Meta: this thread is on whether series should avoid "callers choice" for roles; can folks who want to get into whether positional calling is a good idea for contra start a new thread?
Jeff On Mon, Oct 30, 2023 at 1:01 PM Julian Blechner via Organizers < organizers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > For what it's worth, I went to a dance where a caller chose > role-name-light dances, and had this interaction with my partner, a > college-age dancer who's reasonably experienced. We were just in hands four. > > (Small talk ensues, then unprompted:) > Partner: "The second dance I got confused by something the caller said. I > can't remember what exactly." > (Dance had us in Long Lines, for a Larks allemande left.) > Caller: "Left hand dancer with the left hand free ... allemande left" > Partner: "That was it." > (Next move is the same role does something else, again the caller chose to > not just say "larks") > > Unless one is censoring one's repertoire severely, even dances with basic > things like "one role allemandes after a long lines" which is in a > bajillion dances, can get so much more wordy. And, if the dance has a few > people need prompting mid-dance, there's no simple way to recover if you're > avoiding saying a role name. > > So, I'd suggest any organizer who is considering allowing positional > calling take the time to understand the ramifications to what that actually > means. > > In dance, > Julian Blechner > > On Mon, Oct 30, 2023, 9:28 AM Rich Dempsey via Organizers < > organizers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > >> In Rochester, NY, where our policy is "gender neutral calling", which >> includes both positional and larks/robins terminology, I haven't noticed >> that any dancer cares about the distinction. The real point for our dancers >> is clarity and economy in teaching the dance so we can start the music. >> >> On Mon, Oct 30, 2023 at 1:20 AM Joe Harrington via Organizers < >> organizers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: >> >>> How do you feel, in a gender-neutral series, about leaving the decision >>> of larks/robins vs. positional to the caller, so long as it's declared and >>> publicized in advance? At least in some areas, there are not enough >>> positional callers to have an all-positional series. >>> >>> Thanks, >>> >>> --jh-- >>> >>> >>> On Mon, Oct 30, 2023 at 12:32 AM Lisa Marie Lunt via Organizers < >>> organizers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: >>> >>>> I think it's important to listen to what Don Veino just wrote. Don is >>>> both a caller and organizer. It's not fair to put the responsibility for >>>> choosing role names on the callers. It's the organizers' responsibility to >>>> make decisions about our dances. >>>> >>>> Lisa Lunt >>>> She/her >>>> Jamaica Plain (Boston) Gender Free Contra Dance >>>> >>>> On Sun, Oct 29, 2023, 4:17 PM Don Veino via Organizers < >>>> organizers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: >>>> >>>>> As a caller and organizer, this is a hot button topic for me. Please, >>>>> if you are organizing a dance, take responsibility for this decision and >>>>> make it clearly public to your participants in advance. I understand you >>>>> may be uncomfortable making this choice and possibly want to "please >>>>> everybody" by leaving it to the caller but that just sets up the worst >>>>> dynamic for all. >>>>> >>>>> My take is that the dance's organizers *own* the culture and >>>>> implementation policies of their dance. If you would not leave it up to >>>>> the >>>>> caller to decide to do swing dance instead or declare the admission is >>>>> half >>>>> off for a given event, then you shouldn't leave such a topic to them >>>>> either. >>>>> >>>>> "Traditional", Larks/ Robins, positional - alternating per event, >>>>> whatever - make the determination and let the people coming know in >>>>> advance. >>>>> >>>>> I personally will no longer accept bookings from a dance that doesn't >>>>> have a stated role term policy. I will call with the terms stated (or >>>>> decline the event). I had a booking for a longstanding dance which changed >>>>> from decades of "Traditional" to "Caller's Choice" after booking me, with >>>>> no heads up. I first heard of it when I started hearing from people >>>>> advocating for one or the other terms, as "my choice". The organizers >>>>> wouldn't make the call and the publicity was already out there. Bad scene >>>>> for all, not the way to set up dance joy. >>>>> >>>>> On Sun, Oct 29, 2023, 1:28 PM Sandy Seiler via Organizers < >>>>> organizers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: >>>>> <snip> >>>>> Currently terminology is the caller's decision. So it goes back and >>>>> forth from gendered to non gendered. That is not mentioned on the >>>>> website, >>>>> but I do know that at least one of our callers has requested that the >>>>> Lawrence board make a decision about it so the callers don't have that >>>>> responsibility and possible fall out from it. >>>>> </snip> >>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>> Organizers mailing list -- organizers@lists.sharedweight.net >>>>> To unsubscribe send an email to >>>>> organizers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net >>>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> Organizers mailing list -- organizers@lists.sharedweight.net >>>> To unsubscribe send an email to organizers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net >>>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Organizers mailing list -- organizers@lists.sharedweight.net >>> To unsubscribe send an email to organizers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net >>> >> _______________________________________________ >> Organizers mailing list -- organizers@lists.sharedweight.net >> To unsubscribe send an email to organizers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net >> > _______________________________________________ > Organizers mailing list -- organizers@lists.sharedweight.net > To unsubscribe send an email to organizers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net >
_______________________________________________ Organizers mailing list -- organizers@lists.sharedweight.net To unsubscribe send an email to organizers-le...@lists.sharedweight.net
