Good morning, Its been my experience that dancers routinely applaud after each set.. I do so as well even when calling..turning to the band and acknowledging them. I go one step further and ask for additional acknowledgment/applause not just for the band, I ask for a hand for the hall. Paying respect for the hall, reaches out to the community at large and acknowledges the contribution from those whom preceded us making the dance possible.
-don primrose Nelson, NH On Thu, Apr 23, 2015 at 11:24 AM, Linda Leslie via Callers < [email protected]> wrote: > This is a great topic! Thanks for bringing it up, Erik. > A few thoughts: > **I introduce the band before the first dance. "Let's give a warm welcome > to....." I like to gently set up expectations. > **If the dancers don't remember to applaud, I remind them, even if it > means doing this more than once in an evening. > **Especially during the waltz, I will get off the stage, and mix among the > dancers, and then applaud like crazy when they end. I've also been known to > hoot. Nothing like a role model! > **I, too, have stopped calling for a few series because of not getting > anything back. I'ld rather spend my time and energy calling for a group > that has decided that it is just as important to take care of me and the > band, as it is for me and the band to take care of them., even for a lot > less money. > **And for this last reason, I respectfully disagree with Barb, who said "you > were rocking - but i just needed the community tonight. don't be offended > :-D" I don't think these two things are mutually exclusive: dancers can > get their needs met, and still help the band/caller have their needs met. > Linda Leslie > > On Apr 23, 2015, at 8:57 AM, Perry Shafran via Callers < > [email protected]> wrote: > > Erik (and all), > > You certainly hit on one of the issues for me. I remember calling in one > community with a pretty well-known popular band, and I gave the band their > props, as I usually do, but I could not get the dancers to applaud the > band. Maybe a bit more at the end of the night, but not much during the > dance. OK, I might not be the most well-known popular callers but the band > is and travelled a long way for not a lot of money and some appreciation > would be nice. > > OTOH, I was in another community, with a local band, and I and the band > got TONS of applause that night. It really made me special and as a result > put that community in a special place in my heart. I was grateful. The > other community kind of gave me that "eh" feeling. Maybe I called better > dances in the place I got applause, or maybe I explained things better, I > don't know. > > I know that when I'm dancing I always give applause to all bands and > callers. Even if they had off nights. They are all part of our community, > too, and communities support bands and callers. > > Perry > > > 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? > > ~erik hoffman > oakland, ca > > > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net > > -- Don Primrose Founder, Board Chair Hundred Nights Inc. Cold Weather Shelter and Open Doors Resource Center
