On Mon, Sep 30, 2013 at 2:26 PM, Greg McKenzie <[email protected]> wrote: > >> The final step is to be booked at festivals, usually a weekend or a whole >> week. >> > > This is how most people see it in the USA contra dance scene as well. I'm > not sure why. I have seen many of our "top bill" callers struggling at one > of our local dances--where a healthy percentage of those in the hall are > bright and eager first-time contra dancers. Yet, someone who has proven > themselves to be an excellent caller at open, public contra dances is often > more than ready to call a dance weekend. >
I think you're broadly right: the dances that require a lot of skill to call for are low status, the ones that require less skill are higher status. But there are also some skills you need in order to be an excellent weekend/festival caller that won't get much practice calling at dances with lower experience levels. Jeff
