> "Isaac, try Staples:" - Joe Yeah, that was a part of the deep dive I went on. The biggest hangup there is that I use 55mmx90mm (about 2.25x3.5) index cards for my dances today, so I'd have to buy a set of 3x5in cards and find a way to chop them in half. My makerspace has a sheet metal brake and a cold saw, which are both almost certainly overkill, but I don't know that I could use a track/band/jig saw on index cards without losing a finger....
> "Note that for edge-notched cards, you need a fairly sturdy card stock" - > Michael Yeah, and then you get into another nefarious detail - Mead makes a set of 3x5in cards with the highest coil density (4 holes per inch!), but the cards are *perforated *at the bound edge. With care, I imagine they would last for a good while, but eventually the cards designed to detatch from their hole-punched edges will do just that. > "make custom cards in a laser-cutter" - Michael While I could probably fuss with laser power to make this work, I imagine it's a fine, fine line between "enough to punch a hole through X cards" and "thank god we have a vent hood". > "where do you live that you're calling 30-40 dances a year?" - Keith Eh, in the Northwest pre-pandemic I usually averaged around 3 dances a month. If you're in a major metro area and there are enough other outlying cities in a 3-4hr radius it's pretty easy to self-promote yourself into that volume of gigs. Organizers are usually happy to have one fewer booking to chase down. Isaac On Thu, Jan 12, 2023, at 10:03 AM, Woody Lane via Contra Callers wrote: > Hi Joe, > > Like Diane, I categorize my cards based on the signature move. Also, to some > extent, difficulty, although that is a moving target based on the type of > venue, the crowd, and other unforeseen situations. > > FWIW, here's what I use: > > Easy contras > Basic Improper - 1 > Basic Improper - 2 > (where 1 = solid main contras, 2 = slightly more advanced) > Becket -1 > Becket -2 > w/heys (these are full heys, duple minor sets) > w/petronella > w/box circulate > w/mad robin > w/bicycle chain > w/contra corners > Multiple progressions (2x, 3x, etc). > 4x4 dances > Advanced contras (truly advanced, dance camp level) > Novelty contras (mixer contras, etc.) > Triplets > Odd formations > Circle dances > Mixers > Very, Very easy dances (e.g., for ONS and wedding gigs) > Reserve contras (i.e., "back pocket" dances to use when something fails, > like "Roll In The Hey") > > Also, I put a colored marker on cards for dances that lend themselves to > No-Walk-Thru situations (these can be in any of 5 or 6 different categories). > Sometimes I need to identify these quickly, on-the-fly during a gig. > > If a dance falls into two or more categories, I sometimes put a piece of > paper in one category with a cross-reference to that dance. Frankly, I don't > like to do this -- it's too complicated, especially as so many dances today > that contain two or more signature moves. > > Frankly, I don't want to get too detailed in my classifications (e.g. bouncy, > mesmerizing, etc.) because those characteristics can be so fluid -- based on > the band, the music, the crowd, the time of night, etc. And sometimes > selecting a dance against the grain can be the highlight of an evening. > That's part of the artistry as a caller. With experience, gut feeling and > instinct are essential to the creative process of selecting dances. > > Woody > -- > Woody Lane > Caller, Percussive Dancer > Roseburg, Oregon > http://www.woodylanecaller.com > cell: 541-556-0054 > > On 1/11/2023 2:16 AM, Diane Silver via Contra Callers wrote: >> This might be one of the 100 replies you were trying to avoid, rather than >> the summary you are looking for, but here's what I do: >> >> I categorize my dances by "signature move" -- hey for four dances, >> down-the-halls, petronella dances, stars, roll-aways, wavy lines (subdivided >> into short waves, long waves, rory o'mores, & box-circulates), >> alemandes-&-pull-bys, contra corners, etc., plus sections for squares, >> 4x4s, triplets, chestnuts, and novelty dances. I also have a section for >> "just basics", which in my mind have no signature move -- i.e., glossary >> dances. For me, the point is that I don't want to do too many hey (or >> petronella, or down-the-hall, or, whatever) dances in an evening, and I >> don't want to do two in a row. But basic moves are in every dance, so I'm >> not worried about that, so I don't have a category for moves like chains, >> long lines forward & back, or circles. I do have a section for alemandes and >> pull-bys, but I don't include every single dance that has an alemande in it. >> Good lord. It only includes dances in which those are the *signature *of a >> dance - e.g., a series of alemandes, such as a swing-through in the A and >> then again in the B. (This is why I group them with pull-bys, such as >> square-throughs or grand-right-&-lefts -- similar feel for which I wouldn't >> want to do 2 in a row, or too many in an evening). If a dance has 2 >> signature moves (e.g., a down-the-hall, and then a hey), I file it in one >> section only, and then I have a "see-also" card in the other section that >> lists additional dances with that move and where to find them. >> >> Then, on each card, I make notes about the feel (flowy or bouncy; linear or >> circular), and about the mood (sweet, romantic, lilting, driving, playful, >> goofy, restful, super-high-energy, etc.), and when I'm programming I make >> sure I have good variety for those criteria. I also check that I don't have >> too many in a row with the same starting move or ending move (i.e., avoid* >> for the 5th time in a row, balance and swing your neighbor*). I also try to >> vary Becket vs. improper formation, and depending on the crowd, contras vs >> squares or triplets or 4-face-4s. But I don't categorize according to all >> those criteria because for me, they are secondary. As I'm putting together >> the program, FIRST I'm considering the signature move, so that's how I want >> to search. >> >> I once tried doing a database with these various criteria so I could search, >> e.g., for a hey dance that was also Becket and also goofy, but I never used >> it. I really just preferred to pull out the cards for the signature move I >> wanted and then just peruse them to narrow it down and pick one. >> >> Hope this helps. >> Diane >> >> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >> Diane Silver >> 828 298-7084 >> [email protected] > > _______________________________________________ > Contra Callers mailing list -- [email protected] > To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] >
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