My biggest nono is "too much clockwise". If moves are awkward or with meh
flow, that's not a health or safety thing. Whereas getting dizzy is.

In dance,
Julian Blechner
He/him
Western Mass

On Tue, Aug 6, 2024, 8:40 AM Angela DeCarlis via Contra Callers <
[email protected]> wrote:

> Surprised no one's mentioned interlocking long wavy lines, yet — I think
> it's relatively well-known that Lisa Greenleaf hates this move! Can't say
> I'm a huge fan, either, but it has its moments.
>
> For my two-cents, butterfly whirls are on thin ice! I'll program dances
> that include this figure with a partner on rare occasion, and symmetrical
> dances with both a partner and neighbor whirl could be novel enough to be
> okay (???) on a cold day, but I think I would essentially never call a
> dance with only a neighbor butterfly whirl.
>
> There are too many excellent dances to ever bother with the mediocre ones,
> honestly.
>
> On Tue, Aug 6, 2024, 3:14 AM Neal Schlein via Contra Callers <
> [email protected]> wrote:
>
>> I agree with Jonathan about your existing list, and think that almost any
>> sequence CAN be used if done with knowledgeable intent.
>>
>> However, for the general list of things to avoid I would nominate what I
>> like to call “fudge down the line,” which is any adjustment that a) happens
>> solely because the sequence doesn’t fully progress the couples and b) does
>> not flow naturally from the existing movement.  (This most often happens in
>> Beckett dances or those substantially in Beckett formation; examples
>> include a 2 count sideways slide along the line or a slightly angled right
>> and left thru.)
>>
>> Notably, the 4 beat slide in “With Thanks to the Dean” and similar dances
>> would not count because they are full and discrete actions that are 
>> specifically
>> accounted for in the flow and timing.
>>
>> Neal Schlein
>> Librarian, MSLIS
>>
>>
>> On Mon, Aug 5, 2024 at 10:28 PM Michael Fuerst via Contra Callers <
>> [email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>> Depending on the flow of the dance,  balance and box the gnat  can often
>>> replace  dsd and shoulder rounds 1 1/2
>>>
>>> On Mon, Aug 5, 2024 at 11:17 PM Maia McCormick via Contra Callers <
>>> [email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I don't have Bob's list handy, but I cribbed heavily from it to make this
>>>> (much less extensive) list of figures + timings
>>>> <https://contra.maiamccormick.com/assets/pdfs/esc-choreo-figures.pdf>,
>>>> in case it's useful to anyone!
>>>>
>>>> (This reminds me of some more things I don't like, ha. Circle L and
>>>> pass through to swing -- IME the swing always gets truncated. Dosido 1.5x
>>>> and right shoulder round 1.5x don't quiiite fit in 8 counts of music and
>>>> are often frustrating. And I don't call couples' dosidos anymore, they're a
>>>> pain to execute correctly unless everyone in the hall is EXTREMELY on top
>>>> of it.)
>>>> --
>>>> Maia McCormick (she/her)
>>>> 917.279.8194
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Tue, Aug 6, 2024 at 12:02 AM Joe Harrington <
>>>> [email protected]> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Is Bob Isaacs in the house?  He has a giant spreadsheet with every
>>>>> possible move transition and a count of the number of times it occurs in a
>>>>> set of dances that now numbers in the hundreds or maybe a lot more.  It’s
>>>>> interesting which unlikely combinations do occur and which rarely do.  I
>>>>> hope this someday sees the light of day.
>>>>>
>>>>> —jh—
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On Mon, Aug 5, 2024 at 11:29 PM Maia McCormick via Contra Callers <
>>>>> [email protected]> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Jeff, impressively bad, well done!
>>>>>>
>>>>>> My biggest pet peeve is a RH chain (or promenade, or other move with
>>>>>> a CCW courtesy turn) into a circle L—though this is a very of-the-moment
>>>>>> style preference, as I know plenty of the classic dances have this combo.
>>>>>> (Likewise for dances where just the 1s do a figure while the 2s stand
>>>>>> around, doubly so if the dance doesn’t alternate active couples.)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Long lines followed by a chain is quite idiomatic—and probably in
>>>>>> part because of the strength that idiom, a chain (or other courtesy turn
>>>>>> figure) followed by long lines drives me up a wall.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I don’t love long lines into a circle—I’ll tolerate it if the rest of
>>>>>> the dance is really exceptional, ehhhh.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> --
>>>>>> Maia McCormick (she/her)
>>>>>> 917.279.8194
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On Mon, Aug 5, 2024 at 10:31 PM Jeff Kaufman via Contra Callers <
>>>>>> [email protected]> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Balance neighbor (4), swing partner (12)
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Ones dosido below while twos seesaw above (8).
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Long lines forward (4), swing on the side (8), long lines back (4).
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Circle left 1x (6) pass through (2)
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Jeff
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Mon, Aug 5, 2024 at 9:51 PM Tepfer, Seth via Contra Callers <
>>>>>>> [email protected]> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>    - A right chain INTO a swing
>>>>>>>>    - A swing into a circle right
>>>>>>>>    - Standard right shoulder hey into a swing
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Plenty other bad flow examples
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Seth Tepfer, MBA, CSM, PMP (he, him, his)
>>>>>>>> Senior IT Manager, Emory Primate Center
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> <https://outlook.office.com/bookwithme/user/[email protected]?anonymous&ep=signature>
>>>>>>>>  Book
>>>>>>>> time to meet with me
>>>>>>>> <https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/[email protected]/bookings/>
>>>>>>>> ------------------------------
>>>>>>>> *From:* Jonathan Sivier via Contra Callers <
>>>>>>>> [email protected]>
>>>>>>>> *Sent:* Monday, August 5, 2024 9:48 PM
>>>>>>>> *To:* New Contra Callers List <[email protected]
>>>>>>>> >
>>>>>>>> *Subject:* [External] [Callers] Re: Choreographic No-Nos
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I don't agree with your list.  Yes, swings on the first half of a
>>>>>>>> phrase are challenging and I might try to avoid them.  There are dances
>>>>>>>> with this that generally work fine, especially if the caller is aware 
>>>>>>>> of
>>>>>>>> the potential issue and teaches and calls accordingly.  The do-si-do 
>>>>>>>> across
>>>>>>>> can be a bit awkward in a crowded line, but only if everyone is doing 
>>>>>>>> the
>>>>>>>> do-si-do.  If only the 1's or 2's are doing it then there is no 
>>>>>>>> problem.
>>>>>>>> Shadow swings seem to be a personal preference or dislike and not 
>>>>>>>> really a
>>>>>>>> choreographic issue.  I actually think that a right chain after a 
>>>>>>>> swing can
>>>>>>>> work very well.  If you end the swing with the pointy hands pointing 
>>>>>>>> across
>>>>>>>> then the right hands of the right hand dancers are right there ready to
>>>>>>>> pull by.  I suppose you might say there is a momentum change, but that 
>>>>>>>> can
>>>>>>>> be very welcome in a dance where everything seems to be traveling the 
>>>>>>>> same
>>>>>>>> way.  Not every dance has to have continuous motion in the same 
>>>>>>>> direction
>>>>>>>> all the time.  I danced a dance with that set of figures just last 
>>>>>>>> Friday
>>>>>>>> and I was thinking to myself how well it seemed to work.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> So I see #1 and #3 as more of a challenge than a problem.  #4 is a
>>>>>>>> personal preference and #2 seems like a perfectly fine transition 
>>>>>>>> between
>>>>>>>> figures.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Jonathan
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> On 8/5/2024 7:37 PM, Michael Fuerst via Contra Callers wrote:
>>>>>>>> > I am accumulating a  list of figures, or figure sequence that
>>>>>>>> significant dance writers (not necessarily a majority) consider
>>>>>>>> Choreographic No-Nos
>>>>>>>> > My list so far:
>>>>>>>> > 1. do-si-do across
>>>>>>>> > 2. right chain after a swing
>>>>>>>> > 3 short swings on an odd phrase
>>>>>>>> > 4. Shadow swings
>>>>>>>> > Does anyone have further suggestions?
>>>>>>>>
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