Hi Callers,
I’m booked to call a dance this Saturday; the temperature is predicted to be 98F. This is an unusually hightemperature for the area and time of year- this organization does not hold summerdances. I’ve emailed the organizers asking for their thoughts/contingency plans.My first priority is keeping the dancers safe. While I’m waiting to hear back from them, I’m brainstormingideas for how to make a hot weather dance a safe and fun experience (presumingit isn’t cancelled due to heat). Here’s what I’ve come up with generally: -Remind dancers to take time to hydrate/change shirts etcrather than rushing to maximize the number of dances called. -Offer ice/popsicles at the break. And specifically as a caller: -Run dances shorter. -Moderate band tempo -Select dances where ladies/gents/ones/twos/first corners/second corners get “solos.” Thehall tends to consist of two long lines, so I imagine that I might want to makeshorter lines if I call something uneven. -Avoid butterfly whirls -Walk all dances, but avoid unnecessarily long walk-throughs. Other thoughts? Are there figures that tend to take lessenergy? I’m imaging that sequential balances are less tiring than full heys,but I’m not certain of this. Also, suggestions for interesting dances with more recoverytime? A dance that comes to mind is Tecumseh (Dylan Bustin). Thanks! Lindsey (Tacoma, WA)
