Tony, My question could include both situations. My experience is that different dance forms tend to create certain choreography habits (or ruts), and callers who understand these habits have a better chance of anticipating them and selling "out of the ordinary" sequences as intended and fun rather than confusing roadblocks to fun.
With contra, the caller has an expected walk through, less so in square clubs, but all callers can expect to build expectations over an evening of dance. As I see it, one of the fun challenges of calling outside of a group's normal activity is to play with those expectations, giving satisfaction in both expected and surprising ways. But I'm definitely still building my toolbox in this area. Jerome On Tue, Mar 14, 2023, 3:12 PM Tony Parkes <[email protected]> wrote: > Jerome, I assumed you were talking about calling contras to MWSDers. > Apologies if you meant calling MWSD, which I have no experience with. > > > > Tony Parkes > > Billerica, Mass. > > www.hands4.com > > New book! Square Dance Calling: An Old Art for a New Century > > (available now) > > > > > > *From:* Rich Sbardella <[email protected]> > *Sent:* Tuesday, March 14, 2023 3:08 PM > *To:* Jerome Grisanti <[email protected]> > *Cc:* Tony Parkes <[email protected]>; Caller's discussion list < > [email protected]> > *Subject:* Re: [Callers] Re: Contras for a Crowd that does not Swing > > > > Jerome, > > > > I call trade by after a square thru 3 often with no confusion. > > The Sq Thru 3 has left them in a Trade By formation. > > > > Here is a singing call figure I use to teach Trade By: > > Hds F&B, Hds Sq 4 > > R&L Thru > > Ps Thru, Trade By > > Sq Thru 3, Trade By > > Corner Swing, Promenade > > The figure ends in a Corner Box so you have an Alle Left available in lieu > of the Corner Swing. > > > > Rich > > > > On Tue, Mar 14, 2023 at 2:31 PM Jerome Grisanti <[email protected]> > wrote: > > Tony (and Rich and others), > > > > I'm just learning to call to MWSD dancers, and learning how to gauge what > will work out of the box, what will work with a heads-up phrase, and what > needs a little teach. > > > > With that in mind, how do you think dancers would respond to "trade by" > without a preceeding "pass thru," to maintain a single progression. The > power of habits. > > > > Jerome > > > > On Tue, Mar 14, 2023, 1:57 PM Tony Parkes via Contra Callers < > [email protected]> wrote: > > I’ve led several Intro to Contras sessions at National S/D Conventions. > The first dance in the session was typically my Inflation Reel, with a > Trade By added after the Pass Thru. (Trade By: If you’re facing someone, > pass thru; if not, do a partner trade [like a California Twirl without > hands]). This gives a double progression and means I don’t have to explain > waiting at the ends or crossing over. I’ve always also used Shadrack’s > Delight, which I wrote to appeal to traditional dancers and MWSDers alike. > > > > For the most part, I’ve found that MWSDers quickly get into the groove of > dancing to the phrase, as long as they’re in longways formation. (I tell > them that contra dancing is “square dance basics with round dance timing.”) > But the moment I put them in squares, with the hope of doing some of my > favorite Lancers or other quadrille figures, they think they can “relax” > and clip the timing. > > > > Tony Parkes > > Billerica, Mass. > > www.hands4.com > > New book! Square Dance Calling: An Old Art for a New Century > > (available now) > > > > > > *From:* Rich Sbardella via Contra Callers < > [email protected]> > *Sent:* Tuesday, March 14, 2023 12:29 PM > *To:* Caller's discussion list <[email protected]> > *Subject:* [Callers] Contras for a Crowd that does not Swing > > > > Friends, > > > > I have been asked to lead an intro to contra dance session at a square > dance convention. > > > > I will have time to lead 3-4 contras, and I am looking for suggestions. > > My main concern is that most modern square dancers do not swing, they > simply twirl under. With that in mind, I need contras which have no more > than an eight count swing yet reflect the spirit of the modern contra > scene. > > > > One major difference between contra dance and MWSD is square dancers are > not trained to dance to the phrase of the music. I will most likely begin > with a circle mixer to encourage a full 8 count swing and to emphasize > dancing to the phrase. > > > > I am not looking for contra dances with MWSD basics, but rather typical > contra basics. Any suggestions? I can certainly find some among my > collection, but perhaps there is a gem I might miss. > > > > Thanks, > > Rich Sbardella > > Stafford, CT > > _______________________________________________ > Contra Callers mailing list -- [email protected] > To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] > >
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