I concur with Jerome's point. The ability to "read the room" is the the primary skill that gets a caller rebooked frequently at my local dance (Glen Echo).
Greg On Wed, Jan 22, 2025 at 11:15 AM Jerome Grisanti via Contra Callers < [email protected]> wrote: > 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] >> > _______________________________________________ > Contra Callers mailing list -- [email protected] > To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] >
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