"A picture is worth 1,000 words" is so true. Most dances are not so large that a caller cannot get on the floor (even without a headset) and teach a move that's new or teach a style point for an old favorite.
Pick your "volunteers" carefully and be sure to publicly thank them for "volunteering". In my opinion, callers don't teach (well) enough and rely on more experienced dancers to "instruct" the new dancers as they dance along. Personally I think that's "failing as a caller". Words and demonstrations are powerful tools for teaching and should be used together as well as separately. Donna Hunt -------- Original message -------- From: Tom Hinds via Callers <[email protected]> List-Post: [email protected] Date:06/19/2015 6:04 AM (GMT-06:00) To: Michael Fuerst <[email protected]> Cc: [email protected], John Sweeney <[email protected]>, [email protected] Subject: Re: [Callers] How to Describe a Ricochet Hey I'm asking myself why not demo a ricochet? In my mind there are some advantages to demonstrating a move instead of describing it (or doing both with a wireless mic). My experience is most contra callers are highly educated and have exceptional verbal skills. Maybe some callers don't value a good demonstration. Or is a demonstration too beneath some of us? One of my calling students told me that I failed as a caller because I demonstrated a move. My own view is that watching and learning is an integral part of being human. We could make a long list of older skills (like hunting) or newer ones like learning to play a musical instrument where watching and imitating is the key to learning. I recently took an informal workshop on dance history. The teachers pointed out that when people watch something, appropriate synapses fire in preparation for performing a task. This physiological response helps the person actually learn a task better. T _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list [email protected] http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list [email protected] http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net
