-------- Forwarded Message --------
Subject: Re: [Callers] Re: actual timing of calls for hey for four
Date: Mon, 2 Mar 2020 14:23:10 -0400
From: Katherine Kitching <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Hi all, wanted to thank everyone for all the super varied/interesting
and helpful feedback and suggestions!
I also wanted to report that my first Hey went very well on Saturday night.
What I ended up doing was creating 2 "practice lines" in the centre of
our big teaching circle (I always teach new figures in a big circle) -
which each had 3 people set up in a line with generous space between,
and first I walked through one of those lines myself starting first
from the middle, to demo how the Raven would proceed, and then from one
end to show how the Lark would proceed -- both to 16 counts -- showing
how I passed the person in the middle by the right shoulder and the
people on the ends by the left shoulder, and explaining how in reality
everyone is moving so there won't actually be a person to walk around at
the ends, but looping around that stationary person in the practice line
gives you a feel for how to do the figure.
Then I brought in a fourth person into the practice line and actually
got everyone to move at once, to demo how the Hey works (which blew the
new people's minds, they were laughing at how complicated it looked
compared to when 3 of the four people had been standing still)
Then I offered those who had never done a hey before the chance to try
it with the other 3 ppl being stationary, encouraging Ravens to try from
the middle and Larks to try from an end, to simulate what they'd be
experiencing in the dance...
So that was neat, cause those who wanted to try got to try, and those
who are visual learners and felt that they got the concept just from my
demo, along with those who have already done a hey before, didn't have
to do it.... - and having two practice lines sped things up and took
attention off everyone just watching one person (I may actually do 3
practice lines in the future!)
Then when everyone got into their contra lines and we got to the Hey
part in the walk through (after a Raven's chain) I used the patter that
you all gave feedback on for a couple of walkthroughs... (but also
emphasized that you could mess up the weaving all you wanted to, and it
didn't matter as long as you got back to your partner for a bal and
swing at the end of the 16 counts - that was probably the most helpful
thing for people to grasp).
It looked a bit rough during the walkthroughs but everyone indeed made
it back "home" on time for the swing, and then as the dance progressed
everyone nailed it eventually.
During the dance I used parts of the patter sometimes, but by the end
just said "into the Hey!" and it was all good.
I enjoy that patter though - like I said our previous caller did it and
it has a nice feel to it. I got confirmation from our old caller that
he did the patter concurrently with each sub-figure of they hey, rather
than preceding them.
We do do a lot of talking at our dances, with so many beginners each
time we basically never stop calling (or maybe we let people muddle
through without calls for the very last time through some dances - but I
assure you, many people falter without the instruction!) -- anyhow I
think our group is pretty used to dancing with lots of verbiage
accompanying the music, for better or for worse :)
- thanks again!!
Learned a lot from all you wrote, and I may try Diane's approach below
in the future!!
Also loved the idea that just came in this morning to say "pass right
with nobody" at the ends, to give an idea of how to walk that final loop...
Kat in Halifax
Diane Silver via Contra Callers wrote on 2/28/2020 3:15 PM:
Like Erik, I emphasize the loop-around as a critical part of the
move. Presuming the preceding move is an 8-count move and there's no
short 4-count move that needs to be called, I use the entire preceding
8 beats to prompt the start of the hey before it needs to happen. I
call the general move "Hey for four" and also pre-call the descriptive
details for how it starts. (I teach the hey emphasizing that as the
Robins start passing right, the Larks' first move is to slide over
into the right-hand position, and then they'll follow the Robin
through the weaving (and of course, vice-versa if it's a left-shoulder
hey)). Then I continue to pre-call each piece of the hey while the
preceding piece is taking place, in 4-count chunks. Feels like patter
calling because there's no stopping:
/CAPital letters indicate calling on the downbeat, with emphasis.
lower-case calls are like pick-up notes for the following downbeat://
/
Starting the call way back on beat 9 of the preceding part does not
seem to be a problem for the dancers. They finish the move they're
doing (often swinging) and the extra thinking time helps them end that
move and face across to start the hey on time. I've never had anyone
start the hey early because the beginning of the call came so early.
-- Diane
On 2/28/2020 1:30 PM, Erik Hoffman via Contra Callers wrote:
One of the problems with calling heys and this type of timing is the
**WHILE** problem:
While a pair is passing in the middle, someone is looping at the
end—a sort of “ghost” pass. New dancers often abruptly about-face
actually cutting off the path of the next person they’re supposed to
pass, and often try to pass with the “other” shoulder.
Here’s the Robins (we’ve switched) as the Larks:
Robins WHILE Larks
Robins pass Right Larks Loop Left (often
replaced by a “pause”)
Robins pass Larks by Left Larks pass Robins by Left
Robins Loop Left Larks pass Right
Robins pass Larks by Left Larks pass Robins by left
Robins pass Right Larks Loop Left
Robins pass Larks by Left Larks pass Robins by left
Robins Loop Left Larks pass by Right
Again, it’s that X Passes while Y Loops that often leads to problems.
Thus, if the teaching didn’t click, when I notice this problem as I
watch the problems dancers have I might start calling to those
dancers who are doing the “about-face” and call “Loop to the Left (or
right) to pass Left (right) Again.”
Erik Hoffman
*From:* Jeff Kaufman via Contra Callers
<[email protected]>
*Sent:* Friday, February 28, 2020 6:50 AM
*To:* Katherine Kitching <[email protected]>
*Cc:* [email protected]
*Subject:* [Callers] Re: actual timing of calls for hey for four
I don't think there's anything special about they hey: always cue
things so that they start on the beat after you finish speaking.
You might find "ravens left" etc works better than "ravens pass
left", being shorter. Otherwise it's hard to get all the words out.
Jeff
On Fri, Feb 28, 2020 at 6:06 AM Katherine Kitching via Contra Callers
<[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
hello - first time posting to this list so i'm sorry if I do it
wrong (looked in archives and couldn't see obvious answer)
I am going to teach and call my first dance with a hey this
Saturday.. (ie tomorrow)
our group takes things slow so i'd like to cue every interaction
for the first few times, as our previous caller did.... I don't
know how common this is but our previous caller would actually say--
ravens pass right
neighbours pass left
larks pass right
partners left
ravens pass right
neighbours pass left
larks pass right
partner balance and swing
I'm wondering if someone can clarify for me about delivering the
calls for this hey....normally of course I deliver instructions
so the last bit of instruction ends on the beat prior to the
figure starting.
But in the case of the Hey, if I remember correctly the caller
actually called out the actions *as* they were happening....
Am I remembering correctly and if so is this the best approach?
In essence-- do I start by calling "ravens pass right" _just
before_ they do it, or _while_ they are doing it?
thanks muchly :)
Katherine Kitching in Hfx NS Canada
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