Regardless of the value of encouraging dancers to develop the musical discernment needed to recognize the eight-count phrases with the 16-count phrases, the caller needs considerable skills and experience to teach material that's unusual to any particular dance community.*
For example, I teach several squares in which the promenade ends with something other than wheeling 1/4 to face into the center (the habitual end of a square's promenade). It takes skill to anticipate the habitual behavior, warn dancers that they're going to deviate from that pattern, and then use words that dancers can interpret on the fly to execute the alternate pattern. These are things a new caller can be made aware of, but are probably best avoided as one is still learning the basics of teaching and cueing a dance. In other words, initial flight time for new callers is best used with familiar patterns so as to limit the variables. I'd encourage the new caller to try Baby Rose or another "glossary" sequence. * Standards vary between communities. Callers unfamiliar with a community must develop judgment about what calls the dancers can execute with one word, which need a bit of teaching, and which require more teaching or even workshopping. As well, the crowds vary from one evening to another within the same dance series. Jerome Grisanti On Wed, Jan 22, 2025, 10:35 AM John Sweeney via Contra Callers < [email protected]> wrote: > Hi Jeff, > > It was just the first dance that came to mind. I’m sure > there are lots of others. To me the eight-beat sections are the most > important, since most moves are based on eight beats. To get the dancers > to listen to the music and hear the eights seems an important skill to me. > > > > Happy dancing, > > John > > > > John Sweeney, Dancer, England [email protected] 01233 625 362 & 07802 > 940 574 > > http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent > > > > > *From:* Jeff Kaufman <[email protected]> > *Sent:* 22 January 2025 15:07 > *To:* John Sweeney <[email protected]> > *Cc:* Contra Callers <[email protected]> > *Subject:* Re: [Callers] Re: Identify another dance? > > > > Hi John, > > > > Hexitation is an unusual formation (a "square" with four head couples and > two side couples). While I haven't danced it, I'm guessing the caller > wouldn't drop out, in which case the issue with ending a swing halfway > through the B1 (or B2 in Hexitation's case) isn't a big concern. Lots of > squares have short swings that end in the middle of the phrase, or in some > traditions are danced unphrased (where, then, ending in the middle of a > phrase isn't a meaningful concept). > > > > But I really disagree on this being a valuable thing to teach in a contra > dance context. Swinging until the music tells you to stop (by ending the > 8-bar phrase) does much more to promote musicality. > > > > Jeff > > > > > > On Wed, Jan 22, 2025 at 4:21 AM John Sweeney via Contra Callers < > [email protected]> wrote: > > There are some excellent dances that have a swing which ends in the middle > of a phrase (Hexitation springs to mind straight away for me). It is a > skill worth learning and helps teach the dancers about musicality. > > > > (Actually I wrote one yesterday, before I saw this discussion!) :-) > > > > Happy dancing, > > John > > > > John Sweeney, Dancer, England [email protected] 01233 625 362 & 07802 > 940 574 > > http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent > > > _______________________________________________ > Contra Callers mailing list -- [email protected] > To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] > > _______________________________________________ > Contra Callers mailing list -- [email protected] > To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] >
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