that it was originally intended for beginning callers, I have an absurdly
newbie question to ask: how do you go about putting together a program for
a full (or partial) evening of calling?
I know this is a broad question, but I'm curious to hear everyone's
approaches! (I can certainly specify the question if it's too much as is.)
Cheers,
Maia
(Williamstown, MA / New York, NY)
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Woody Lane
Caller, Percussive Dancer
Roseburg, Oregon
http://www.woodylanecaller.com
voice: 541-440-1926 cell: 541-556-0054
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