On 4/22/2015 7:08 PM, Erik Hoffman via Callers wrote:
Hi All,
There are several places where almost no applause occurs after a dance. In some communities, when
I've been subjected to that experience, I've asked, "were we off tonight?" The reply
usually is something like, "no, the dance was fine (or even great), we just head for our next
partner..." I know sometimes it's just the night. Sometimes, though, it's the community's
habit. I spoke with a renowned musician the other day, who will no longer play for a certain
series. One of the reasons: lack of applause -- lack of that palpable sense of appreciation.
I think dancers don't often know that applause really makes the band and caller
feel better. If they feel better they play better. And, as a dancer, applause
usually makes me feel better, too. Any ideas on how to encourage applause? Or,
if you're in one of those communities where applause is minimal, does it bother
you?
I had that experience a while back at one of our local contras, when I
was calling with a really hot band. We'd finish a dance, get a few
claps and then just crickets. It was really depressing and upsetting.
The dances were going ok, the music was smoking and then... nothing.
I've just looked back into my dance log and the comment I wrote later
that night was "I don’t know what was up, but it felt bad-weird from the
stage." Applause really does make a difference.
Kalia
